Behavior, attitudes and environmental awareness for the disposal of mobile phones: a quantitative study in the city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the behavior of consumers of the city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul regarding the attitudes and willingness to pay for the mobile phones recycling. The literature on electronic waste, disposal of cell phones and National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) has been revised in order to subsidize the analyzes. Descriptive and quantitative in nature, this research was developed through the application of questionnaires to 430 municipal consumers, based on the model used by Yin, Gao and Xu (2014). The results showed that 56.1% of respondents replace their phones on at most every two years, only 7% return the discarded appliances to be recycled and 69.1% do not agree to pay part of the costs involving the recycling of phones. The study found also that most of the sample participants do not have knowledge of the law regarding the treatment of electronic waste. As practical implications, the findings of this study highlight the need for effective public policies so that cell phones are disposed of properly, as well as actions aimed at raise awareness about the impact of electronic waste on the environment and their responsibilities to minimize this problem.