Out of sight out of mind? Evidence on households recycling behaviour in Ghana

Using new microdata from a nationally sampled household survey conducted in Ghana in 2023, this study analyses how collection infrastructure and awareness affect end-of-life (EoL) management of small WEEE. EoL phones and tablets kept at home serve as a proxy for households’ failure to return devices into formal collection and recycling channels. Fixed-effects OLS regressions (n = 505 households) indicate that a 1% reduction in distance to the nearest collection centre decreases the number of EoL devices stored at home by 0.733 units, highlighting the central role of spatial accessibility of take-back infrastructure. WEEE awareness also reduces devices kept at home, but this effect is predominantly driven by female respondents, suggesting gender-differentiated responses to information. The results underscore that strengthening geographically accessible collection networks, combined with targeted awareness campaigns - particularly addressing women - can substantially improve the capture of WEEE in formal waste and recycling systems in LMIC urban contexts.