Determinants of recycling behavior in higher education institution

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of theory of planned behavior (namely, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control) on recycling intention, as well as the relationship between recycling intention and behavior in one of the top five universities in Malaysia. In addition, the mediation effect of recycling intention on the relationships is investigated. Design/methodology/approach A total of 180 responses were collected using online survey that distributed via Google Form. SmartPLS was used for data analysis via outer and inner model assessment. The assessments include construct reliability, validity and hypotheses testing. Findings The findings indicated that attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have a positive and significant relationship with students’ recycling intention. Besides, students’ recycling intention is positively related to actual recycling behavior. Additionally, this study also discovered that recycling intention mediates the relationship between attitude and recycling behavior, between subjective norm and recycling behavior, as well as between perceived behavioral control and recycling behavior. Practical implications The result of the study may serve as a guide for universities or higher education institutions to design effective recycling campaigns to promote the campus sustainability. Originality/value Universities are in a crucial position to make a huge impact when they recycle. In Malaysia, there is still a lack of high concern of universities toward green and sustainability concept. This paper fulfils the gap to study how recycling behavior can be enabled.