Social interactions in community-based recycling system: an application of agent-based modelling

Based on an experiment of community-based recycling program in Beijing, we built a agent-based model to simulate the local social interaction that influence the behavior of household discarding. The model composed... [ view full abstract ]

Based on an experiment of community-based recycling program in Beijing, we built a agent-based model to simulate the local social interaction that influence the behavior of household discarding. The model composed of three components; 1) Waste generation, 2) Social interactions and 3) Recycling decision. The choice of a household whether to recycle or not is defined by three different decision making theories: Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), and Theory of Planned Behaviour and Situational Factors. We defined a 500 households residential community. Each household has its own characteristics which lead to waste generation, social interaction with neighbours, and recycling behaviour. Each household is attributed with values for the following characteristics: ● Household size ● Level of education● Income ● Degree of social interaction ● Recycling awareness● Available space ● Available spare time ● Distance to containers● Amount of waste. At setup, the households are spread across the map and divided into three neighbourhoods:● University staff (North-West)● Local residents (North-East)● Independent residents (South). The simulation is intended to illustrate the influence of social interations on the intention of household to conduct sustainable behavior. This work is the result of an experimental teaching collaboration between Peking University and Delft University.