A multidimensional model of household recycling behaviour in the circular economy: the role of attitudes, convenience and perceived disposal ease bias

Abstract Household packaging waste continues to rise despite increasing investments in selective waste collection systems worldwide. This apparent contradiction suggests that recycling behaviour is shaped not only by attitudes and infrastructure but also by cognitive mechanisms. This study develops an integrated behavioural model incorporating environmental attitudes, perceived convenience and a construct termed perceived disposal ease bias (PDEB), capturing justification-related evaluations in which convenient selective waste collection may be perceived as making additional waste-prevention efforts less necessary. Drawing on a large, post-stratified national dataset (n = 3950), a stepwise partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was applied to evaluate how motivational, perceived system-usability, and bias-related factors are jointly associated with recycling behaviour in a newly implemented curbside system in Hungary. Convenience shows the strongest association with selective waste collection behaviour, accounting for a substantial share of the association between environmental attitudes and recycling behaviour. Environmental attitudes are also positively associated with recycling participation, although this association weakens when additional factors are considered. PDEB exhibits a small but significant negative association with recycling behaviour and is positively associated with both attitudes and convenience. This pattern suggests that the same factors that encourage recycling are also linked to justification-related evaluations that may reduce the perceived importance of waste prevention. These findings point to a more complex relationship between attitudes and behaviour, in which multiple pathways operate simultaneously. While higher recycling participation may be observed, the results highlight the importance of considering broader perceptions and justification-related evaluations when evaluating environmental outcomes. The findings underscore the need for waste policies that address not only participation but also the perceptions and evaluations associated with how households perceive and engage with circular economy interventions.