Preliminary Proceedings of the 62th International Academic Conference, Vienna

EXAMINATION OF FACTORS RELATED TO THE RECYCLING INTENTION OF MOBILE PHONES BY UNDERGRADUATES

ASLI GÜL ÖNCEL, MICHEL PLAISENT, CATALDO ZUCCARO, LILI ZHENG, PROSPER BERNARD

Abstract:

In our study, we assessed the approaches of university students toward electronic waste by utilizing a questionnaire. To ensure a diverse sample, a solicitation email was distributed to 74 universities across Turkey, encompassing rural and urban settings, private and public institutions, as well as both small and large universities. This outreach spanned a month and included a link to a SurveyMonkey website for participants to submit their responses. From the 772 responses received, 700 were deemed valid. The survey findings reveal that participants' decisions regarding changing their mobile phones are not primarily driven by the need to keep up with technological advancements. Instead, they are influenced by practical considerations, such as the limitations of their current devices, the desire to maintain privacy, and a reluctance to recycle without exploring alternative ways to give their mobile phones a second life. Additionally, our results indicate that future environmental concerns are expected to play a more prominent role in their decision-making, despite varying levels of explicit knowledge about e-waste.

Keywords: Environment, Electronic waste, Recycling, Cellphone, Statistics.

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