A global review of consumer behavior towards e-waste and implications for the circular economy

In the paper

“Darby and Obara (2005) mentioned that consumers demanded more information on where they can recycle their small WEEE instead why they should recycle.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Darby and Obara (2005) source

In the paper

“however, some studies indicated that level of awareness related to this is still substantially low (Awasthi and Li, 2018, Borthakur and Govind, 2019, Ravindra and Mor, 2019, Saritha et al., 2015)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Awasthi and Li, 2018 source
• Not checked yetcites Borthakur and Govind, 2019 source
• Not checked yetcites Ravindra and Mor, 2019 source

In the paper

“Finally, 109 articles were found that only focused only on consumers' behavior around e-waste.”

In the paper

“In 24 papers, e-waste was not categorized; here, it is considered”

In the paper

“even sometimes people do not consider e-waste as dangerous and toxic (Pandebesie et al., 2019).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Pandebesie et al., 2019 source

In the paper

“This scenario prevails both in developing and developed countries, for example, by Saphores et al. (2012) in the USA, where the authors found that consumers were unwilling to transfer the waste to proper recycling facilities.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Saphores et al. (2012) source

In the paper

“Among large equipment, the most consumed products are washing machines, air conditioners and refrigerators (Cai et al., 2020, Nguyen et al., 2009).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Cai et al., 2020 source
• Not checked yetcites Nguyen et al., 2009 source

In the paper

“Due to the lack of appropriate information regarding collection points, Colesca et al. (2014) found that 43.48% of the respondents dispose of their e-waste via other pathways such as landfills.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Colesca et al. (2014)

In the paper

“Chi et al. (2014) mentioned that despite the higher economic benefits of old-for-new (OFN) collection schemes, 60.7% of respondents in their survey did not know about the price differences with other collection channels.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Chi et al. (2014) source

In the paper

“Often such awareness, especially location of the nearest e-waste collection points, was found limited (Borthakur and Govind, 2019, Cao et al., 2018, Gu et al., 2017, Ravindra and Mor, 2019) or even any e-waste recovery programs in city area such as Bangalore, India (Awasthi and Li, 2018), Hong Kong, China (Deng et al., 2017), Sydney, Australia (Islam et al., 2020b), although in some cases, related”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Borthakur and Govind, 2019 source
• Not checked yetcites Cao et al., 2018 source
• Not checked yetcites Gu et al., 2017

In the paper

“The consumption of AC is influenced by climatic conditions to a greater degree than other products such as PCs (including DCs and laptops), TV sets, refrigerators, and WMs (Cai et al., 2020, Chung et al., 2011, Song et al., 2012).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Cai et al., 2020 source
• Not checked yetcites Chung et al., 2011 source
• Not checked yetcites Song et al., 2012 source

In the paper

“Islam et al. (2020a) found that age, household size, and income were significantly associated with recycling program familiarity, while Milovantseva and Saphores (2013a) found gender and age.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Islam et al. (2020a)

In the paper

“For example, Fraige et al. (2012) found that 11% of consumers believed that they could dispose of WEEE with household waste.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Fraige et al. (2012) source

In the paper

“Bhatt et al. (2017) found that most women from Delhi and NOIDA were more cognizant of the environmental issues related to e-waste.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Bhatt et al. (2017)

In the paper

“Siringo et al. (2020) found that moral norms, environmental beliefs, and social pressure significantly affect performing (or willingness to perform) appropriate activities, such as recycling.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Siringo et al. (2020)

In the paper

“Environmental beliefs largely influence willingness to pay (WTP) to develop a sustainable EM system, even if recycling convenience is limited (Nixon et al., 2009).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Nixon et al., 2009 source

In the paper

“Storing ewaste at home, a general practice (Borthakur and Govind, 2019), is nothing but stockpiling material resources in the whole supply chain or the built environment.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Borthakur and Govind, 2019 source

In the paper

“Cao et al. (2016) concluded that most consumers could not differentiate between formal and informal sector e-waste collection channels.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Cao et al. (2016) source

In the paper

“Similar results were also found by Shaikh et al. (2020) in Pakistan.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Shaikh et al. (2020) source

In the paper

“Information dissemination on the collection schedule was also critical (Nowakowski, 2016).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Nowakowski, 2016 source

In the paper

“Nguyen et al. (2021) mentioned that end-user's willingness to participate in recycling programs, laws and regulations, inconvenience of recycling, and experience were four key factors that indicated WTP for e-waste recycling.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Nguyen et al. (2021)

In the paper

“Similarly, Rodrigues et al. (2020) identified that the government incentive program accelerated computers and printers' penetration rate.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Rodrigues et al. (2020) source

In the paper

“In India, Singh et al. (2018) found that respondents with higher educational qualifications had higher awareness about e-waste.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Singh et al. (2018) source

In the paper

“Islam et al. (2016) found that 30% of the households preferred to sell their e-waste items to local scrap collectors or even throwing e-waste with household waste”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Islam et al. (2016) source

In the paper

“Adequate environmental knowledge could lead to stronger environmental belief, and Saphores et al. (2007) found that environmental knowledge was a significant predictor of WTP for environmentally friendly products.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Saphores et al. (2007) source

In the paper

“Simultaneously, the level of income was the critical socio-economic variable for the factor”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Tu et al. (2018)

In the paper

“Among the various reasons,”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Borthakur and Singh, 2020
• Not checked yetcites Islam et al., 2020a, b
• Not checked yetcites Martinho et al., 2017 source

In the paper

“Consumers prefer to buy cheap (nonbrand) electronics, despite a shorter lifespan (Othman et al., 2015).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Othman et al., 2015 source

In the paper

“Milovantseva (2016) found that consumers who had a positive attitude towards recycling small electronics had significant environmental beliefs.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Milovantseva (2016) source

In the paper

“Small IT equipment such as MPs, digital camcorders has a shorter lifespan (consumers changed every 2-3 years) than screens and LE such as TV sets, WM, and refrigerators”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Botelho et al., 2016 source
• Not checked yetcites Cao et al., 2016 source
• Not checked yetcites Chi et al., 2014 source

In the paper

“Consumers with high income and education tended to acquire more high-tech equipment, such as MPs, plasma TV sets, PCs, and ACs (Cao et al., 2016, Nguyen et al., 2009, Song et al., 2012) in China and Vietnam.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Cao et al., 2016 source
• Not checked yetcites Nguyen et al., 2009 source
• Not checked yetcites Song et al., 2012 source

In the paper

“Importance of environmental product labeling was critical especially, for informed decision-making of the consumers (Bovea, M.D. et al., 2018, Huang et al., 2006).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Bovea, M.D. et al., 2018
• Not checked yetcites Huang et al., 2006 source

In the paper

“Borthakur and Govind (2019) identified that between computers and MPs, the latter is replaced more frequently than the first one among the Indian consumers.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Borthakur and Govind (2019) source

In the paper

“Although this issue is crucial and considered a significant barrier for potential acquisition for collection and recycling (Nowakowski, 2019), very few studies focused on this specific topic (around 10% of the articles).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Nowakowski, 2019 source

In the paper

“Recycling behavior reflected in practice is somewhat related to the economic status of participants.”

In the paper

“Technical knowledge of product use also influences an individual's perception regarding disposal.”

In the paper

“After useful life of an EEE, consumers tend to store the equipment at households before it reaches to collection points or the household bin, especially for small WEEE items such as MPs.”

In the paper

“Before reaching a final disposal point, products are hibernated.”

In the paper

“Delivering e-waste to various recycling channels existed a practice among consumers.”

In the paper

“On the other hand, education had an impact on disposal behavior.”

In the paper

“Infrastructural factors were some of the critical factors that determined willingness and positive behavior and attitude towards e-waste recycling and selecting disposal routes.”

In the paper

“Depending upon the types and socio-economic conditions of consumers, e-waste flows at different channels.”

In the paper

“Information/data security was the principal reason for storing MPs.”

In the paper

“Few studies were found that had been performed on R&R behavior.”

In the paper

“Direct incentives such as trade-in for cash (Tan et al., 2018), OFN (Chi et al., 2014) or discount/cashback offers (Martinho et al., 2017) have been found to be practical ways of providing financial incentives to encourage a CE for e-waste.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Tan et al., 2018 source
• Not checked yetcites Chi et al., 2014 source
• Not checked yetcites Martinho et al., 2017 source

In the paper

“Despite being a developing country, the scheme was preferred by 36% of the Vietnamese respondents (the most-preferred scheme) in a Vietnamese study (Nguyen et al., 2021).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Nguyen et al., 2021

In the paper

“Subjective norms have been found to be critical to e-waste recycling, and RL service providers (both government-operated and privately-owned under government regulation) could significantly mediate behavioral intentions.”

In the paper

“Although ARFs were identified by a majority of articles as a burden for consumers, if legal obligations bound consumers to pay the fee (in the form of ARF or recycling fees at the time of disposal).”

In the paper

“Reliability and accessibility of service (e.g.number of collection points) was found to be critical in the articles reviewed.”

In the paper

“Official take-back schemes through a compulsory retailer-based collection system should be considered further, as voluntary schemes often fail to ensure widespread public participation (Blake et al., 2019, Echegaray and Hansstein, 2017, Liu et al., 2019).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Blake et al., 2019 source
• Not checked yetcites Echegaray and Hansstein, 2017 source
• Not checked yetcites Liu et al., 2019 source

In the paper

“For example, Kahhat and Williams (2012) found that 60% of computers donated to charitable organizations were reused.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Kahhat and Williams (2012) source

In the paper

“In most of the cases, consumers from developing countries demanded price incentives (at the time of disposal due to the presence of informal collectors), and subsidy amounts that can motivate consumers to choose formal collection facilities need careful attention.”

In the paper

“The contents of awareness-raising material and frequency of circulating the information were found to be crucial in the reviewed studies.”

In the paper

“Specific education and course materials (in early childhood or elementary education) resulted in the successful collection of small WEEE in Spain (Solé et al., 2012).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Solé et al., 2012 source

In the paper

“Implementing ARFs through product pricing was also found to eliminate economic bottlenecks in an EMS in Switzerland (Islam et al., 2018, Khetriwal et al., 2009).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Islam et al., 2018
• Not checked yetcites Khetriwal et al., 2009

In the paper

“However, a lack of information regarding collection centers' existence and locations was found to be a barrier to a CE for e-waste, highlighting the need for a greater focus on increasing consumer awareness in national policy planning.”

In the paper

“Furthermore, it is seen that most of the consumers (regardless of the country) tended to save old EEE for spare parts, creating opportunities for modular product design and simple repairability using a userfriendly instruction (e.g.diagrams/process figures).”

In the paper

“et al. (2011) found that the availability of collection and recycling services to consumers significantly affect their awareness levels.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites et al. (2011)

In the paper

“Although platforms such as Love Recycling, Taolv, Haoshou, and Baidu have already become popular platforms (Wang et al., 2019), broader service coverage is required for this effort.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Wang et al., 2019 source

In the paper

“Most of the studies reviewed were focused on the individual and household-level.”

In the paper

“Understanding consumers' engagement with EEE is vital to product design, especially as the reviewed studies show that psychological undesirability has far more effect than technological obsolescence on consumer behavior.”

In the paper

“Incentives are also dependent on socio-demographic variables (Botelho et al., 2016), such as household size, income level, education, marital status (Jafari et al., 2017).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Botelho et al., 2016 source
• Not checked yetcites Jafari et al., 2017 source

In the paper

“The use of technology, especially mobile apps, to support behavioral change is increasingly considered a useful tool to reduce e-waste (Kang et al., 2020).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Kang et al., 2020 source

In the paper

“Many used products flow to charity organizations after initial product use.”

In the paper

“Regional infrastructure development with the help of public support has been found to be particularly vital (Nowakowski, 2019), with a need for governments to subsidize investments in necessary facilities.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Nowakowski, 2019 source

In the paper

“Apart from China and India, the number of studies that have been performed on consumer beahvior around e-waste in developing countries is limited and requires further attention (as per Fig. 3).”

In the paper

“Extended producer responsibility (EPR) implementation in developing nations is particularly challenging as it imposes a cost on consumers (Dwivedy and Mittal, 2013).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Dwivedy and Mittal, 2013 source

In the paper

“Liu et al. (2019) and Tan et al. (2018) concluded that for value-added products, such as smartphones, incentives are critical.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Liu et al., 2019 source
• Not checked yetcites Tan et al., 2018 source

In the paper

“This study identified that a smaller number of studies were conducted considering the young population, more specifically, students studying at the universities.”

In the paper

“Currently, a lack of legal incentives promoting repairs and second-hand sales is considered a barrier to reuse practice (Bovea et al., 2017).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Bovea et al., 2017 source

In the paper

“In addition, it was observed that most of the studies applied TPB in the case of recycling behavior (as seen in Table A2 in the appendix), leaving further opportunities to assess consumers' consumption, reuse, and repair and storage behavior.”

In the paper

“Computer and IT-related equipment were found as dominant product categories.”

In the paper

“One of the critical research findings is that consumers are demanding a substantial change in existing e-waste management systems.”

In the paper

“When consumers understand their mobile phone has some value, it was preferred to reuse rather than other channels.”

In the paper

“TPB was found to be one of the most widely utilized methods on the research topic.”

In the paper

“For WMPs, door-to-door collection services were not preferred.”

In the paper

“Thus, a significant knowledge gap exists in understanding a holistic picture of consumers' behavior around e-waste.”

In the paper

“The starting point for e-waste is consumers, who determine its destination.As such, for e-waste management to improve, understanding consumers' behavior is central (Saphores et al., 2012).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Saphores et al., 2012 source

In the paper

“Limited e-waste toxicity knowledge often creates barriers adopting environment-friendly products.”

In the paper

“Even though e-waste is a global environmental problem and consumer behavior is an important factor for e-waste impacts, surprisingly, consumer behavior was studied in relatively few countries.”

In the paper

“Knowledge and awareness about the formal collection system among consumers are also critical aspects that determine the sustainability of the system in the socioeconomic sphere.Several studies, such as the study by Islam et al. (2020a), Ramzan et al. (2019), Saphores et al. (2007) and others, emphasized the issue.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Islam et al. (2020a)
• Not checked yetcites Ramzan et al. (2019) source
• Not checked yetcites Saphores et al. (2007) source

In the paper

“Furthermore, hibernating behavior (storing e-waste) could evolve due to little e-waste knowledge.”

In the paper

“The familiarity of the formal collection and recycling system (C&RS) is critical for a system's overall longterm sustainability.”

In the paper

“Such high device replacement rates can indicate future EG (Arain et al., 2020, Fraige et al., 2012).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Arain et al., 2020 source
• Not checked yetcites Fraige et al., 2012 source

In the paper

“The reasons for product replacement could be broadly categorized as malfunction, technological obsolesce, and, demand for additional features (Sabbaghi and Behdad, 2018).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Sabbaghi and Behdad, 2018 source

In the paper

“On the other hand, a high device replacement rate indicates consumption patterns and future EG (Arain et al., 2020, Fraige et al., 2012).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Arain et al., 2020 source
• Not checked yetcites Fraige et al., 2012 source

In the paper

“Othman et al. (2015) found that approximately 86% of the e-waste generated by low-income residents would go through four options of a waste management system, i.e., reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Othman et al. (2015) source

In the paper

“consumers who were between 35 and 60 years old, owned cars, and were of middle to high income discarded most of the ovens.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Dwivedy and Mittal (2013) source

In the paper

“infrastructural factors, such as availability and convenient (access to) recycling facilities, were one of the critical components of an efficient collection system (Nduneseokwu et al., 2017)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Nduneseokwu et al., 2017 source

In the paper

“income (Abbondanza and Souza, 2019, Darby and Obara, 2005, Islam et al., 2016, Othman et al., 2015)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Abbondanza and Souza, 2019 source
• Not checked yetcites Darby and Obara, 2005 source
• Not checked yetcites Islam et al., 2016 source

In the paper

“common variables that impacted disposal behavior were family size (Pérez-Belis, V. et al., 2015)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Pérez-Belis, V. et al., 2015

In the paper

“Improvement of WEEE returns' convenient methods is a crucial factor enhancing the collection rate (for recycling) of stockpiled ewaste.”

In the paper

“Siringo et al. (2020) found that only 2% of respondents voluntarily participated in formal e-waste recycling.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Siringo et al. (2020)

In the paper

“Abbondanza and Souza (2019) found that regional variation (pace of development across a country's regions) influenced disposal behavior.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Abbondanza and Souza (2019) source

In the paper

“Although there was a high percentage of users using recycling channels, it is believed that informal sector e-waste collectors are one of them.”

In the paper

“High repair cost/cannot also be repaired found to be the critical barrier for which e-waste is stored or unrepaired (Blake et al., 2019).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Blake et al., 2019 source

In the paper

“Product use could also be an indicator of the e-waste disposal trend.”

In the paper

“Income and occupation, mainly in the environmental sector, influenced factors using e-commerce and professional recycling sites (Zhang, B. et al., 2019).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Zhang, B. et al., 2019

In the paper

“types of residence (Dagiliūtė et al., 2019, Nowakowski, 2019)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Dagiliūtė et al., 2019 source
• Not checked yetcites Nowakowski, 2019 source

In the paper

“gender (Dagiliūtė et al., 2019, Darby and Obara, 2005, Nowakowski, 2019, Ongondo and Williams, 2011)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Dagiliūtė et al., 2019 source
• Not checked yetcites Darby and Obara, 2005 source
• Not checked yetcites Nowakowski, 2019 source

In the paper

“Several independent socioeconomic variables were found significant; however, it is often hard to generalize the predictability of behavior indicators, mainly because of externalities (economic growth, local manufacturing, public policy, and others).”

In the paper

“Ardi et al. (2020) found that consumers' disposal behavior was primarily influenced by lacking wellestablished collection systems.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Ardi et al. (2020) source

In the paper

“education (Nowakowski, 2019, Zhang, B. et al., 2019)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Nowakowski, 2019 source
• Not checked yetcites Zhang, B. et al., 2019

In the paper

“it is often hard to generalize the predictability of behavior indicators, mainly because of externalities (economic growth, local manufacturing, public policy, and others).”

In the paper

“occupation (Zhang, B. et al. (2019)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Zhang, B. et al. (2019)

In the paper

“Disposal using municipal waste was also a popular choice due to the unavailability of appropriate options (Shaikh et al., 2020).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Shaikh et al., 2020 source

In the paper

“In terms of ewaste sorting, Dagiliūtė et al. (2019) found that females preferred to do.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Dagiliūtė et al. (2019) source

In the paper

“age (mainly”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Islam et al., 2020a
• Not checked yetcites Nowakowski, 2019 source

In the paper

“Dagiliūtė et al. (2019) indicated that consumer demanded more collection points/containers.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Dagiliūtė et al. (2019) source

In the paper

“'discount coupons on services' (females and consumers with a high level of education)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Botelho et al. (2016) source

In the paper

“'collection of EEE at home' (females).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Botelho et al. (2016) source

In the paper

“Giving information about e-waste and its environmental risks would significantly increase proper disposal behavior (Gök et al., 2017)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Gök et al., 2017

In the paper

“Selling waste EEE items to local small scrap dealers to get economic benefits was the most preferred choice (Islam et al., 2016).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Islam et al., 2016 source

In the paper

“Due to the absence of a door-to-door collection system and incentive options, often there is a high chance that consumers deliver e-waste to the informal sector (Lau et al., 2013).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Lau et al., 2013 source