Exploring residents’ preferences for waste management policy tools in the heterogeneous ethnic and resource-constrained rural settings in Pakistan

Previous studies have investigated the critical factors influencing waste separation intention (WSI). However, it is essential to examine how individuals, particularly in ethnically diverse countries with WSI – and among them, those who have experienced adverse health effects from solid waste, referred to here as ‘ready victims’ (RVs) – prioritise capacity-building and inducement policy tools in resource-constrained rural settings of developing countries. This cross-sectional study collected data from 1,345 Punjabis and 1,214 Pashtuns, the two major diverse ethnicities in Pakistan. Controlling for socio-demographics, the binary logistic regression results indicate that Punjabis with WSI were more inclined to favour Internet of things-connected separate waste bins, the establishment of recycling plants, composting centres, civic education and awareness, economic incentives, and public praise. They were less inclined towards door-to-door waste collection, financial penalties, and waste charges than their counterparts who had no intention of waste separation. Pashtuns with WSI showed a stronger preference for recycling plants, composting centres, waste-to-energy (WtE) plants, civic education and awareness, economic incentives, and public praise compared to their counterparts who had no intention for waste separation. In comparison to ‘ready non-victims’ (RNVs) within the Punjabi ethnic group, RVs exhibited a greater preference for door-to-door waste collection, WtE plants, and civic education and awareness initiatives. RVs from the Pashtun ethnicity showed a loweress willingness to accept the establishment of composting centres and waste charges compared to their RNV counterparts; they demonstrated a heightened preference for recycling facilities and civic education and awareness. The study suggests that cultural and health diversity should be considered when designing waste management policies in resource-constrained rural areas.