Drivers and Inhibitors of Sustainable Electronic Waste Collection and Disposal Behavioural Intentions in a Developing Country

Abstract

Rapid urbanization has led to the dramatic generation of electronic waste (Ewaste) with societal severe socio-economic and environmental implications. The
situation is providing a daunting responsibility for Governments in developing
countries in ensuring sustainable E-waste management. Thus, sustainable Ewaste management becomes indispensable, especially when collection and
disposal targets are unknown. The study aimed to examine the drivers and
inhibitors of sustainable collection and disposal of E-waste in 10 Ugandan
cities. Behavioural reasoning theory (BRT) was a theory employed to
understand Government employees’ behaviour better and identify the drivers
and inhibitors of sustainable E-waste collection and disposal. By way of a
questionnaire survey from 346 city employees, data were collected and analysed
through the partial least squares structural equation modelling - (PLS-SEM).
Results largely support the developed and proposed framework while confirming
its robustness in determining sustainable E-waste collection and disposal
behavioural intentions. In the BRT context, the study contributes to theory by
providing a more comprehensive behavioural understanding of drivers and
inhibitors of E-waste collection and disposal based on “reasons against and
for” in a sustainable manner. Besides, one of the rarest studies in an E-waste
management context manifests the importance of the PLS-SEM approach in
successfully analysing two dependent variables. The study provides practical
implications and recommendations to all E-waste stakeholders.
Keywords: E-waste, Behavioural reasoning theory, collection, disposal, sustainable, PLS-SEM