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Retired mobile phones represent the most valuable electrical and electronic equipment in the main waste stream because of such characteristics as large quantity, high reuse/recovery value and fast replacement frequency. An online survey was conducted in the university students in China to identify the disposal behaviour and awareness of mobile phon...
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... replacement frequency is summarized in Fig. 1. In all the respondents, about one fifth (21.86%) replace their mobile phones annually, most respondents (38%) replace their phones in two to three years. This result conforms with the previous researches [12,13] and based on it we can estimate the average life time of the mobile phones used by the respondents is about 2 years . The ...
Context 2
... result conforms with the previous researches [12,13] and based on it we can estimate the average life time of the mobile phones used by the respondents is about 2 years . The reasons for mobile phones replacement are summarized in Fig. 2. The most common reason is to take place of the broken phones. Combine this point of view with the result in Fig. 1, it can be deduced that many mobile phones used by students are broken in three years or little more. Although no detail information was collected in relation to how the phones broke or the extent of the damage, this phenomenon seems to be contradictory with the assertion that the technical life-span of a mobile phone is 10 years ...
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... While the effectiveness of financial incentives has been explored across various research fields, the results are notably similar. Both in terms of preserving material value and fostering pro-circular consumer behavior, the allurement toward financial incentives, such as cashbacks, is evident (e. g., Dixit and Badgaiyan, 2016;Li et al., 2012;Wang et al., 2011;Ylä-Mella et al., 2015). However, it is important to note that most of these conclusions are drawn from descriptive studies and literature reviews, indicating a need for more empirical research. ...
In the circular economy, an effective reverse supply chain is crucial, necessitating consumers to return end-of-life products rather than discard them. However, voluntary returns lack consistent motivation. While incentive programs might enhance return behaviors, the driving factors – whether based on sustainability principles or profit motives – remain unclear. Using self-determination theory, our study examines these dynamics in the cosmetics industry to uncover incentive efficiency and underlying mechanisms. We conducted an online experiment with 509 participants to empirically test four incentive schemes: 1) none, 2) financial, 3) sustainable, and 4) financial and sustainable incentives combined. Mean value comparisons indicate that the willingness to return increases for all participants after being informed about return opportunities, with financial and combined incentives differing significantly from the other groups, displaying the strongest intention to return. Experimental group-specific structural equation modeling analyses indicate that in all experimental groups, perceived intrinsic and extrinsic values positively affect the attitude towards returning packaging, which in turn is positively related to willingness to return. On the other hand, green consumer value only has a positive effect on willingness to return in the context of sustainable incentives. This study represents the first systematic approach to EOL incentive schemes, building on a new theoretical perspective and providing actionable strategies for retailers to advance the role of consumers in the circular economy.
... The incentives provided will increase the collection of smartphones in the early stages of a full recycling facility (Soo, Featherston & Doolan, 2013). Monetary incentives act as the most efficient incentives for the success of takeback services in Malaysia (Senawi & Sheau-Ting, 2016) and in China (Li, Yang, Song & Lu, 2012). In developing countries, combining regulation with an incentive system will increase the success of implementing a new regulation (Halim & Suharyanti, 2019;Zeng, Duan, Wang & Li, 2017;Shevchenko, Laitala & Danko, 2019). ...
Purpose: Electronic devices consumption, especially smartphones for communication, have increased significantly, causing the potential for electronic waste to increase too. However, the high potential of this flow has not been matched by good waste management. This study aims to develop a management network for e-waste that collaborates formal and informal channels to provide optimal supply chain benefits in terms of economic and environmental aspectsDesign/methodology/approach: This research designs an e-waste management network followed by building a single-objective mathematical model that considers economic and environmental aspects. This model was solved using Mixed Integer Linear Programming.Findings: The supply chain will benefit from the proposed management network by collaborating formal and informal channels. With an incentive of 10,000 IDR, it is hoped that it will be able to invite consumers and informal collectors to collect waste informal channels. The total profit from managing electronic waste supply every month from Yogyakarta Province is 5.529 x 1010 IDR with the composition, consumers 81.2%, informal 13.3% channel obtained from informal collectors and repairing centers and 2.1% for formal channels, and there is an intangible profit of 3.4%. The formal channel provides more significant benefits than the informal, but requires a significant investment. This formal channel feasible if at least 33% of the total supply goes to this channel.Research limitations/implications: The model designed is deterministic. Therefore, it can be developed into a probabilistic model for further research to represent more real cases in the field.Practical implications: Regulation is the factor that most influences consumers' intentions and behavior to participate in e-waste management programs. It will be able to change consumer behavior by forcing consumers to participate in e-waste collection programs. Therefore, a government regulation is needed that organizes and supervises the implementation of the proposed management model.Social implications: Currently, the practice developing in the community is that the informal sector carries out smartphone waste management, therefore in the designs made, informal actors are still given space in waste management for the repair process and the secondhand market. Meanwhile, further processing, such as recycling, must be carried out through formal channels taking into account the environmental impact.Originality/value: Few studies have developed an electronic waste management model by collaborating informal and formal channels that consider economic and environmental aspects, and its implementation is organized and supervised by government regulations.
... Various types of incentives that can be offered, including financial return in exchange for the device (Chi et al., 2014;Kwarteng et al., 2018;B. Wang et al., 2019), store credit, gift cards, courier coupons or vouchers, prize draw entry or discount on a new device (Li et al., 2012;Zhang et al., 2019), competitive pricing or providing the appropriate price for products/services delivered (Cole et al., 2019;Kwarteng et al., 2018;Nasiri & Shokouhyar, 2021), free shipping (envelopes, bags, boxes), environmental incentive, and more. Different incentives elicit different levels of willingness to recycle, as stated by Ongondo (2011a). ...
... It also incorporates the transparent processes with complete chain of custody documentation such as by providing a certificate of data destruction and recycling S. Shokouhyar (2021) H. Bai et al. 2018, M.S. Nasiri and S. Shokouhyar 2021 -Charitable purpose: it is a practice of businesses providing customers with the option of donation or charity within their e-waste recycling programs. The donated devices can then be refurbished or repurposed and given to individuals or communities in need, such as schools, non-profit organizations, or underserved areas (Koga et al., 2013;Kwarteng et al., 2018;Li et al., 2012). ...
Due to the rapid economic growth, growing demand for high-tech products, and decreasing service life of products, global waste generation from the electrical and electronic equipment sector is increasing. From the environmental and economic perspective, the circular economy (CE) emphasizes e-waste prevention as it is one of the fastest-growing waste streams having both valuable and rare materials as well as toxic substances. It is common to manage electrical products at their end-of-life through circular practices however, knowledge and implementation of CE in the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) sector still need to be improved. End-of-life practices center on recycling, and the percentage of valuable resources recovered is low. There is a missing insight into the business opportunities for alternative end-of-life options such as reusing, repairing, and re-manufacturing that hold stakeholders from implementing circular strategies. To fill the gaps identified, we developed a research question for investigating and analyzing the services offered and the electrical products adaptable to CE business models (CEBMs) of young companies operating in the WEEE. This study aims to explore the business models (BMs) of circular practice-based business options such as buyers and sellers of used and refurbished electronic devices, information technology asset dispositions (ITADs) companies, and e-waste recyclers to enhance other researchers with a better understanding of business options toward end-of-life e-waste handling and emerging issues in this industry. We conduct a literature review on CEBMs in the WEEE and conduct a multiple-case analysis of 412 emerging circular companies in the WEEE selected from the Crunchbase database to explore their BMs. Key findings show that most young WEEE companies focus on IT and telecom equipment and consumer electronics. Emerging WEEE companies mostly involve asset management and e-waste Recycling service, followed by ITAD services, trade-in/buyback, and reselling of preowned and refurbished electrical devices service, and e-waste collection, recycling, and disposal service. These companies provide unique offerings such as information security, compliance, trustworthiness, convenience, quality, social responsibility, and charitable purpose. Studies in the future may explore other dimensions of these BMs to gain a comprehensive picture and support the design of CEBMs.
... Our results show that an overwhelming number of mobile phone users in the UAE use smartphones, 70% of such users use their phones for at most 3 years, and almost 45% of users negligently dispose of their phones, that is, throw them in a landfill or leave them in the drawer. Prior studies in this area of research have identified environmental awareness as an essential determinant of recycling behavior (Li et al., 2012;Baxter & Gram-Hanssen, 2016;Inghels & Bahlmann, 2021;Welfens et al., 2016). From our survey results and the estimation of our logistic model, we have also found that environmental awareness about recycling and knowledge of the environmental consequences of improperly disposed of phones discourages negligent disposal behavior. ...
... A similar point is made by Welfens et al. (2016), who state that inadequate awareness may hinder recycling. Other studies that stress the relevance of awareness are Li et al. (2012), Tanskanen (2012), Baxter and Gram-Hanssen (2016), Islam et al. (2020), and Inghels and Bahlmann (2021). The large amount of literature on this aspect of user behavior allows us to articulate our first hypothesis. ...
... The second set of barriers is thus related to the absence of infrastructure for recycling. Li et al. (2012) noted that consumers believed that recycling costs should be shared by all stakeholders involved. Kollmuss and Agyeman (2010) found that consumers look for comfort and convenience as the main factors influencing their recycling decisions. ...
The use of mobile phones is ubiquitous around the world. Alongside the usage of mobile phones has been the rapid growth of related electronic waste, mainly aided by the very low rates of recycling of used phones. This study investigates the reasons behind the low rates of recycling of mobile phones in the United Arab Emirates, one of the heaviest users of mobile phones and one with very high e-waste generation. The study also has an important practical dimension in view of the policy initiative of the government in moving toward a circular economy. A significant contribution of this study is that we report the responses of phone users with respect to their usage patterns and factors that inhibit or enable them to recycle their phones. Our results show that environmental awareness about recycling and knowledge of the environmental consequences of improperly disposed of phones encourage recycling. However, personal, and external barriers prevent responsible disposal. We recommend strong government intervention, especially in school education, to enhance awareness about recycling. Further, the infrastructure for recycling needs to be made more user friendly and incentives should be offered to overcome personal barriers to recycling.
... An online survey of Chinese university students recognized behavior and awareness of cell phone disposal and promoted sustainable management of retired cell phones. According to the results, about 22 percent of the respondents change their mobile phones every year (Li et al., 2012a(Li et al., , 2012b. Sarath et al. (2015) reviewed cell phone recycling research. ...
... The thematic and content analysis results showed that a wide range of social factors (such as awareness, education, trust, knowledge, experience, and attitudes) have fundamental effects on participation (Baxter & Gram-Hanssen, 2016;Manivannan, 2016;Shokouhyar & Shahrasbi, 2021;Welfens et al., 2016). Also, economic elements such as incentives and costs can be discussed as the main driver or deadlock factors in participation (Borthakur & Govind, 2017;Halvorsen, 2012;Li et al., 2012aLi et al., , 2012bXu et al., 2018). Considering the growing trend of technologies and increasing concerns about privacy, data, and data security, increasing concern about security and privacy considerations is justified . ...
The main purpose of this study was to provide a unified framework of key stakeholder action-oriented approaches to extended producer responsibility based on behavioral estimates of consumers. For Twitter data, descriptive analysis and content analysis (thematic modeling) were performed after reviewing the literature. In addition, a new text analysis framework was employed to analyze extended producer responsibility reports. A total of 2,561,216 tweets and 708 documents related to producer responsibilities were analyzed. According to descriptive analysis, tweets related to North American countries represent about 35 percent of Twitter activity, while tweets related to African countries represent about 5 percent. A further consideration is the amount of attention paid by policymakers to issues related to mobile phones and environmental concerns among young people (about 5% in the 10–20 age group and 15% in the 20–30 age group). Consumer participation is significantly influenced by social factors such as education, awareness, and trust. In addition, consumers are increasingly concerned about data security and privacy. Also, cost, economic benefits, proximity, and convenience influenced consumer participation. The second part of the analysis revealed that producers are attending to enhance the economic benefits of recovery, develop infrastructure (for consumer convenience), ensure data security and privacy for participants, and increase knowledge and awareness about recycling and recovery. The developed countries also work with producers to increase engagement, while developing countries are trying to overcome information transparency, a lack of economic potential, and public awareness.
... Scholars in China and abroad have conducted extensive research on the factors that influence residents' willingness to recycle. Previous studies have identified shortcomings in recycling system channels and proposed the development of a professionally operated centralized recycling system [16,17]. However, with the advent of "Internet + Recycling" in China, Bai et al. found that every respondent in their study was aware of at least one channel for recycling electronics, representing a significant improvement compared to previous studies, where 45.9% of residents did not recycle electronic ICT waste due to a lack of awareness regarding available recycling channels [18]. ...
... To address these challenges, researchers have suggested the implementation of a professionally operated centralized recycling system that incorporates multiple recycling points and various channels to enhance the convenience of electronic-ICT-waste-recycling for consumers. This approach is critical to increasing effective residential recycling rates [16,17]. ...
Initiated by the Chinese government to mitigate pollution arising from informal recycling, the Internet + Recycling model has been evolving and yielding significant results in China over the past few years. However, due to the large amount of users’ personal information contained in electronic information and communication technology waste, residents are concerned about privacy leaks, leading to a lower willingness to recycle. This study aims to enhance people’s willingness to recycle electronic waste by testing the impacts of various factors through a nationwide survey and analysis. Prior research evaluated e-waste collection attributes separately, thus provoking potential validity concerns. Addressing this concern, our study, based on 184 valid entries, employs conjoint analysis to determine the effects of different attributes on residential recycling choices. Among the considered attributes, recycling trust emerged as paramount, followed by compensation methods, recycling price, and recycling methods. The high-utility attributes included government certification and monitoring, cashback, high prices, and door-to-door service. Transcending the core research aim, our study forecasts market shares for diverse recycling combinations. The results indicate that there is no single dominant strategy, as several combinations are substantially influential. Consequently, businesses are advised to adopt a multi-pronged approach using diverse combinations for optimal results.
... This is because it enables rural listeners to participate in national dialogues and evoke and express their cultural heritage (Onyenankeya and Salawu, 2022: p.1). The pervasive appeal of community radio, particularly in rural areas, can be ascribed to the popularity and ease of access individuals have to platforms of expression around them (Megwa, 2007;Li et al., 2012). Community radio also resonates with the audience because of the perceived affordance of participatory dialogue (Siemering, 2000). ...
... The community radio's proximity to local communities makes them accessible and popular. Previous studies suggest that people naturally gravitate to the platform of expression closest to them (Megwa, 2007;Li et al., 2012). One of the most instructive findings from the qualitative and quantitative strands was the poor preference for newspapers. ...
Community radio's effectiveness in health information ecosystem in rural Africa has yet to be explored much in the literature. This paper seeks to understand rural residents’ perceived effectiveness of community radio in health promotion using Mdantsane FM's listeners in selected communities in Eastern Cape Province as a point of departure. We applied Qualitative and quantitative methods within the theoretical frameworks of the public sphere and Uses and Gratification theories. The findings showed that Mdantsane Community F.M. could be an effective health information source. However, the station still needed to optimize its health information promotion role. To fulfil this role, community radio stations must proactively and intentionally create and broadcast culturally nuanced health programmes consistently and sustainably.
... The lack of economic incentives is why a large amount of e-waste does not enter the formal recycling sector. Li et al. [39] emphasized that monetary incentives and raising environmental awareness are effective ways to improve the effective recycling of mobile phones by researching consumer mobile phone recycling behavior. Yin et al. [40] studied mobile phone recycling behavior and willingness to pay for e-waste recycling (WTP) among Chinese consumers. ...
With the vast increase in global e-waste, e-waste management is becoming increasingly critical. China produces a large amount of e-waste every year, but the recycling rate is minimal. To avoid causing severe environmental pollution and affecting human health, the Chinese government has focused on recycling e-wastes. E-waste contains precious metals and critical minerals, which are misplaced resources and have recycling value. We combined the incentive system with the smart e-waste collecting system and constructed a set of incentive measures suitable for China's smart e-waste collection system, which is conducive to enhancing the e-waste recovery rate and is applicable. The existing smart e-waste collection system adopts a single economic incentive method. It faces fierce competition from unauthorized informal recyclers, resulting in a small number of users and a failure to fully utilize its advantages. In the reverse logistics of e-waste recycling, consumers are the starting point of product recycling. By analyzing the characteristics and determinants of Chinese users' recycling behavior, this study selected appropriate incentives for a smart e-waste collection system to satisfy Chinese consumers' perceptions of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment. The incentive system is based on economic incentives, including currency, reward points, and tax incentives, and combines negative incentives, mainly fines. Rewards and punishments are employed simultaneously to achieve long-term and sustainable incentive effects. The incentive system is based on the convenient infrastructure of the smart e-waste collection system, and its financial model must be shared by multiple stakeholders from the government, smart e-waste systems, and manufacturers.
... As of April 2021, there were nearly 5.27 billion mobile phone users in the world (Kemp, 2021). The frequent launch of new mobile phone models by various mobile phone companies induces consumers' willingness to purchase a more advanced device, and this is one of the main reasons due to which consumers replace their mobile phones even though their current ones being functional (Araújo et al., 2012;Islam et al., 2020;Li et al., 2012Li et al., , 2015Martinho et al., 2017;Simamora et al., 2021;Wilson et al., 2017;Yin et al., 2014). The various other reasons for replacement include poor functionality (Bai et al., 2018;Wieser and Troger, 2018), mobile phones being damaged (Borthakur and Singh, 2020;Li et al., 2012;Martinho et al., 2017;Ongondo and Williams, 2011a;Yin et al., 2014), out-of-date styles and functions (Martinho et al., 2017;Yin et al., 2014), etc. ...
... The frequent launch of new mobile phone models by various mobile phone companies induces consumers' willingness to purchase a more advanced device, and this is one of the main reasons due to which consumers replace their mobile phones even though their current ones being functional (Araújo et al., 2012;Islam et al., 2020;Li et al., 2012Li et al., , 2015Martinho et al., 2017;Simamora et al., 2021;Wilson et al., 2017;Yin et al., 2014). The various other reasons for replacement include poor functionality (Bai et al., 2018;Wieser and Troger, 2018), mobile phones being damaged (Borthakur and Singh, 2020;Li et al., 2012;Martinho et al., 2017;Ongondo and Williams, 2011a;Yin et al., 2014), out-of-date styles and functions (Martinho et al., 2017;Yin et al., 2014), etc. This has led to a massive surge in the generation of obsolete mobile phones. ...
... From many works of literature reviewed, it was found that mobile phones being completely damaged or broken or being nonfunctional is the main reason (Borthakur and Singh 2020;Li et al., 2012;Martinho et al., 2017;Ongondo and Williams, 2011a;Yin et al., 2014). Wilson et al. (2017) categorised reasons for replacement into different forms of obsolescence such as functional obsolescence, technological obsolescence, absolute obsolescence, aesthetic obsolescence, societal obsolescence, psychological obsolescence, ecological obsolescence, economic obsolescence and service-orientated functional obsolescence. ...
Usage/consumption of mobile phones has increased rapidly around the world. As of April 2021, there were 5.27 billion mobile phone users. Meanwhile, the generation of obsolete mobile phones/mobile phone wastes is also increased mainly due to the replacement of mobile phones. The in-use lifespan of mobile phones is correspondingly getting decreased. The inappropriate disposal of obsolete mobile phones leads to adverse consequences on the environment, human health and on metal recovery. This review article provides an insight on findings from various articles on disposal of obsolete mobile phones by users/consumers. The various aspects, such as reasons for replacement, disposal methods adopted by users/consumers, impact due to the adoption of improper disposal methods such as handing them over to the informal recycling sector and storage/hibernation after its in-use lifespan, were covered. Along with this, the study even focuses on reduce, reuse and recycle (3Rs) of sustainability. Reduce means reduction of mobile phone replacement frequency. Storage of mobile phones post-in-use lifespan is the most opted disposal method, and it is one of the significant barriers to reuse, recycling and metal recovery. When it comes to recycling, the research undertaken on the recycling of obsolete mobile phones is not as in-depth when compared to the research done on recycling of e-waste in general. This article identifies future directions for sustainable end-of-life management of obsolete mobile phones.
... However, few studies have been performed and knowledge about the extent and determinants of such problems is still insufficient. Although there have been some works in this area (Li et al., 2012) (ÇİMEN & YILMAZ, 2016), little scholarly attention has been given to this challenge in the Malaysian context; resulting in an important gap in the literature. ...
... In summary, a large academic study has clearly shown the various determinants that influence pro-environmental behaviour, especially recycling behaviour, but there is a scarcity of research that has described this type of data, especially about e-waste recycling behaviour. Therefore, it is worthwhile to investigate this particular environmental behaviour, i.e., e-waste recycling, on a sound theoretical basis with additional variables (Tiep* et al., 2018) (Li et al., 2012). ...
Objective - The research aims to investigate Malaysian tertiary students’ intention towards waste mobile phone recycling in the context of an integrated model. Methodology/Technique –Awareness of consequences, attitude, subjective norm, perceived convenience, and perceived knowledge were hypothesised to investigate mobile phone recycling intention among university students. For this study, 294 university students were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were gathered using a series of self- administered questionnaires. All instruments for the variables were adopted from past studies. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was conducted to evaluate the measurements’ validity and examine the relationship among variables. Findings – Convergent validity and discriminant validity evaluated using the measurement model were satisfactory. The R-squared value obtained was 0.363, which suggests that the model explained 36.3% of students' intention towards mobile phone recycling. The results suggest that attitude is the important determinant of e-waste recycling intention. Perceived convenience, subjective norm, and awareness of consequences also emerge as significant variables affecting waste mobile phones recycling intention. Interestingly, perceived knowledge is not a significant factor in this analysis. Novelty – This study provides an insight into the complex relationships that affect the waste mobile phones recycling intentions of users as well as well-founded suggestions for the policymakers in the future. Type of Paper: Empirical JEL Classification: A1, Q53.
