Beyond Awareness: Identifying Psychological Barriers to Sustainable Plastic Management in Developing Contexts

Abstract

The plastic waste crisis in developing contexts presents unique challenges beyond infrastructure limitations, requiring a deeper understanding of psychological mechanisms that influence waste management behaviors. While previous research has focused primarily on awareness and infrastructure development, this study addresses a critical gap by examining psychological barriers to sustainable plastic management in Ghana. Using a mixed-methods approach with 400 survey participants and 40 in-depth interviews, the research reveals three distinct barrier categories: social-normative barriers (reported by 28.5% of participants), structural-practical barriers (27.0%), and knowledge-attitudinal barriers (22.8%). Psychological constructs showed weak inter-correlations (all r < 0.06), suggesting distinct rather than overlapping influence pathways. Cultural values (M = 3.28/5) and household norms (M = 3.24/5) demonstrated the strongest positive influence on sustainable behaviors, while government policy perceptions (M = 2.27/5) represented a significant barrier domain despite a negative correlation with improper disposal behaviors (r = -0.31, p < 0.01). The study contributes a contextually grounded barrier typology that informs targeted intervention design through audience segmentation, identifying four distinct barrier profiles requiring tailored approaches. These findings advance behavioral intervention literature by demonstrating how psychological factors interact with cultural contexts and infrastructure limitations, moving beyond awareness-based approaches to address the complex psychological landscape of sustainable waste management in developing settings.

Keywords: Psychological barriers, Plastic waste management, Developing contexts, Cultural values, Behavior change intervention, Environmental Psychology