Motivation or Inconvenience—What matters most? Understanding recycling behavior of healthcare waste

Abstract

Recycling programs are widely used to address global environmental challenges, with the active participation of end users being crucial for the successful return of products at the end of use. However, individuals have different motivations for recycling and face various obstacles in doing so. We lack an understanding of these motivations and the inconveniences of engaging in this behavior, especially within the healthcare industry. By drawing insights from the take-back program Returpen^TM, which was introduced in Denmark and the UK, this study addresses how different types of motivation influence end-user participation in take-back programs and the extent to which motivation offsets the inconveniences. The results showed that individuals' underlying motivations vary, with altruism emerging as the primary motivator, followed by social norms, while direct personal benefits play a relatively minor role. While 92% of respondents indicated their intention to engage in the take-back program, the actual return rate in the Danish program was approximately 22%, which points to a clear intention-behavior gap.