Antecedents of urban residents’ separate collection intentions for household solid waste and their willingness to pay: Evidence from China

Rapid mass migration into cities and economic growth have created various problems of sustainability. The increasing household solid waste, bringing about environmental pollution and land occupation, is among the concerns and separate collection is recognised as a sound way to dispose it. However, separate collection behaviours are not common in China, and the research into the dynamics of urban residents’ separate collection intentions for household solid waste is scarce. For filling this gap, we extend the theory of planned behaviour to explore the antecedents of separate collection intentions for household solid waste and identify their effects on residents’ willingness to pay for separate collection by other organisations. The results show that separate collection intentions towards household solid waste are significantly influenced by the behaviours of others, facility conditions, and moral obligations, while their willingness to pay for separate collection is also affected by age, perceptions of results and government policies. In conclusion, urban residents’ willingness to pay is more sensitive to perceptions of results and policy implications than separate collection intentions in China. Accordingly, the government should provide a pro-environmental climate, convenient facilities, detailed cases, cultivate environmental moral obligations and propose appropriate promotional and incentive policies for different recycling modes.