Can supervision promote domestic waste sorting? Evidence from China

Proper waste sorting is a fundamental aspect of constructing an ecologically sustainable civilization and a vital step towards enhancing urban living standards and public health. Using survey data from urban residents in Beijing, this paper empirically examines the impact of waste sorting supervision on residents' domestic waste sorting. The impact is tested through the multiple mediators model to accommodate three potential mediating mechanisms, which are the awareness of waste sorting significance, standards and policies. The results show that despite 82.1% of urban residents showing varying degrees of participation in domestic waste sorting, there is still considerable room for improvement in promoting it. The implementation of waste sorting supervision appears to be an effective strategy to drive urban residents' involvement in domestic waste sorting. However, the effect of such supervision on residents' waste sorting exhibits marked heterogeneity in age and income, with a more pronounced effect among low-income and younger residents relative to their high-income and older counterparts. In terms of the mediating mechanism, waste sorting supervision promotes residents' involvement in domestic waste sorting by improving their awareness of the significance, standards, and policies of domestic waste sorting.