Recycling has been long believed to be one of the keys to tackling the man-made waste crisis. The concept encourages making good use of resources that already exist rather than constantly producing more. Not only such sustainable behaviour allows the minimisation of waste, but it also reduces environmental impact and space required in landfills. In addition, it can promote the idea that the once useless materials are now useful resources to generate new products, creating a continuous cycle, achieving the goal of a circular economy.

This study focuses on investigating the role of design in sustainable recycling behaviour, aiming to propose a comprehensive recycling system that suits best Hong Kong local context. Firstly, the system design and participants' human factors from recycle-as-culture countries have been reviewed and analysed. The social attitude and perception were compared to Hong Kong's to understand the limitation that leads to the unsatisfactory recycling rate. Thirdly, the factors that influence human behaviour through investigating various cultural behaviour changing cases are identified. Finally, possible future policies and design opportunities through using generated insights to encourage household recycling practice are proposed.

This study illustrates the significance of education and peer influence /pressure in shaping society's perception towards recycling, affecting the actualisation of sustainable behaviour. The start-them-young approach should be adopted where the generation cycle is the goal that leads to the recycle-as-culture success. Moreover, the factors that influence human behaviour discovered suggested that cultural factors should also be considered in future waste recycling system design. Given the fast-paced, convenience-centred lifestyle and economically driven behaviour in Hong Kong, policies should be designed in parallel with these complex factors to encourage the willingness to recycle.