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Social attitudes towards electronic waste and the implementation of circular economy principles

Economics and Environment 2023 7 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Elżbieta Lorek, Paweł Lorek

Summary

Researchers surveyed consumer attitudes toward electronic waste in Poland and found that while consumers show potential for supporting circular economy principles in e-waste management, significant risk exists of e-waste being improperly disposed of in general waste streams, with age, gender, and education influencing these attitudes.

This article addresses the issue of electro-waste and the role of the consumer of electrical and electronic equipment within the organisation of a circular economy. The aim of the article is (i) to identify the attitudes of the consumers surveyed towards unused electrical and electronic equipment, (ii) to assess the consistency of the attitudes displayed with the principles of the circular economy, and (iii) to identify the most important factors influencing these attitudes. The theoretical part approaches issues such as consumers' subjective perception of electro-waste, the increasing amount of electro-waste globally, and the problems associated with limited recycling opportunities. The conducted study revealed the potential of the surveyed consumers for the organisation of the circular economy in the field of electro-waste management, as well as the risk factors in the form of depositing electro-waste into the municipal waste stream. The analysis also showed a correlation between attitudes towards electro-waste with factors such as age, gender and education. In the concluding part, the most underlying consumer problems related to electro-waste management were systematised; more thorough research was also signalled.

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