Investigating behavior, attitude and intention towards waste segregation in tier II cities of India using theory of planned behavior

India's rapid urbanisation and waste rise make sustainable waste management challenging. Present study utilizes theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify issues related to behavioral adaptations in waste segregation among the households’ procedures in Jaipur and Indore cities of India. 448 respondents from each city were selected using convenience sampling. A self-designed questionnaire containing 30 items corresponding to attitude (AT), Perceived Behaviour Control (PBC), Subjective norms (SN) and Intention (IN) was used. The demographic profile of the respondents was also collected, and its analysis revealed nearly uniform distribution of the sample population. No significant effect of any of the demographic parameter was noted on either of the attributes. Respondent’s city showed significant influence on all the 4 attributes due to drastic variations recorded in the responses for each determinant. SN had the biggest impact on IN, although all three hypotheses were validated and showed significantly beneficial impacts. The proposed model was a very good fit. Further, comparison of model for both cities revealed that only 2 attributes i.e. AT & SN in case of Jaipur and AT & PBC in case of Indore had significant positive effect on waste sorting intentions. The findings of this study provide a comprehensive comparison between two distinct cities, emphasizing how various behavioral factors contribute to changes in intention within diverse contexts. The key concerns that are highlighted based on the responses of residents from different cities could be used to prepare a roadmap for improving sensitivity towards waste segregation among Indian population. • Behavioral attitude (BA) had significant positive effect on waste sorting intention • Perceived behavioral control (PBC) had significant positive effect on waste sorting intention • Subjective norms (SN) had significant positive effect on waste sorting intention • Influence of BA, PBC and SN on waste sorting intention differed in Jaipur and Indore