Knowledge, attitude and practices of e-Waste recycling towards sustainable waste management in Malaysia / Amirah Sariyati Mohd Yahya

Amirah Sariyati , Mohd Yahya (2024) Knowledge, attitude and practices of e-Waste recycling towards sustainable waste management in Malaysia / Amirah Sariyati Mohd Yahya. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

e-Waste is defined as any electrical and electronic appliances that are no longer in use, unwanted, no longer functioning, broken, obsolete, or ready to be discarded by their owner. The rapid generation of E-waste nowadays necessitates the attention of all stakeholders, particularly the general public as consumers. E-waste recycling is one of the environmentally friendly ways to handle E-waste. Hence, this study examines E-waste recycling among the public in Malaysia with five research objectives: (i) To analyze the current status of knowledge, attitude, and practices on E-waste recycling in Malaysia; (ii) To investigate the preferred sources of information on E-waste recycling among respondents; (iii) To investigate the relationship between demographic variables and current status of knowledge, attitude, and practices on E-waste recycling in Malaysia; (iv) To analyze the relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practices on E-waste recycling among respondents; and (v) To explore the satisfaction level of the public pertaining to the currently available E-waste management services in Malaysia. The data collection was conducted using a questionnaire survey with a total of 3,015 respondents. The data is analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Based on the analysis conducted, knowledge related to the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (EQA 1974) and disposal activity is not satisfactory, with the percentage of respondents being less than 70.0%. As for the attitude section, most respondents agreed that convenient facilities (84.5%) and incentives (78.3%) would boost their participation in E-waste recycling. It is also illustrated that most respondents are interested in upgrading their appliances to the latest features and design, which could potentially increase the generation of E-waste. Hence, the public is required to manage their unwanted appliances properly. Moreover, selling and repairing E-waste are the most preferred practices, as agreed by 72.6% of respondents. Note that 64.3% of respondents agreed that the internet is the most preferred source of information on E-waste. However, the utilization of various sources of information is also required to ensure that the public can obtain information despite their various demographic background. Two demographic variables, age and occupation, are significantly related to knowledge, attitude, and general practices sections. Meanwhile, income and residential location are significantly (p-value < 0.05) related to knowledge and attitude. Educational background is reported to be significantly (p-value < 0.05) related and consistent with knowledge and disposal practices on E-waste recycling. This study also discovered that knowledge, attitude, and practices are reported to be significantly (p-value < 0.05 (< 0.001)) related to one another. Most respondents who have demonstrated high levels of knowledge and attitude have moderate levels of practice. However, about 38.5% of respondents are unsatisfied with the current facilities and management of E-waste disposal in their area. This research makes several contributions to encourage the sustainable management of E-waste among the public.

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