Determinants of household recycling intention: The acceptance of public policy moderated by habits, social influence, and perceived time risk

This research proposes a causal model that studies the influence of both political (trust in government and concern about the policy designed) and psychological factors (social influence and perceived risks) on the intention to recycle. It also addresses the moderating role of habits in the processes of acceptance of public recycling policies. To evaluate a new public policy for urban waste management in Córdoba city (Argentina) a structural equation model with 350 individuals was developed. Thus, it is confirmed that trust reduces uncertainty and favours the acceptance of a public policy, especially to those individuals who do not have recycling habits and do not understand the benefits of new regulations. Besides, individuals concerned with the design of a public policy tend to accept them, denoting the relevance of environmental awareness in the implementation of recycling actions. Finally, political factors, social pressure and perceived risks are relevant psychological antecedents that explain the intention to recycle. • Trust in governments influences the acceptance of public policies as it reduces uncertainty. • Habits play a moderating role between reliability and acceptance of policies. • People who accept a public recycling policy express their intentions to recycle. • Individuals concerned about an environmental policy accept public policies that promote recycling. • Social pressure positively influences the intention to recycle while time risks do so negatively.