The place-based approach to recycling intention: Integrating place attachment into the extended theory of planned behavior

•Place attachment is integrated into an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) for investigating the role it plays in decision-making process of engaging in recycling behavior.•Effect of place attachment on recycling intention is partially mediated by attitude, moral norm, and awareness of consequences identified in the extended TPB.•Effect of place attachment on recycling intention is primarily indirect.•The indirect effect of place attachment via awareness of consequences is the strongest among the three mediated paths. This study addresses the research gap that not much is known about how place attachment plays a role in the decision-making processes of engaging in recycling behavior. It examines recycling intention by integrating place attachment into the framework of extended theory of planned behavior (TPB). We posit that pathways of attitudes, subjective norms, moral norms, and awareness of consequences identified in the extended TPB are responsible for the indirect effect of place attachment on recycling intention. Collecting data from an online survey conducted in Hong Kong, we test the hypotheses using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results suggest that impact of place attachment on recycling intention is primarily indirect; moreover, it is mainly mediated by attitudes, moral norms, and awareness of consequences. Indirect effect via awareness of consequences is the strongest among the three significant mediated paths. The extended TPB provides a useful framework to conceptualize the effect of place attachment on recycling intention. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are highlighted.