Understanding recycling behavior: a study on UiTM Segamat students

This study examines the determinants of recycling intentions among undergraduate students at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Segamat. Recycling has become a critical component of sustainable waste management, yet the extent to which young adults intend to engage in such practices remains underexplored. Data were collected from 286 students using a structured questionnaire adapted from Majid et al. (2021), covering subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, moral norms, and behavioral intentions. Reliability analysis confirmed strong internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values exceeding the recommended threshold of 0.70 (Hair et al., 2021). Correlation results revealed significant and positive associations between the three predictors and recycling intentions. Regression analysis further indicated that subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and moral norms jointly explained 87.8% of the variance in students’ recycling intentions. These findings emphasize that recycling intentions are strongly shaped not only by perceived control and social expectations but also by personal moral responsibility. The study offers insights for designing effective interventions to strengthen recycling intentions in higher education contexts.