Assessment of Household Waste Segregation Using the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Case Study of WA Municipal in the Upper West Region

Abstract

This study sought to find out how dimensions of the theory of planned behavior (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, intention) influence household waste segregation. A cross sectional survey design was conducted in the Upper West Region of Ghana (Wa) using structured questionnaire. Members of households in the Wa Municipality were sampled using stratified, purposive and convenience sampling techniques from three different strata. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data and test the hypothesized relationships among the variables. The IBM SPSS version 21.0 and AMOS version 21.0 were used to facilitate the data analysis process. The findings revealed that attitude to household waste segregation and intention did not significantly predict waste segregation behavior. Subjective norm in household waste segregation significantly improves intention to segregate and behavior in household waste segregation. Perceived behavioral control in household waste segregation significantly improves intention to segregate and actual behavior in household waste segregation. The findings also showed that intention to segregate mediates the relationship between subjective norm, perceived behavior control and waste segregation behavior. However, intention to segregate does not mediates the relationship between attitude towards waste segregation and waste segregation behavior. The study therefore concludes that intention to segregate, subjective norm in segregation, perceived behavior control are important factors in the management of waste at the household level.