Assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of UAE residents towards packaging waste and green packaging based on their demographics

The economic and technological revolution has significantly improved Abu Dhabi residents' lifestyle leading to more pressure on natural resources and high rates of waste generation. Non-biodegradable packaging waste is one of the main streams of waste that is generated in high volumes in the UAE highlighting the need for green packaging materials. Therefore, this work is the first study in the UAE that investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of Abu Dhabi residents towards packaging waste and green packaging. A questionnaire of eleven questions was shared with Abu Dhabi residents of different demographics, and the gathered data were analyzed using SPSS (version 28.0). The analysis showed that Abu Dhabi residents were fairly knowledgeable about packaging waste and its environmental impact and fairly knowledgeable about green packaging, its importance, and the obstacles that stand in the way of using it. More than one-third of them considered the quality of green materials as the main obstacle for their use in packaging while cost and scarcity were secondary obstacles. One third of Abu Dhabi residents believed that banning single-use packaging is the most effective intervention to reduce packaging waste. The analysis also showed that the UAE residents’ KAPs towards packaging waste and green packaging were influenced by their demographics.