Are residents willing to pay for garbage recycling: Evidence from a survey in Chinese first-tier cities

With the substantial increase in resource consumption in China, garbage recycling plays a vital role in reducing waste and protecting natural resources. This paper designed and conducted a random survey of four first-tier cities in China to identify the variables influencing residents' willingness to pay for garbage classification. Based on the ordered Probit model, the results show that different groups have substantial differences in supporting garbage classification. Overall, the proportion of residents willing to pay for garbage sorting is high, but the amount is in the lower range. In addition to individual characteristics, the frequency of garbage throwing, knowledge level, and publicity degree significantly enhance the willingness to pay for garbage classification. Therefore, policymakers need to consider why respondents refuse to pay for garbage sorting and promote the spread of garbage classification knowledge to further substantially promote the work of household waste classification. • Different groups have differences to support garbage classification. • The influencing factors of willingness and amount of payment are different. • Income, family size, and education level contribute to payments. • Classified knowledge and publicity contribute to payments. • The average price that people are willing to pay is in the lower range.