Initiating waste separation program in a university campus a case study of vietnam japan university, vietnam national university, hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY - DAU THI THU DAN INITIATING WASTE SEPARATION PROGRAM IN A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS: A CASE STUDY OF VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI MASTER'S THESIS Hanoi, 2018 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY DAU THI THU DAN INITIATING WASTE SEPARATION PROGRAM IN A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS: A CASE STUDY OF VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI MAJOR: PUBLIC POLICY SUPERVISORS: Associate Prof Dr NAOKO KAIDA Dr NGUYEN THUY ANH Hanoi, 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis could not have been possible without the guidance I received from my supervisors It is my honor to take this opportunity to express my best regards, deepest sense of gratitude to my supervisor at University of Tsukuba, Prof Naoko Kaida for her careful, kindness and precious guidance which were extremely valuable for my study both theoretically and practically Despite her busy schedules, Prof Naoko Kaida always tries her best to help me when I am in need I also would like to express my deepest gratitude and special thanks to Dr Thuy Anh for her willingness to take me in when I was feeling lost at the beginning with this thesis, and her great support to guide me through the difficulty during the last period I must have been lucky enough to have Prof Naoko Kaida and Dr Thuy Anh as my supervisors to walk me through the up and down in the journey to accomplish my master thesis I would like to express my deepest thanks to all the Japanese and Vietnamese professors for their supports and advises, especially Prof Okamoto Naohisa, Prof Koji Fujimoto, Prof Katsura Ryotaro and Dr Vu Hoang Linh I would like to convey my special thanks to our administrative assistants, Ms Nguyen Thi Mai Phuong and Ms Pham Thi Thu Ha for their great assistants My deepest gratitude and special thanks to Vietnam Japan university, University of Tsukuba and JICA organization for creating opportunities for me to make this happens Last but not least, for the two years of studying master, my family has been my greatest motivator, without their supports I could not go through this journey by myself I cannot thank them enough for what they have given me I also would like to send my thankfulness to all of my friends who accompany me on this journey, for their great supports I consider this journey as a big milestone in my career path I will try to take advantage of all the skills and knowledge that I have gained during these two years in the most possible way in order for my career development And hope to contribute a part to the sustainable development of society ABSTRACT The significant increasing rate of Municipal household waste (MHSW) in quantity alongside with the improper waste management has caused serious environmental degradation and health hazard in Vietnam Unless, the waste generation is reduced significantly, the amount of waste will keep growing associated by a series of problems The 3Rs principles (reduce, reuse, recycle) would be the answer to this problem, in which waste separation plays as a key practice To promote waste separation, there is a need to emphasize the proenvironmental behavior change, since people is the main separation actor and waste separation is a kind of pro-environmental behavior The study utilizes the Shalom Schwartz‟s Norm Activation Theory (1968) to assess relationships between peoples‟ awareness, attitudes, norms, and behaviors related to waste separation In addition, intervention strategy specifically prompts techniques is also used to promote waste separation behavior The study chose Vietnam Japan University as a case study Waste separation initiatives were conducted including questionnaire survey distribution and experimental intervention Results of 120 samples obtained from questionnaire survey were analyzed using structural equation modeling Results of the experimental intervention were analyzed using a paired t-test Findings showed that the study‟s basic framework is conceptually plausible; the use of a sequential procedure of the NAM is effective in explicating the pro-environmental decision formation of waste separation performers Findings also stated that the single use of intervention techniques (prompts) may not hold the effect for a long-term period The study suggests the use of commitment techniques in the combination with other techniques might maximize the effect in the long run The implications regarding these findings are discussed TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES i LIST OF FIGURES ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research background 1.2 Problem statement 1.3 Purpose of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Research method 1.6 Limitation of the study 1.7 Structure and overview of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Current waste management practices and challenges in Vietnam 2.2.1 Waste generation in Vietnam 2.2.2 Waste collection and treatment 2.2.3 The impacts of MHSW 2.2 Waste separation at source and the role of public participation 2.3 The role of higher education institution in waste separation 2.4 Pro-environmental behavior 10 2.5 Widely-used theories to explain pro-environmental behavior 11 2.6 Theoretical framework: Schwartz‟s Norm-Activation Model 13 2.7 Intervention strategy to change pro-environmental behavior 15 2.8 Hypothesis 17 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 18 3.1 Research approach and methodology framework 18 3.2 Study site 18 3.3 Questionnaire survey design 19 3.3.1 Questionnaire respondents sample 19 3.3.2 Questionnaire design 20 3.3.3 Data collection 21 3.3.4 Data analysis 22 3.4 The experimental intervention design 22 3.4.1 Experimental conditions 22 3.4.2 The poster designs for intervention 25 3.4.3 The experiment procedures 27 3.4.4 Participants 28 3.4.5 Data collection 28 3.4.6 Data analysis 28 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 29 4.1 Results 29 4.1.1 Questionnaire data results 29 4.4.2 The experiment results 33 4.2 Discussions 36 4.2.1 The questionnaire survey 36 4.2.2 The experiment 37 4.2.3 Pro-environmental behavior maintenance 40 CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATION 43 5.1 Implications for facilitating waste separation in VJU 43 5.2 Implications for facilitating waste separation in Vietnam 46 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION 49 REFERENCES 50 Appendix 59 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 3.1 Demographic of survey respondents 19 Table 4.1 Summary statistics of the NAM items 30 Table 4.2 Correlations coefficients of the variables of the model 31 Table 4.3 Correlations coefficients of the variables of the model 32 Table 4.4 Weight (kg) of each bin and correct separation percentage (%) of second and third period 33 Table 4.5 Comparison of correct separation performance percentage of bottle and can between the second and third period 34 Table 4.6 Comparison of correct separation performance percentage of other waste between the second and third period 34 Table 4.7 Comparison of correct separation performance percentage of paper between the second and third period 35 i LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 2.1 The Norm activation model (NAM) 13 Figure 3.1 Waste separation bins in the hallway 24 Figure 3.2 Waste separation bins in class/office room 24 Figure 3.3 The separation bin posters 25 Figure 3.4 The separation guideline poster 25 Figure 3.5 The promotion posters 27 Figure 4.1 Structural equation model of the NAM on waste separation behavior 33 Figure 4.2 Comparison of correct waste separation of each period 35 ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AC Awareness of consequences AR Ascription of responsibility JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency KISS Keep it simple and straightforward MHSW Municipal household sold waste MOC ministry of construction MONRE Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment MSW Municipal solid waste NAM Norm activation model NGOs Non-governmental organizations PBC Perceived behavioral control SEM Structural equation model TPB Theory of planned behavior VJU Vietnam Japan University iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research background Solid waste, one of the major environmental issues, has been becoming a serious problem for developing countries in the recent years As a consequence of rapid industrialization, urbanization, economic growth, and population expansion with their higher income, the quantity of municipal solid waste (MSW) is increasing significantly, associated by a series of problems related to health hazards and environmental degradation The global waste generation in urban areas is approximate billion tons annually and it is projected to grow nearly 20 percent per-capita generation until the year 2100 (Wilson et al., 2015) This alarming rate calls for an effective and efficient solid-waste management program to manage the increasing amount of waste generated Among various waste reduction attempts, the separation of waste at source has been seen as a key strategy to the MSW problems (Yang et al., 2011) “Source separation refers to the separation of MSW into several categories at the generation source according to the different characteristics of each material before further treatment” (Yang et al., 2011) Waste separation at source has been fairly successful in developed nations, such as Japan, and now it is widely spread to developing countries, as an effective mean of enhancing waste recycling and disposal reduction The main body of waste separation at source has been considered to be the separation actor Thus, encouraging proenvironmental behavior as source separation behavior is essential as well as should be prioritized in term of seeking for a sustainable solution The participation of people need to be realized in the process of developing waste separation concept, in order to seek for a profound waste management system generally Many studies suggested that the influence of public awareness and attitudes toward waste is considered to play a vital role at all stages of the solid waste management process (Imam et al., 2008) There is a need to place individual‟s intrinsic and moral United Nations (2011) Higher education for sustainability initiative for RIO+20 Retrieved from www.uncsd2012.org/index.php?menu=163 on 6th April, 2015 Van der Werff, E., & Steg, L (2015) One model to predict them all: predicting energy behaviours with the norm activation model Energy Research & Social Science, 6, 8-14 Van der Werff, E., Steg, L., & Keizer, K (2013) It is a moral issue: The relationship between environmental self-identity, obligation-based intrinsic motivation and pro-environmental behaviour Global environmental change, 23(5), 1258-1265 Vining, J., & Ebreo, A (1992) Predicting recycling behavior from global and specific environmental attitudes and changes in recycling opportunities Journal of applied social psychology, 22(20), 1580-1607 Wan, C., Cheung, R., & Qiping Shen, G (2012) Recycling attitude and behaviour in university campus: a case study in Hong Kong Facilities, 30(13/14), 630-646 Wang, W.J., Bin, X.B., Guo, N., Liu, J., & Cai, X.B (2012) Research on taking the lead in classification of household waste in universities China Resour Compr Util 30(10), 31-35 Welfens, M J., Nordmann, J., & Seibt, A (2016) Drivers and barriers to return and recycling of mobile phones Case studies of communication and collection campaigns Journal of cleaner production, 132, 108-121 Wilson, D C., Rodic, L., Modak, P., Soos, R., Carpintero, A., Velis, K., & Simonett, O (2015) Global waste management outlook UNEP Witmer, J F., & Geller, E S (1976) Facilitating paper recycling: Effects of prompts, raffles, and contests Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 9(3), 315322 57 Yang, L., Li, Z S., & Fu, H Z (2011) Model of municipal solid waste source separation activity: A case study of Beijing Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 61(2), 157-163 Pallak, M S., Cook, D A., & Sullivan, J J (1980) Commitment and energy conservation Policy Studies Review Annual, 4(1), 352 Sawitri, D R., Hadiyanto, H., & Hadi, S P (2015) Pro-environmental Behavior from a Social Cognitive Theory Perspective Procedia Environmental Sciences, 23, 27-33 Rise, J., Thompson, M., & Verplanken, B (2003) Measuring implementation intentions in the context of the theory of planned behavior Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 44(2), 87-95 Thøgersen, J (2005) Main effects and side effects of environmental regulation In Consumers, Policy and the Environment A Tribute to Folke Ölander (pp 311324) Springer, Boston, MA Vaske, J J., & Donnelly, M P (2007) Public knowledge and perceptions of the desert tortoise Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University Vassanadumrongdee, S., & Kittipongvises, S (2017) Factors influencing source separation intention and willingness to pay for improving waste management in Bangkok, Thailand Sustainable Environment Research Wan, C., Cheung, R., & Qiping Shen, G (2012) Recycling attitude and behaviour in university campus: a case study in Hong Kong Facilities, 30(13/14), 630-646 Wang, T H., & Katzev, R D (1990) Group commitment and resource conservation: Two field experiments on promoting recycling Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20(4), 265-275 World Bank, 2008, Report on "Economic Impacts of Sanitation in Vietnam" 58 Appendix Appendix Questionnaire surveys 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 Appendix Summary statistics of nd wave questionnaire survey (n=101) Variable Mean SD I choose to separate waste because I concern about waste issue 3.86 0.79 I choose to separate waste in VJU in order to create a sustainable environment 4.02 0.89 I choose to separate waste in VJU, because it will help me create a good habit to protect the environment 4.05 0.78 Separating waste correctly is necessary to avoid bad effects on others 4.12 0.70 Awareness of consequence 4.01 0.66 I feel a personal obligation to take action to separate waste in VJU 3.86 0.84 I feel a personal obligation to put waste in the right separation bins even though I have to bring the waste to the hallway to throw into the right bins 3.91 0.81 I feel a personal obligation to inform others to put wastes in the right bins 3.71 0.91 Ascription of responsibility 3.83 0.76 I should support the waste separation program in VJU 4.19 0.70 I should read the instruction to separate waste correctly 4.16 0.67 I should separate waste correctly in order for other to follow 3.99 0.88 Awareness of consequence Ascription of responsibility Personal norm 66 Personal norm 4.11 0.65 How often have you separated waste at home during the last two weeks? 3.00 1.61 How often have you separated waste in VJU during the last two weeks? 4.25 1.30 How much have you separated waste correctly to each separation bin at VJU when the bins were first installed until now? 3.65 1.13 I read the guideline for waste separation before putting waste into the separation bins 4.14 0.65 I know how to separate waste according to the provided waste separation guideline 4.13 0.70 The waste separation guideline provides enough information for me to separate waste correctly 3.86 0.77 I not separate waste because I find it inconvenient to bring waste to the hall way for separation 2.74 1.10 I not separate waste because it takes time 2.30 1.03 I feel good when I separate waste correctly 4.01 0.74 Behavior Opinions on waste separation program 67 Appendix Summary statistics of 3rd wave questionnaire survey (n=104) Variable Mean SD 4.02 0.81 4.08 0.77 whole 3.91 0.81 Awareness of consequence 4.00 0.73 4.13 0.75 3.92 0.86 waste separation become an organization culture of VJU 4.13 0.76 Ascription of responsibility 4.06 0.69 Awareness of consequence Waste separation can create a sustainable environment in VJU Waste separation can contribute to build positive reputation to VJU An act of waste separating of yours can spread positive effects to other VJU members and to the community as a Ascription of responsibility Every VJU members should be responsible for undertaking waste separation VJU should make waste separation as an official rule in order for making everyone separate waste Every VJU members should be responsible for making Personal norm 68 I should separate waste correctly in order for other to follow 4.06 0.75 I am willing to put extra effort into separating waste 4.09 0.78 I should support the waste separation program in VJU 3.99 0.76 Personal norm 4.04 0.69 How often you separate waste at home? 3.38 1.48 How often you separate waste in VJU? 4.35 1.20 3.57 1.03 4.08 0.74 The colors of the posters attract my attention 3.93 0.67 The words are easy to read 4.04 0.68 The graphic images have a positive impact on me 3.80 0.79 3.74 0.75 Behavior How much have you separated waste correctly to each separation bin at VJU? Impression about the posters About the content I can easily understand the message of the posters About the design After seeing the posters, I am aware of the consequences of separating waste 69 About the effectiveness After seeing the posters, I am aware of the consequences of not separating 3.27 0.91 3.78 0.70 informing friends and colleagues…) 3.82 0.67 I have started to separate waste more often 4.02 4.09 I also have informed others to separate waste correctly 3.39 0.86 After seeing the posters, I feel responsible for the consequences above After seeing the posters, I think that I should something to change the situation (separating waste correctly, 70 Appendix Announcement poster for the waste separation program 71 .. .VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY DAU THI THU DAN INITIATING WASTE SEPARATION PROGRAM IN A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS: A CASE STUDY OF VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY, ... pro-environmental behavior practices The presence of waste separation program in VJU creates an accurate understanding of options in sustainable waste management By installing the separation initiatives,... analyzed using the Data Analysis and Statistical Software (Stata) program The data was analyzed according to categories including 1) demographic information, 2) awareness of consequence, 3) ascription