Lack of Perceived Control
Even if one is aware of the problem, a lack of perceived control may curb any intention of practicing zero waste. That is, individuals may not readily see the environmental impact of their actions and consequently, self-impose a belief that they have no control over the outcome of their actions. This may be for two reasons.
One, the effects of zero waste is more readily perceived in the longer-term so it may be frustrating to sustain an environmental behaviour that does not produce immediate impact. Two, most of the practices in the zero waste lifestyle (i.e. 5 Rs) inherently do not lend itself easily to see the outcome of one’s efforts because it involves removal of a negative instead of adding a positive. To illustrate, it may be easier to see the increase in positive impact of recycling a given number of bottles compared to decrease in negative impact of avoiding waste by switching to a reusable cup. In this sense, one’s self-efficacy is undermined because the individual is unable to actualise their expected outcome of a change that parallels their efforts.
In a way, these two reasons constitute an issue of feedback. Without appropriate feedback, individuals may dismiss the pro-environmental behaviour because there is no immediate indication that their efforts are leading to meaningful change (i.e. reduced self-efficacy).
| (Contextual) Knowledge | Norms |