Determining the opinions and attitudes of university students about recycling behavior

Today, urban population growth, technological developments, rapidly growing and differentiated consumption habits have increased the amount of recycling and changed its type. In this context, in the conceptual framework of this research, which was prepared to raise awareness, information about sustainable recycling and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) components were given. The aim of this study is to determine the opinions and attitudes of the students studying at state and foundation universities in Turkey and to determine the factors affecting recycling behavior. Accordingly, data from 394 university students studying at state and foundation universities in Turkey were collected through an online questionnaire and analyses were made through the SPSS 20 package program. The validity of the scale was tested by factor analysis and the reliability of the scale was tested with reliability alpha scores. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that university students had high levels of participation in recycling scale statements and were engaged in recycling behaviors. In terms of the importance of the result of recycling behaviors, it was determined that the average of the female participants was higher than the average of the male participants. In terms of the importance of expectations, it was determined that the average of students in state universities was higher than the average of students in foundation universities. As a result, for a sustainable and effective recycling system, the subject needs to be evaluated from a holistic perspective with a multidisciplinary perspective.