The willingness to household waste disposal practices of residents in rural China

The increasing amount of household waste is becoming one of the major challenges in the sustainable development of rural areas in China. As most rural areas in China have not initiated a waste classification program, here we aim to understand the willingness of rural residents to engage in household waste disposal practices. Based on rural residential data from a national survey, a multivariate Probit model is used to investigate the factors affecting waste classification and dumping willingness simultaneously in a model framework. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between residents’ willingness to classify and their willingness to put waste in designated place. The level of education, income and the environmental awareness of rural residents have a significant positive impact on waste disposal willingness, whereas age has a negative impact thereon. Meanwhile, the level of education of the community leader and the relationship between villagers and the community administration also have a positive significant influence. Finally, some policy recommendations are proposed to improve the willingness of rural residents to engage in waste disposal practices.