The effectiveness of waste recycling systems in developing contexts is constrained not only by limited infrastructure but also by insufficient behavioral engagement. This study advances the understanding of recycling behavior by proposing and testing an integrated framework that investigated the combined effects of environmental concern, recycling knowledge, and moral norms, as well as their indirect effects through attitudes toward recycling. Using a cross-sectional survey administered on 516 university students in Libya, the study employed regression and mediation analyses. The results demonstrate that recycling knowledge is the most significant predictor of attitudes toward recycling, while attitudes serve as a critical mechanism driving recycling behavior. Environmental concern and moral norms were found to exert significant direct and partially mediated effects, revealing multiple pathways through which these factors influence recycling behavior. These findings provide empirical support for a multidimensional explanation of recycling behavior in which cognitive, normative, and attitudinal factors jointly shape outcomes. This study provides evidence from an underexplored context and extends existing models of pro-environmental behavior and highlights the role of knowledge-driven and attitude-based interventions. The findings provide actionable insights for designing behavior-focused interventions to enhance recycling participation and improve sustainable waste management outcomes in developing regions.
Aljatlawe et al. (Tue,) studied this question.