Combat to Plastic Pollution: Residents’ Participation to the Deposit Scheme

Plastic pollution is a growing global concern. In response, South Korea implemented the deposit scheme in June 2022 to regulate plastic waste and promote recycling, selecting Jeju Island as a pilot city. For the successful implementation of this initiative, residents' participation is important. This research examined how residents' environmental concerns, threat and coping appraisals, and temporal distance influenced their intentions to participate in the deposit scheme based on Protection Motivation Theory. With 414 resident responses, this study used Structural Equation Modeling and Latent Moderated Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the data. The results showed that environmentally conscious residents are likely to participate in the deposit scheme, driven by their higher perceptions of threat, specifically severity and self-efficacy. Temporal distance was also an important factor influencing their participation. It suggests strategies for increasing participation in recycling initiatives, emphasizing clear communication about environmental impacts and the long-term benefits of sustainable actions.