Electronic Waste Disposal Knowledge and Behaviour Among University Students: A Structured Evidence Synthesis Through an Environmental Health Literacy Lens

Abstract

Background: University students are intensive users of electrical and electronic equipment and are therefore an important population for sustainable electronic-waste (e-waste) management. Awareness that discarded electronics can damage the environment does not necessarily translate into formal recycling or safe end-of-life behaviour. Environmental health literacy provides a useful framework because it extends beyond factual awareness to include appraisal of health risks, knowledge of disposal systems, self-efficacy, and the capacity to act.
Objective: To synthesize Q1 evidence published through 31 December 2023 concerning e-waste knowledge and disposal behaviour among university students and young consumers, and to assess how the observed knowledge–action gap can be interpreted through an environmental health literacy framework.
Methods: A structured evidence synthesis was conducted using peer-reviewed Q1 literature on university populations, young consumers, e-waste disposal behaviour, recycling intention, environmental and human-health hazards, and environmental health literacy. Direct university evidence was prioritized. Broader consumer studies and reviews were included when they clarified mechanisms affecting the conversion of knowledge into behaviour. No new participant-level data were generated, and no statistical association between a validated environmental-health-literacy score and disposal behaviour was invented.
Results: The literature consistently showed that environmental awareness can coexist with incomplete knowledge of formal disposal systems and low participation in responsible recycling. A Sydney university study of 440 students reported that 80.6% were aware that e-waste can cause environmental harm, yet the wider evidence indicates persistent storage, delayed disposal, informal routes, and uncertainty about collection options. At a Midwestern US university, free disposal, knowledge of appropriate disposal sites, and proximity to recycling facilities influenced recycling decisions. Young consumers in Northwest China demonstrated strong environmental consciousness but low awareness of e-waste regulations, recycling programs, and distinctions between formal and informal recycling. Across consumer literature, convenience, perceived behavioural control, economic incentives, privacy concerns, device value, and accessible collection infrastructure repeatedly modified behaviour.
Conclusion: Environmental health literacy is a plausible explanatory framework for university e-waste behaviour, but factual knowledge alone is insufficient. Responsible disposal is most likely when awareness of environmental and health hazards is combined with system literacy, confidence in how to act, accessible formal collection, data-security reassurance, and institutional cues. Future university studies should measure validated literacy constructs and observed disposal behaviour longitudinally rather than infer behaviour from awareness or intention alone.