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Toward a Sustainable Urban Future: What Motivates Willingness to Pay for Plastic Waste Management through Biodegradation in Dhaka, Bangladesh
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A study in Dhaka, Bangladesh found that people are willing to pay about $0.83 per month to support programs that break down plastic waste using natural biodegradation instead of letting it pile up in landfills or oceans. The biggest factor driving this willingness to pay wasn't income—it was understanding how biodegradation works and believing it could actually help reduce pollution. This matters because plastic pollution breaks down into microplastics that contaminate our food, water, and air, so public support (backed by real understanding) for cleaner waste solutions could help curb this growing health concern.
Background: Current approaches to tackle plastic pollution have significant environmental drawbacks. Biodegradation offers an eco-friendly alternative. Although there is ample literature on the environmental impacts of plastic pollution, a gap exists in studies addressing perceptions and behavioural determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for biodegradation to mitigate plastic pollution. Methods: This study employs the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical programme focused on the “Biodegradation of plastic waste," and the binary logistic regression model to identify significant and dominant factors associated with the WTP. Results: The WTP estimate, from a sample size of 455, is found to be Bangladeshi taka (BDT) 100 (approximately $0.83) per month. Furthermore, people would have been more willing to pay if they had understood biodegradation, had higher education, resided in smaller households, had confidence in biodegradation as a pollution reduction tool, and felt that improved biodegradation was necessary. The marginal effects indicate that awareness and perceptions of plastic pollution management are the most influential factors in WTP. Conclusion: These findings underscore the significant influence of awareness on individuals' WTP. The estimated WTP derived from the CVM offers stakeholders valuable insights to foster a reduced plastic footprint.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.