Promoting Residents’ Willingness to Recycle Electronic ICT Waste in China: An Empirical Study Using Conjoint Analysis

Abstract

Initiated by the Chinese government to mitigate pollution arising from informal recycling, the Internet + Recycling model has been evolving and yielding significant results in China over the past few years. However, due to the large amount of users’ personal information contained in electronic information and communication technology waste, residents are concerned about privacy leaks, leading to a lower willingness to recycle. This study aims to enhance people’s willingness to recycle electronic waste by testing the impacts of various factors through a nationwide survey and analysis. Prior research evaluated e-waste collection attributes separately, thus provoking potential validity concerns. Addressing this concern, our study, based on 184 valid entries, employs conjoint analysis to determine the effects of different attributes on residential recycling choices. Among the considered attributes, recycling trust emerged as paramount, followed by compensation methods, recycling price, and recycling methods. The high-utility attributes included government certification and monitoring, cashback, high prices, and door-to-door service. Transcending the core research aim, our study forecasts market shares for diverse recycling combinations. The results indicate that there is no single dominant strategy, as several combinations are substantially influential. Consequently, businesses are advised to adopt a multi-pronged approach using diverse combinations for optimal results.