Exploring waste sorting behavior and its antecedents among university students in the UAE using an extended theory of planned behavior

This study quantitatively examines waste sorting behavior (WSB) and its antecedents among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Middle Eastern Gulf country. Using an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behavior, this research investigates the impacts of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on waste sorting intention (WSI), and the impacts of WSI, personal norms, perceived knowledge, trust in the waste management process and convenient infrastructure on WSB. We collected data using a self-administered research questionnaire on a sample of 353 students and used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the data.

The results revealed that attitudes (β = 0.433, p < 0.001), subjective norms (β = 0.163, p = 0.002) and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.137, p = 0.017) significantly positively impacted students’ WSI. Moreover, WSI (β = 0.444, p < 0.001), perceived behavioral control (β = 0.153, p = 0.001), perceived knowledge (β = 0.144, p = 0.003) and personal norms (β = 0.182, p < 0.001) significantly positively impacted students’ WSB. However, trust in the local waste management system and convenient infrastructure were not significant variables for predicting students’ WSB. The R-squared values for WSI and WSB are 0.376 and 0.527, respectively. Practical implications of this study include actionable recommendations for policymakers and educational institutions aimed at enhancing sustainable waste sorting practices.