Preventing Premature Disposal: How Personal Values Shape Consumer Disposal Decisions in a Circular Economy

Waste generation and resource extraction are increasing at an alarming rate. The circular economy whereby keeping resources in a closed loop is an opportunity to address current waste and resource issues. Investigating the underlying drivers of consumer disposal decision-making is crucial to retaining products for longer as disposal behaviour determines whether and how materials re-enter circular loops. Drawing on the Means-end-chain (MEC) approach and 64 qualitative laddering interviews, we identify the hierarchical cognitive structure of disposal decision-making, including attributes, consequences, and personal values. Security and self-direction values are the most prominent drivers behind consumers’ disposal decisions. In addition, five dominant perceptual patterns of disposal decision-making are identified: performance, well-being, social recognition, trade-off, and altruism. We contribute to the consumer disposal and circular economy literature and provide implications for practitioners and policy makers to consider avenues to keep household goods in homes for longer.