How green-er are international students becoming in the Netherlands? Exploring recycling as pro-environmental behavior among university students

Current household consumption including the immense waste that it carries, accounts as one of the highest determinants of environmental impact and subsequently climate change due to methane generation of burned material. Recycling behavior then is one of the main solutions towards such consumption for which becomes essential to understand more and more the drivers of pro-environmental recycling behavior. Its understanding could predict barriers towards mitigation and resilience. Usually university students are not the subject of recycling empirical studies. Therefore, this paper analyses university students from the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus Rotterdam University and whether their recycling behavior has changed while residing in The Netherlands and specifically under the local environmental policies of The Hague. Environmental behavior can be analyzed in a wide variety of forms. This paper focus on the interplay and synergy of internal and external factors that influence pro-environmental behavior. Through a mixed methodology research including an online survey, semi-structured interview to students, environmental policy advisors of the Municipality of THe Hague and student residence managers this research paper will then answer whether behavioral changes is proved through an amalgamation of internal and external factors and the influence of policy instruments. A positive behavioral change was perceived among students, nonetheless, it was only under certain circumstances and conditions that this occurred. Hence, it is necessary that internal and external factors are deeper analyzed when policy making is being carried.