Factors affecting household solid waste source separation intention and disposal: a focus on Sri Lanka

This study explores the factors influencing household solid waste source separation intention and household solid waste disposal in three districts of Sri Lanka’s Western Province. The study utilizes data from 428 households and employs ordinal probit regression and multinomial logistic regression models to analyze the data. The results indicate that the age of the household head, land size, length of time living in the current residence, knowledge of waste management, inconvenience, attitudes, and subjective norms significantly influence household solid waste source separation intention. On the other hand, house size, land size, family size, type of settlement, ownership of the current residence, education level of the household head, place of the food item purchase, experience, inconvenience, awareness campaigns by the local authority, and general awareness significantly affect household solid waste disposal. The findings suggest that practical and cost-effective education and communication campaigns are essential to promote sustainable household waste management practices in Sri Lanka. These campaigns, however, should be tailored to the unique characteristics of each settlement to maximize their effectiveness.