Track: Masters Thesis Competition

Abstract

To increase the Portuguese e-waste household collection rate, more excellent knowledge of how consumers manage their end-of-life electronic equipment is necessary. This study aims to understand Portuguese citizens' current consumption trends, how they dispose of their e-electronic appliances, and how much they know about e-waste and its implication on the environment. This analysis was carried out in two steps: first, a questionnaire was administered in Portugal, and the findings were analyzed. Secondly, a statistical analysis was conducted to find an association between consumer behavior and sociodemographic characteristics. The outputs show that age, education, employment, family size, employment, and income are significantly associated with consumption, disposal, and awareness. Large appliances hold the highest percentage of household equipment, followed by small appliances and IT and Telecommunication equipment, and the average substitution time is four years. A slight but non-indifferent tendency shows consumers are willing to buy second-handed equipment. Moreover, regarding disposal, there is still the tendency to abandon large equipment on the street and store small items for sentimental or future-usage reasons. Incentives are appreciated, such as cash-back and discounts on new-green items. Other than the practices already in existence in Portugal, the government, policymakers, municipalities, and PRO must raise awareness in different ways among the sociodemographic classes studied to correct bad habits and increase recycling properly.