Remittance and Waste Attitudes in Nepal: Why Financial Comfort May Undermine Household Segregation Practices

 

2. What is the main finding regarding remittances?

The main finding regarding remittances is that households receiving remittance income were significantly less likely to have a positive attitude toward waste segregation compared to non-remittance households. This association is significant in shaping students' attitudes toward waste management.

Key details underpinning this finding include:

  • Behavioral Complacency and Convenience: The additional financial resources derived from remittances may enable these households to prioritize convenience over sustainable waste behavior, as they might not feel the direct financial pressure of waste accumulation and disposal. This economic stability can lead to behavioral complacency, thereby decreasing the household's motivation to segregate waste appropriately.
  • Outsourcing of Labor: This tendency aligns with the Household Production Theory, where increased household income facilitates the outsourcing of time-intensive tasks, such as labor-based activities like segregation and composting, in favor of relying on municipal or private waste facilities.
  • Consumption Shift: Remittance income generally shifts household priorities in favor of consumption, housing, and education, often at the expense of environmental involvement. Remittance households are also perceived as having a lower sense of responsibility for managing waste at home, assuming that external parties (municipality or private companies) will handle the segregation for them.
  • Attitude vs. Practice Nuance: Although there is a significant negative relationship between remittance receipt and the attitude toward segregation, the study noted that no significant association was found between remittance status and actual waste reduction behaviors.

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