Public Perception and Socio-economic Factors on Willingness to Pay for Community-based Solid Waste Management and Plastic Waste Densification in the Philippines

The Philippines struggles with rapid urbanization and increased waste generation, undermining existing solid waste management (SWM) systems. The Philippine capital region Metro Manila disposed of approximately 9289 metric tons of wastes daily in 2023. To address this problem, numerous efforts have been made to divert wastes from ending up in landfills. Several local government units adopted locally developed technologies that utilize plastic waste such as plastic waste densification using a styro-plastic densifier. This study aims to evaluate the status of public perception toward community-based SWM and plastic waste densification using the following parameters: the public's knowledge of the technology, willingness to participate in local waste collection projects, and willingness to pay (WTP) for SWM services. The objective is to analyze how these parameters correlate with respondents' demographics and socio-economic factors. A self-administered online survey was conducted with 145 respondents. Statistical analyses revealed no significant correlation between age, sex, household size, average household income, or education and respondents' WTP for SWM services. Most of the respondents were familiar with the densifier, and they also viewed plastic waste densification as contributing to waste diversion. Respondents were also generally willing to participate in waste collection projects and willing to pay for SWM services. These results are expected to assist stakeholders in ensuring the effective implementation of community-based SWM projects.