Environment and Interdisciplinary Development

Analysis of Waste Recycling Barriers Using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Elham ShafaiiMoghadam

Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Law, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

10.22034/envj.2025.514159.1488
Abstract
Introduction: Waste management primarily focuses on waste disposal, with three main methods: incineration, landfilling, and recycling. Among these, recycling holds greater significance due to its environmental and economic benefits, and is divided into formal and informal sectors. Although formal recycling is more sustainable, it faces challenges due to high costs, whereas informal recycling, although less costly, has negative environmental impacts. The Theory of Planned Behavior suggests that environmental attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral control influence recycling participation, and barriers such as insufficient awareness and lack of social encouragement can be analyzed within this framework. The Circular Economy Theory emphasizes waste reduction and reuse, yet challenges such as raw material shortages and competition with producers of virgin materials make its implementation difficult. The Institutional Theory highlights the role of government policies and institutional support, indicating that the absence of subsidies, tax exemptions, and bureaucratic complexity are key institutional barriers in the recycling industry. Additionally, the Transaction Cost Theory explains that high costs of collection, processing, and distribution of waste make recycling a difficult competitor to cheaper methods such as landfilling.
Materials and Methods: This study employed Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to analyze barriers to waste recycling. This method identified 15 key barriers through a review of literature and field studies. Subsequently, a Structural Self-Interaction Matrix (SSIM) was created by surveying 9 waste management experts, which clarified the relationships among barriers based on causal and influential criteria. In the next step, an initial reachability matrix was created and modified using Boolean logic to obtain the final reachability matrix. This matrix formed the basis for the level classification of barriers and the MICMAC analysis.
Results: The software output classified the barriers into 7 levels. At level 1, barriers such as the absence of government subsidies, lack of tax exemptions, excessive bureaucracy, shortage of skilled labor, water scarcity, and budget deficiencies were identified. At level 2, barriers like low profitability and lack of landfill space for residuals after waste processing were recognized. At level 3, the high cost of environmentally sustainable operations and fierce competition with producers of virgin materials emerged. At level 4, barriers like the high cost of raw material procurement and low quality of recycled products were evident. At level 5, high technology costs were identified, while improper capacity planning and high waste processing costs appeared at level 6. Finally, raw material shortages were classified at level 7, being a key factor in the recycling process.
Discussion: The ISM results showed that the barriers were divided into two categories: independent factors and autonomous factors. Independent factors, such as raw material shortages, high technology costs, and improper processing capacity planning, had the greatest impact on other system elements and were considered key drivers for structural reforms. In contrast, autonomous factors, such as the absence of government subsidies or tax exemptions, had limited short-term impact but played an important supportive role in the long term. Therefore, ensuring sustainable raw materials, reducing technology costs, and implementing supportive policies could facilitate the development of the recycling industry.

Keywords

Recycling
Waste Disposal
Waste
Sustainable Development
Subjects
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Environment and Interdisciplinary Development
Volume 11, Issue 91
Spring 2026
Pages 54-71

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