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Recycling on the local level in Thailand: Influence of trust, norms and social networks

Hänninen, Minttu LU (2018) UTVK03 20181
Sociology
Abstract
Waste management is an important facet of sustainable development, as improper waste disposal will lead to various negative environmental and health impacts. Recycling has been found to be a useful way to manage waste materials and reduce the negative impacts of waste accumulation. In Thailand, attempts to increase recycling are being hindered by lack of public participation. The aim of this study is to find out how social aspects, namely trust, social norms and social networks influence recycling behaviour. To answer this question, a literature review is conducted to analyse the role of these aspects in relation to recycling. The theoretical framework guiding the analysis consists of a combination of social capital and social psychology... (More)
Waste management is an important facet of sustainable development, as improper waste disposal will lead to various negative environmental and health impacts. Recycling has been found to be a useful way to manage waste materials and reduce the negative impacts of waste accumulation. In Thailand, attempts to increase recycling are being hindered by lack of public participation. The aim of this study is to find out how social aspects, namely trust, social norms and social networks influence recycling behaviour. To answer this question, a literature review is conducted to analyse the role of these aspects in relation to recycling. The theoretical framework guiding the analysis consists of a combination of social capital and social psychology theories. The results show that each of the social aspects under study has distinct impacts on recycling behaviour. Institutional trust is linked to the perceived efficiency of the service and the ability of the public to contribute to solving problems, and lack of trust in institutions is found to create disincentives for participation. Social norms among the public influence recycling by encouraging or discouraging certain behaviour based on what other community members are doing, whether it be recycling or not recycling. Meanwhile, social networks are important for information sharing and providing an opportunity to work together for community goals, including proper waste management. These findings have implications to how participation in recycling behaviour can be increased in the future. (Less)
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author
Hänninen, Minttu LU
supervisor
organization
course
UTVK03 20181
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Waste management, recycling, institutional trust, social norms, social networks, Thailand
language
English
id
8947410
date added to LUP
2018-06-21 14:06:36
date last changed
2018-06-21 14:06:36
@misc{8947410,
  abstract     = {{Waste management is an important facet of sustainable development, as improper waste disposal will lead to various negative environmental and health impacts. Recycling has been found to be a useful way to manage waste materials and reduce the negative impacts of waste accumulation. In Thailand, attempts to increase recycling are being hindered by lack of public participation. The aim of this study is to find out how social aspects, namely trust, social norms and social networks influence recycling behaviour. To answer this question, a literature review is conducted to analyse the role of these aspects in relation to recycling. The theoretical framework guiding the analysis consists of a combination of social capital and social psychology theories. The results show that each of the social aspects under study has distinct impacts on recycling behaviour. Institutional trust is linked to the perceived efficiency of the service and the ability of the public to contribute to solving problems, and lack of trust in institutions is found to create disincentives for participation. Social norms among the public influence recycling by encouraging or discouraging certain behaviour based on what other community members are doing, whether it be recycling or not recycling. Meanwhile, social networks are important for information sharing and providing an opportunity to work together for community goals, including proper waste management. These findings have implications to how participation in recycling behaviour can be increased in the future.}},
  author       = {{Hänninen, Minttu}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Recycling on the local level in Thailand: Influence of trust, norms and social networks}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}