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American Journal of   
Environment and Climate (AJEC)

A Review of  Factors Affecting and Impacting Recycling Intentions and 
Behaviors in Students

Almukhtar Aljatlawe1*, Engin Baysen2

Volume 2 Issue 3, Year 2023
ISSN: 2832-403X (Online) 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajec.v2i3.1813
https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajec

Article Information ABSTRACT

Received: August 28, 2023
Accepted: September 09, 2023
Published: September 18, 2023

The current challenges of  global environmental deterioration have been one of  the 
forefront factors that require urgency in mitigation. Global environmental deterioration has 
a direct impact on the global warming phenomenon that is currently threatening the entire 
human existence if  not adequately handled. Sustainable living is one of  the major ways 
that are required to ensure that critical environmental deterioration is mitigated globally. 
Also, a significant dimension of  sustainability is known as recycle or reuse, this is a process 
where byproducts and waste of  one process are repurposed for something else. Recycling 
is being taught in environmental education programs, but it has however been recorded 
to have a low prevalence of  practice among individuals especially students relative to their 
environmental education efforts. This study comprehensively investigates the factors that 
impact and challenge recycling behaviors in students. The study has findings on the factors 
that improve recycling behaviors and factors that challenge recycling behaviors in students, 
and these are used to make adequate recommendations.

Keywords
Environmental Education, 
Environmental Sustainability. 
Recycling Behavior, Recycling 
Intentions, Recycling in Students

1 Environmental Education and Management Department, Higher Institute of  Science and Technology Tobruk  Libya
2 Environmental Education and Management Department, Near East University, North Cyprus
* Corresponding author’s e-mail: almukhtar1987@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION
The planet is facing critical environmental challenges 
in recent times, these challenges include the depletion 
of  natural resources, climate change, inadequate waste 
management, etc (Bennett & Alexandridis, 2021). Several 
mitigation policies, efforts, and solutions have been 
designed and implemented, and part of  those solutions 
that have been designed for the mitigation of  these 
challenges is the use of  environmental awareness and 
knowledge endeavors; environmental education (Sow 
& Chow, 2019). The environmental challenges faced 
by the planet are complex in nature and require very 
robust processes of  environmental sustainability efforts. 
Environmental education is a form of  increasing the 
awareness of  individuals, knowledge of  individuals, and 
skills of  individuals with regard to sustainable practices 
for sustaining the environment (Luan et al., 2020). 
Environmental education has been reported to be one of  
the most efficient tools for the mitigation of  climate change 
and other dimensions of  environmental deterioration. 
According to the declaration of  Tbilisi (1978), the aim 
and objective of  environmental education is to enable 
individuals to carry out informed decisions with respect 
to environmental sustainability. Several studies have been 
carried out and have reported environmental knowledge 
as one of  the crucial environmental behavior and 
decision-making predicting factors (Nananth & Kumar, 
2021). Municipal waste is one of  the major sources of  
environmental deterioration, municipal waste is a critical 
global challenge as the rate of  municipal waste generation 
and lack of  adequate waste management processes lead 
to significant rates of  pollution across the globe (Islam 
et al., 2021).
Recycling is defined as the process of  conversion of  

previously used resources and objects into some other 
forms with economic value (Chao et al., 2021). The 
recycling process is a dimension of  environmental 
sustainability efforts that is regarded as one of  the 
most efficient tools of  environmental sustainability and 
mitigation of  environmental deterioration. Successful 
recycling requires adequate awareness and knowledge 
in individuals to enable adequate distinguishing and 
separation of  generated waste to enable the right recycling 
techniques to be applied to the generated waste (Fan et al., 
2019). Recycling is a very complex and tedious process 
that requires complex designed processes for efficiency. 
Studies carried out to determine the influencing factors 
of  recycling practices have revealed some of  the critical 
influencing factors are planned behavior, and behavioral 
intentions in individuals (Dixon & Parker, 2022).
Recycling offers a great impact on environmental 
sustainability. According to the European Commission, 
recycling practices are one of  the most high-impact 
sustainability practices that have ever been practiced in 
the efforts of  environmental sustainability and mitigation 
of  global climate change (Cho, 2019). Students are one 
of  the most important demographics of  sustainable 
intention and behavior awareness education in order 
to increase the global culture and rate of  recycling 
efforts (Bennett & Alexandridis, 2021). Environmental 
education in the context of  recycling can be very 
influential when it is impacted students and when they 
are encouraged to carry out such practices. Students 
are both decision-makers and leaders of  the future, and 
the use of  environmental education to impact practices 
of  recycling is important for students (Altikolatsi et al., 
2021). Recycling as one of  the most efficient methods of  
mitigating ecological deterioration and climate change is an 



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effective method that also reduces the need for associated 
environmental and waste management processes that 
can be negative on the environment (Kurokawa et al., 
2023). Recycling as a process of  ecological sustainability 
reduces greenhouse emissions, reduces the use of  
landfills, and conserves natural resources. Recycling as 
an environmental sustainability process not only protects 
the environment but also offers some economic benefits 
such as the provision of  jobs and reinforcement of  social 
participation (Goldman et al., 2021).

Aim and Objective of  Study
Since the beginning of  the environmental sustainability 
and protection campaigns initiated by the declaration 
of  Tbilisi (1978), students have been targeted by 
environmental education programs to ensure the right 
awareness and attitude towards the environment is 
impacted on students at the right time as the future 
decision-makers and protectors of  the environment 
and the planet. Environmental education programs are 
designed to cater to students which are drawn from 
different dimensions of  society with different behavioral 
attitudes and backgrounds to ensure they have similar 
characters, awareness, and behaviors towards the 
environment. Recycling as a dimension of  environmental 
education and environmental sustainability practices 
involves the use of  adequate technology and an adequate 
pro-environmental attitude and awareness towards the 
environment.
This study is a comprehensive literature analysis of  the 
critical factors influencing and challenging recycling in 
students. Sociologists and psychologists have carried out 
an analysis of  both direct and indirect actions toward the 
environment’s sustainability, and have come up with a 
theoretical framework known as the theory of  reasoned 
action (TRA). according to TRA individual intention 
for recycling is based on individual attitude towards 
recycling and the subjective norms as perceived by the 
individual while having the provision of  the adequate 
recycling infrastructure. This study reviews and reports 
the factors that influence, and challenge recycling in 
students using literature insights and providing adequate 
recommendations based on the findings.

Recycling in Younger Demographic
Recycling in the global population and especially so in 
the young demographic or students is reported to be 
relatively low. Environmental and recycling awareness in 
the demographic age range of  16 years to 25 years has 
been reported to be lower than in other age demographic 
categories (Ponis, 2020). Hence, the recycling efforts of  
students are lower than they should be for the benefit of  
environmental sustainability. Despite the environmental 
education and sustainability initiatives developed and 
practiced in educational institutions, there is no significant 
increase in the behavioral and active practice of  recycling 
efforts in students in such campus scenarios (Luan et al., 
2020). Studies carried out by Kruger et al. (2020) have 

reported reckless behavior toward recycling efforts in 
students housed in campus accommodations, this is also 
however contradicting the rise in the consciousness of  
students with regard to the awareness of  climate change 
which is about 91% in students (Cho, 2019).
The low rates of  recycling practices among students 
have been associated with the complex definition of  
environmental sustainability; with regard to what can 
and cannot be recycled (Koutsos et al., 2021). The poor 
practices of  recycling among students are not only the 
lack of  recycling intentions and behavior among students 
but also entail the inappropriate practice of  recycling 
with actions such as miscategorizing of  recycle items. 
There has been a reported limitation in the literature of  
investigations on the recycling awareness and behaviors 
in students, and the impact the environmental education 
they are subjected to has on their perceptions, intentions, 
and behaviors towards recycling practices (Huang, 2022). 
General environmental education and awareness in 
students encourage recycling behaviors and intentions 
in students, this is done through the identification and 
use of  themes of  recycling environmental education and 
motivation (Bennett & Alexandridis, 2021).

Factors Affecting Recycling in Students
Environmental education in general, as well as the 
recycling dimension of  environmental education, ensures 
that students are imbibed with the necessary awareness 
and skills about the environment and its sustainability 
(Söderberg et al., 2022). Students are therefore taught 
and trained with the necessary knowledge and skills for 
environmental sustainability. Research has shown that the 
awareness, intentions, and actual behaviors of  students 
need to be carefully paid attention to, as these are all 
factors that are necessary for environmental sustainability. 
Some identified factors that affect recycling in students’ 
awareness and behavior are as follows:

Exogenous Motives
This is a factor that is characterized by the motives of  
social influence and rewards. Studies have observed that 
the provision of  incentives or rewards promotes recycling 
behaviors in students (Chao et al., 2021). This factor is 
very impactful in students who have a lower concern 
about the environment.

Social Influence
This is a factor that impacts recycling in students that 
stems from the influence of  friends, family, and society. 
This factor plays a significant role in determining recycling 
behaviors in students, where a student who is surrounded 
by people who recycle is more liable to engage in recycling 
practices themselves (Yang et al., 2021).

Endogenous Motives
This is a factor that entails the satisfaction of  students 
or individuals in participating in beneficial activities 
to their society such as the conservation of  nature and 



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environmental management which can be derived through 
recycling activities among other activities (Mkhonto & 
Mnguni, 2021).
Recycling is a process that generally entails the use of  
comfort factors such as personal effort, money, time, 
and space (Chao et al., 2021). Hence, students and other 
individuals perceive the process of  recycling as a tedious 
and resource-consuming process that they would rather 
not want to get involved in. According toSöderberg et 
al., (2022), the inconveniences associated with recycling 
really impact the perceptions, intentions, and behaviors 
of  recycling in students. Another significant influencer 
of  recycling behavior in students and other individuals 
is the availability of  recycling resources. The inadequacy 
and limited availability of  resources used in recycling 
such as recycling infrastructure; bins, dump vehicles, 
recycling plants, etc (Franzidis et al., 2023). The lack of  
readily available recycling infrastructure further feeds 
the reluctance of  students in partaking in the recycling 
process of  environmental sustainability.

Social Norms and Personal Behavior Towards 
Recycling Behavior
In a research report carried out by Koutsos et al. (2021), 
it is reported that psychological variables such as personal 
and societal norms/values have a significant impact on 
the recycling behaviors of  students. Societal norms and 
individual personal norms and values interact with one 
another to influence the recycling behavior in students.

Parental Impact
A very significant dimension of  social norms is 
considered to be the parental effect that individuals 
have as a motivation to ensure a better and conserved 
environment for their children. According to Buil et al. 
(2019), individuals who are parents are more concerned 
about the state of  the environment and its conservation 
compared with individuals who are not. As a result 
of  this children tend to be exposed to observations 
of  environmental conservation such as recycling and 
adequate waste management practices in their parents 
before they become adults (Singh et al., 2020). A higher 
level of  environmental awareness and recycling is 
observed in students who are from families with an active 
environmental conservation consciousness.

Relationship between Recycling Attitude and 
Information Source
Attitude in individuals is defined as the psychological 
tendency that is expressed in favor of  something or 
against something (Almasi et al., 2019). Attitude with 
regard to recycling behavior is a key and critical factor 
in individuals, especially in students as young individuals. 
Students are exposed to different sources of  environmental 
education and information such as social media, mass 
media, conventional educational institutions, and various 
sources of  interpersonal communication (Sujata et al., 
2019). There are researches that have indicated that a 
comprehensive understanding of  individual attitudes can 

be used in optimizing the recycling and environmental 
education programs for students. There are also studies 
that have reported some of  the most effective sources 
of  information that can be used to impact the recycling 
behavior in students more effectively alongside their 
general knowledge of  environmental sustainability 
(Noh, 2021).
Environmental education is one of  the most effective 
tools for ensuring the success of  recycling attitudes and 
behavior in students. According to a study by Koustos 
et al. (2021), corporate-designed environmental education 
materials designed for consumers are an efficient source 
of  recycling and environmental sustainability. A study 
by Sukama et al. (2020) reported that environmental 
sustainability and recycling education materials and 
information obtained from social media sources of  eco-
activists, environmental sustainability organizations, and 
other educational social media sources have a significant 
impact on the positive attitude and behavior of  students. 
Students in the united states of  America sampled in a 
study by Yu et al. (2019) have shown that social media 
sources such as Twitter, Facebook, and other online 
blogging platforms are often used as sources of  useful 
environmental sustainability and recycling attitude 
development, especially in undergraduate students, 
and for graduate students, it has been reported that 
their most significant source of  such information is 
from conventional television and radio programs for 
enhancing their environmental sustainability awareness 
and attitudes. Another study by Altikolatsi et al. (2021) 
reported that interpersonal communication serves as a 
significant channel for pro-environmental awareness and 
behaviors such as recycling practices in students, this has 
led to suggestions of  incorporating such outlined sources 
of  information into the design and implementation of  
environmental education practices.

Normative and Contextual Influences on Recycling 
Behavior
The prediction of  recycling in students and individuals 
as a whole is contributed to by several contextual factors, 
these variables include factors such as the convenience and 
availability of  recycling infrastructure (Geiger et al., 2019). 
Studies have indicated that the availability of  recycling 
infrastructure to students especially in convenient spots 
around them significantly improves their recycling behavior 
(Fang et al., 2021). Communal ease of  recycling is also a 
strong indicator and predictor of  recycling behaviors in 
students and individuals because when they are off  school 
properties it is paramount that they have the infrastructure 
that will continue to foster the recycling behaviors in them 
(Setiawan et al., 2020). Another contextual and normative 
factor that influences recycling behavior is the forms and 
mediums of  recycling information outreach to students, 
studies have shown an increase in the recycling behaviors 
of  students when there are more and more educational 
outreach programs tailored towards specific recycling 
efforts and not just general environmental sustainability 
programs (Niemiec et al., 2020).



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DISCUSSION
Recycling in students has a lot in common with the general 
factors that influence or challenge recycling behaviors 
in general individuals’ subjective norms, sources of  
information, social norms, and personal behavior have a 
significant impact on the recycling behavior in students as 
well as individuals in general. The findings in this paper 
have shown that adequate environmental and recycling 
education is a critical determinant of  recycling behavior 
in students. However, there are other factors that also 
influence and determine recycling behaviors in students. 
These factors include awareness, intentions, and actual 
behaviors, these factors can generally be influenced 
through activities designed towards recycling that can 
motivate them using motives such as endogenous motives, 
exogenous motives, and social influences. Exposure to 
environmental sustainability and recycling information as 
much as possible is a good way to shape and improve the 
subjective norms of  students and individuals. Exposure 
to such information will develop recycling intentions and 
recycling behaviors in students.
Environmental education programs should be designed 
and implemented in such a manner that they will imbibe 
the characteristics of  all the recycling influencing and 
impacting factors to ensure the development of  recycling 
intentions and behaviors in students. Environmental 
education programs need to focus on designing 
experiential learning with the theoretical learning aspect 
of  the programs. Experiential learning enables students 
to have a real-life experience of  applying theoretical 
knowledge and understanding the impact of  what is 
being taught to them. Experiential learning can also be 
used to enable and encourage students to design their 
own recycling programs by creating motives to support 
their enthusiasm for the projects. Also, media sources 
need to be focused on designing and delivering adequate 
recycling information and awareness information. Media 
sources of  information need to be designed and delivered 
through channels that can optimally reach the target 
audience based on the demographic data of  the students 
in this context.

CONCLUSION
This paper investigated and reported the factors that 
impact and influence recycling intentions and behaviors 
in students. The findings in this paper have reported 
subjective norms, interpersonal communications, 
environmental education, recycling motives, and social 
influence as significant factors that impact recycling 
intentions and behaviors in students. Students who are 
exposed to environmental education programs that 
have more experiential complements to their awareness 
and education programs have a higher possibility to 
engage in recycling. Also, students that are exposed to 
more recycling information from the relevant medium, 
and given incentives towards recycling processes have 
a higher chance of  engaging in recycling practices. 
Students and the general public need to be exposed to 

adequate environmental education programs that include 
an emphasis on experiential programs towards recycling 
behaviors, motives for recycling need to be enabled and 
enhanced in individuals, and sources of  information 
need to be adequately designed to properly inform both 
students and the general public on recycling efforts and 
its advantages to their community and the environment.

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