Conceptualizing Barriers to Individual Recycling: A Qualitative Study with Multiple Stakeholders in Türkiye

Increasing individual recycling rates is critical to achievingexpected recycling targets. According to the social marketingapproach promoting individual recycling behavior requiresexploring, measuring, and managing the barriers that maydeter individuals from recycling in a specific region. Althoughprevious studies list some barriers, these barriers are likely tovary across studies, and clear conceptualizations are mostlymissing. This study aims to explore and conceptualize the bar-riers to set a basis for future operationalization and systematicmeasurement. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were con-ducted with municipality authorities, representatives of leadingenvironmental NGOs, and consumers in Türkiye. A total of 54different first-level barriers were identified, and then first-levelbarriers were grouped thematically, revealing 20 second-levelbarriers, which are considered as personal, structural, social, ormediating barriers. Conceptual definitions for 20 second-levelbarriers are provided. The study also includes basic statisticsregarding prominent barriers for different target groups.