Enhancing the TPB Framework with Religiosity: Insights into Item Re-Use Intentions in Nigeria’s Circular Economy

The municipal solid waste crisis remains a global concern, including in Nigeria. Although recycling is widely promoted, it is often insufficient, with a significant portion of recyclable waste still ending up as garbage. Re-use, prioritized above recycling in the waste hierarchy and circular economy principles, presents a more effective waste management strategy. This study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine how religiosity moderates the effects of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on individuals’ intentions to re-use items in Nigeria. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire. In the first regression model, attitude emerged as the strongest predictor of re-use intention (β = 0.405, p < 0.001), followed by subjective norms (β = 0.161, p = 0.040) and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.145, p = 0.063). Religiosity showed a negative but non-significant effect (β = -0.083, p = 0.237). In the second model, religiosity was introduced as a moderator. Only the interaction between attitude and religiosity was statistically significant (β = 0.339, p = 0.005), while subjective norms and perceived behavioral control remained non-significant. Religiosity by itself remained statistically insignificant. These findings suggest that while religiosity does not directly predict re-use intention, it strengthens the effect of positive attitudes. This underscores the potential of faith-based institutions to promote pro-environmental attitudes and advance circular economy practices in religious societies like Nigeria.