Waste management: Forecasting residents' plastic waste recycling intention and behavior in Ghana

Plastic waste management is needed to prevent environmental damage. Recycling plastic waste is encouraged to continue using plastics while reducing environmental impact. These include the vast volume of plastic waste (p-waste) generated and discarded, the non-biodegradability of most plastic waste, the persistence of plastic waste in health, and the environmental risks of micro- and nano-plastics. Therefore, this study extended the valence theory (VT) model with openness to change, environmental concerns, and the convenience of accessible recycling infrastructure to examine residents' p-waste recycling intentions and behavior in Ghana. The main aim of this research is to assess the moderating role of age, gender, and education level in detecting Ghanaians' p-waste recycling intention-behaviors. Based on 390 survey responses, hypothetical claims were examined utilizing partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings are: (1) Perceived benefit, openness to change, environmental concerns, and convenience positively influence residents' p-waste recycling behavior through recycling intention in Ghana. (2) The study found that gender moderates the link between openness to change (OTC) and plastic waste recycling intention, while educational level moderates the link between OTC and recycling behavior. (3) Perceived benefit, openness to change, environmental concerns, perceived risk, and convenience positively affect residents' p-waste recycling intention. (4) Openness to change and convenience of accessible recycling infrastructure positively influence residents' p-waste recycling behavior. To reduce p-waste recycling complexity and maintain consistent practices, identical recycling systems and facilities must be installed in all waste generation scenarios. Waste planners and policymakers could use the results of this research to develop effective waste management structures that are helpful to circular economy projects.