Plastik atıkların geri dönüşümüne yönelik toplum tutum ve davranışlarının anlaşılması: İstanbul'da bir örnek vaka çalışması

Natural resources are rapidly depleting in response to infinite needs of humans. Damage to natural habitats has reached a level that cannot be ignored. In this sense, the most communicated topic is, undoubtedly, the "climate change". Climate change is based on many different factors and activities, one of these being the "waste" problem. Surely, "plastics" are at the forefront of the ongoing discussion on waste. This study discusses recycling of plastic packaging waste. It is aimed to reveal the effects of environmental concerns, consequence awareness, level of plastics knowledge, moral norms, and situational/structural factors on plastic recycling intention, as well as the potential connection between plastic recycling intention, structural factors, and plastic recycling behavior. The study investigates consumer attitudes towards plastic waste and the factors affecting recycling intention and behaviors. In this regard, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was emphasized and similar studies in this field were examined. To analyze the conceptual model created for the research, an online survey was presented to plastic packaging consumers in Istanbul. The collected 275 survey data were used in the analysis. The data was analyzed by using Logistic Regression analysis with the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) program. According to the results, there is a partial positive relationship between environmental concerns, level of plastics knowledge, moral norms, and situational/structural factors and plastic recycling intention. Results found no significant link between consequence awareness and plastic recycling intention. There was a positive relationship between situational/structural factors and recycling attitude and recycling behavior.