University halls plastics recycling: a blended intervention study

Abstract

Purpose

The problem of plastic wastes is serious nowadays worldwide, although plastic wastes recycling is already in practice. To promote sustainability in plastic waste recycling, the quality of wastes collected should be maintained well, resulted from a good recycling practice. This paper aims to study a new plastic recycling bin (PRB) and poster interventions on the enhancement of university hall residential students’ proenvironmental knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviours (KAB) and actual recycling behaviours; informative and feedback posters were used as interventions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a quasi-experimental setting to examine the effects of the new PRB on students’ KAB and actual behaviours in recycling, whereas the quality of the recycled plastic was measured according to the extent of cleanliness (CLE), separation (SEP), compression (COM) and sortedness (SOR).

Findings

Results showed that significant positive enhancements in KAB only happened with the use of blended interventions, which included promotion through the PRB and posters, suggesting that the use of the PRB and posters was useful in achieving better recycling behaviour.

Originality/value

Blended intervention study by using new design plastic recycling bin and poster on the effect of students’ proenvironmental and recycling KAB.

Citation

Cheung, T.Y., Fok, L., Cheang, C.-C., Yeung, C.H., So, W.-M.W. and Chow, C.-F. (2018), "University halls plastics recycling: a blended intervention study", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 1038-1052. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-10-2017-0175