Determinants of household willingness to separate waste in Homs city, Syria

Municipal solid waste management was a recognised environmental problem in Syria even before the conflict started. As a consequence of the conflict that began in March 2011, the solid waste situation worsened when collection vehicles and waste containers were damaged or looted and workers were kidnapped and killed. The deficient municipal solid waste management system and the lack of waste management services have led to the accumulation of waste in various parts of Syrian cities, causing adverse health and environmental effects. Among various groups of waste generators, households contribute about 80% of the entire municipal waste generated in Syrian cities. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors influencing household participation in waste separation programmes at source, focusing on socioeconomic characteristics of households, the availability of a waste collection service, knowledge of the benefits of waste separation, and environmental awareness and concern. The study was carried out in four zones in Homs city, Syria, and data were retrieved through a questionnaire survey of 300 households who participated in the study. The logit regression model was used in this study to explore the determinants of household willingness to practise waste separation at source if the authorities provide incentives to residents. This study found that monthly income, household size, age and gender of the head of the household, house ownership, knowledge of the benefits of waste separation, and environmental awareness and concern have a statistically significant influence on household willingness to separate waste.