Abstract:
The rapid growth of technology and economic activities in both developed and
developing countries of the world contribute to the generation of electrical and
electronic waste or e-waste. The growth of e-waste creates a new environmental
problem called e-waste management. So e-waste management has become a major
problem for many countries, particularly in developing countries like Sri Lanka.
Because e-waste management is affected by many factors. The purpose of this study is
to determine the drivers, barriers, and opportunities to the adaptation of e-waste
management in Sri Lanka. The researcher chose a positivist, deductive quantitative
study where the researcher evaluates drivers, barriers, and opportunities to the
adaptation of e-waste management in the Western province from the perceptive of 254
electronic equipment consumers. The convenience sampling technique was used to
collect primary data through an online survey. The primary data were analyzed using
statistical software and the factors were ranked using the relative importance index.
According to the study’s findings, the study identified that three were high important
drivers of the adaptation of e-waste management. The potential market for recycling
products, efficient waste management institutions, and human behavior and behavioral
changes were identified as the main drivers of the adoption of e-waste management. In
addition, the study identified lack of rules and regulations on electronic equipment
users, lack of funds and investment in e-waste management, and lack of industrial
knowledge on e-waste management were high important barriers to the adaption of e waste management in Sri Lanka. Energy savings from recovery material, new business
opportunities, and economic value of recovery material were identified as opportunities
for e-waste management. So as per the finding, the researcher suggests that education
on e-waste management and e-waste guidelines and policy should be improved, and it
is needed to implement an e-waste database. Further, this study, focused to get the
attention of policymakers and waste planners to be taken their consideration the
identified drivers, barriers, and opportunities when ensuring the proper e-waste
management system in Sri Lanka
