E-Waste Management and Residents’ Willingness to Pay for Household E-Waste Recycling in Kuching Division, Sarawak
'E-waste' or WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) refers to electronic and electrical appliances that are no longer beneficial to consumers. An increasing amount of e-waste generated due to an increased demand for EEE (electronic and electrical equipment) production from the...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/46006/1/Masters%20Thesis%20-%20Word%20Format%20%281%29%20%281%29.pdf |
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| Summary: | 'E-waste' or WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) refers to electronic
and electrical appliances that are no longer beneficial to consumers. An increasing amount
of e-waste generated due to an increased demand for EEE (electronic and electrical
equipment) production from the rapid growth of the global population has become a
growing global concern. Furthermore, limitation of the assimilative capacity of the
environment and depleting natural resources stock have urged the need to increase the
amount of household e-waste recycled. This thesis aims to examine the resident's
willingness to pay (WTP) for household e-waste recycling (HEWR) in Kuching, Sarawak.
Quota sampling method was employed to select a total number of 397 respondents
representing 397 households staying in the Kuching, Bau, and Lundu districts of the
Kuching Division, Sarawak. A questionnaire survey was administered among the selected
residents living in Kuching, Sarawak. The findings of the study show that majority of the
residents in Kuching are not willing to pay for household e-waste recycling of electrical
appliances such as fridges (50.6%) and fans (59.4%). However, it also varies based on the
distinctive types of household electrical appliances they possess. In this study, 10 types of
household electrical appliances were selected and the average amount of WTP is expressed
based on a percentage of its purchased values of the respective electrical household items
listed. It was found that residents from Kuching are only willing to pay an average of 2.3%
till 2.6% of recycling fees based on the purchased values of their respective electrical home
appliances. The findings also revealed that there is a significant association between the
respondents’ age and their willingness to pay for the recycling of e-waste. A rather
surprising finding from the study is that no statistically significant association is found
between educational level, level of income, and willingness to pay for the recycling of e-
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waste. Therefore, the study recommends that more environmental education programs are
to be carried out or even to be embedded in the formal education system to sensitize the
residents and children to the risks associated with e-waste besides imparting the polluter
pays principles among the residents to promote sustainable e-waste management,
particularly among the growing population in Kuching, Sarawak. |
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