The impact of domestic waste sorting on urban residents’ happiness

This study examines the effect of domestic waste sorting on urban residents’ happiness, using primary survey data from Beijing, China. Results show that participation in waste sorting improves urban residents’ happiness, and that participating for longer periods of time or with finer waste classification increases this effect. Mediation analysis suggests that this effect operates through environmental, social, and emotional channels. Among these, the emotional channel is the strongest, followed by the environmental and social channels. Policy implications are discussed.