Waste Management Behaviour of Tea Manufacturing Industry: A Case Study of Low Country Sri Lanka

Abstract

As part of the industry's transition to sustainable production, the utilization of industrial symbiosis has received considerable scientific interest. It is critical to have a thorough grasp of the variables influencing the manufacturers' waste management practices and decision-making process before evaluating its engagement rates. Therefore, this study attempts to develop an extensive waste management behavioral framework for the low-country tea manufacturing industry, based on the existing waste management behavioral studies, especially Young et alwork’s on employee pro-environmental behavior. The suggested framework was tested employing data from a sample survey given to respondents of a randomly chosen sample using a two-stage stratified random sampling technique. A sample of 185 waste management workers was selected from 10 independent tea processing firms in Galle and Matara districts, Sri Lanka. According to the findings, it was found through the use of exploratory factor analysis that the elements that had the most impact on employees' waste management decisions were intents, perceived moral responsibilities, organizational structure, and situational impediments. These findings led to the formulation of several policy suggestions, with a focus on educating the organization's executives about industrial symbiosis. Conclusively, the study's findings offer significant fresh information on waste management and the decision-making process in Sri Lanka's low-country tea industry.