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Article

Research on Design Strategy of Mask Recycling Service Based on Behavior Environment

College of Arts and Design, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1065; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021065
Submission received: 26 October 2022 / Revised: 14 December 2022 / Accepted: 19 December 2022 / Published: 6 January 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation Strategies and Capabilities)

Abstract

:
The global novel coronavirus pandemic has caused a surge in the use of masks worldwide. A large number of used masks that have not been properly handled enter the environment, which caused and will cause serious ecological problems. The purpose of this study is to propose a solution to the problem of mask management from the perspective of science of design, and to build a good mask recycling service design strategy through the combination of design and psychology. Firstly, based on the theory of behavioral environment and field investigation, this study analyzes the correlation between the existing mask recycling device and its recycling efficiency, user behavior psychology and environment, and studies the behavioral scene of mask recycling, and then establishes the center of design strategy implementation. Secondly, a visual guidance system is designed, as is a special recycling device for masks by color psychology and product design. Thirdly, combined with the concept of social innovation service design, the design of a mask recycling strategy is conceived, and the optimization and formulation of mask recycling strategy is demonstrated through stakeholders, user journey maps and service flow charts. Finally, the design strategy is hierarchically established, and the feasibility analysis system model of a mask recycling strategy design is constructed. The data collection is carried out through expert interviews and questionnaires, and the weight is calculated by a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. The final output comprehensive evaluation results show that the mask recycling strategy constructed in this study has public recognition.

1. Introduction

Since the novel coronavirus pandemic swept the world, the global daily medical waste totaled more than 7200 tons; disposable masks accounted for a significant proportion [1]. The recently proposed the normalization of the epidemic policy has also pulled the demand for masks to a high point, and the essence of this scenario is that the purpose of today’s mask demand has changed. Instead of the continuing policy of fighting unknown viruses in the epidemic era, it has shifted to preventing known threats, controlling the spread of the epidemic and meeting people’s needs of daily life. This shows that the position of masks has changed from the original disposable medical appliances to the commonly used items in life. The ecological problems, which are caused by the new daily necessities with huge production and usage, cannot be ignored. How to deal with this change has become an urgent problem to be solved [2]; through the sustainable design method of mask treatment, the corresponding preventive measures are provided for the protection of natural environment, and the design contributes to maintaining the ecological balance [3].
A series of harmful events show that the current mask waste has become another new type of pollution after plastic pollution [4]. If mask waste is not effectively recycled, it will cause the animals to mistakenly eat it or become entangled, causing physical damage, the animals’ living space to be threatened and environmentally damaged, and other crisis events [5]. Moreover, because the melt-blown cloth, the main material of the mask, is difficult to decompose and consume, if it enters the environment without recycling, it will decompose into a large number of microplastics and heavy metals and other components [6,7,8,9]. Studies have shown that microplastics will have multiple effects on the ecological environment in physical, chemical, carrier, and other ways. Their physical and chemical properties also indicate that they will spread along the food chain and potentially affect human food safety [10]. At the same time, smaller microplastic particles have higher adsorption capacity for metal ions [11], which will lead to increased pollution, so that the environmental pollution of masks will be carried out in multiple dimensions such as heavy metals, microplastics, and microplastics with heavy metals. The harm caused by mask waste become an ecological problem to which all mankind must pay attention [12].
Combined with the closed-loop analysis method [13] of the product life cycle assessment (LCA) in the field of green design, the ecological problems caused by mask waste are analyzed, and the relationship logic diagram is drawn to find out the key points of controlling mask pollution, as shown in Figure 1. The closed-loop life cycle divides the product into seven stages, which are described in two parts. The first part includes design, manufacture, transportation and use stages; the design and manufacturing stage includes the material development and structural design of the mask. The design of the mask directly affects the production energy consumption of the manufacturing process and the yield of the mask. The ecological impact of the mask is reduced by secondary use or the use of clean materials. Long-distance transport and excessive storage of masks during transport can also cause environmental problems. In the use stage, the disposal of the packaging bag error is a cause of pollution, as it can be recycled by using recyclable packaging to alleviate certain environmental pollution problems. The second part is the waste recycling and result stage, The waste stage and the recycling stage point directly to the result stage. The results can be divided into three points: wrong recycling, correct recycling, and disassembly of parts. The wrong recycling will cause serious pollution. Correct recycling can minimize pollution. The successfully disassembled parts will become available parts and materials. Finally, they will be reused or guide the design stage to redesign and design improvement. Through the closed-loop analysis, the influence of the waste stage and the mask recycle stage has a decisive influence on the trend of the results. Through the refined recycling method and the guidance of user behavior, the ecological problems caused by the mask can be solved more pertinently.

2. Materials and Methods

Service design is an interdisciplinary subject involving economics, management, service engineering, design, and other fields. It is a method of task arrangement for users and service providers through a highly coordinated approach to the whole [14]. Chinese scholar Luo et al. [15] believe that service design is an integrated design including service model, business model, product platform and interactive interface, and that it promotes the reform and development of the service model, design model, and innovation-entrepreneurship-venture capital. Therefore, they define service design as a systematic issue, by mining the needs of users and combining the application of design methods and theories, creating new services and planning the service process, and producing a high-quality service system to enhance the user experience. At present, the mainstream research methods in the discipline of design include user journey diagrams [16], service blueprints, stakeholder analysis, touch point analysis, and service flow charts.
The theory of behavior environment was first proposed by the field of psychology, which mainly studies the relationship between material environment, built environment, natural environment, and behavior [17]. The most commonly used research method is to conduct behavioral and psychological analysis on the people in the physical space. The correlation is obtained between the three elements: the psychological cognitive ability, the environment, and the feedback of the behavior [18]. Additionally, because the attributes of the behavior itself are more complex, the behavior environment theory also analyzes different angles according to different properties. At present, there are two main research directions. One is to study the ability of the environment to constrain human behavior. The second is to explore the degree of action of human behavior on the environment.
The arrival of the service economy and society has led to a gradual shift In the focus of design ideas, from focusing on the design of physical objects to the design and constraint of behaviors in a certain space [19]. The focus of research on mask recycling management strategies should also shift from the design of recycling devices to the guidance of user behavior, psychology, and environment faced in the recycling stage. It is necessary to find a set of theoretical knowledge and design methods suitable for mask recycling management strategies, so that the strategies can be carried out under the guidance of mature and effective theories.
The studies on governance strategies often uses service design thinking to carry out research [20]. Taking user-centered as the core point of view can effectively improve the user experience and play a role in the jurisdiction of behavior [21]. However, the analysis of user psychology by service design thinking is mostly based on the design level. The introduction of theories in the field of psychology can effectively improve user psychological analysis and give the design output more theoretical advantages. There are many psychological theories combined with design, such as Gestalt psychology, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, color psychology, safety psychology, environmental psychology, and behavior environment theory, etc. Among them, behavior environment theory has a great correlation with recycling governance, and because the research of behavioral environment is the correlation analysis of user behavior and environment; it is a detailed expression method of user research, and it has the same identity with service design. Therefore, behavior environment theory guides service design ideas to make the design direction of mask recycling strategies more targeted, so as to achieve the expected value of rational use of resources to obtain good returns and promote sustainable development to alleviate the ecological problems caused by discarded masks.
Kurt Lewm [22], the founder of topological psychology, once proposed that behavior would change with a different environment and people [23], and the result of the event stipulated by the behavior environment would change with people’s behavior [24], indicating that people’s behavior would have corresponding influence due to their emotional status, consciousness characteristics, thinking personality, and other aspects. Similarly, the behaviors of discarding and removing masks have a certain correlation with users’ self-cognition. According to the research approach of safety behavior, the correlation analysis of individual behavior, group effect, and environment of citizens can be carried out, supplemented by safety psychological activities, safety management measures, and safety behavior norms to explore the government’s means of preventing and controlling the epidemic and the psychological cognitive response of citizens themselves to the epidemic (as shown in Figure 2). It can be concluded that individual perception, understanding, emotion, behavior habits, and safety psychological activities are related to the environment and group, and change with social requirements is related to policy support and the behavior of surrounding groups.
In order to find out the correlation between the mask recycling device and its recycling efficiency, the mask recycling devices were investigated in Chengdu, China, including commercial streets, pedestrian streets, airports, bus stations, subway stations and universities. Questionnaires and street interviews were conducted to explore citizens’ cognition of mask recycling and analyze the correlation between the actual situation and the existing problems. The common problems of the existing recycling devices in the society are summarized, and eight representative objects are selected to analyze their categories, colors, recycling visual identification, non-contact structures, spatial regulation sites and the effectiveness of recycling masks. With the five-point scale method, the subjective rating of mask recycling effectiveness was carried out, with 5 points as excellent, 4 points as good, 3 points as neutral, 2 points as poor, and 1 point as very poor, which are listed in Table 1.
According to the survey results, there is no standardized method for the use of mask recycling devices. Medical waste, hazardous waste, recyclables, health care waste, and other recycling boxes will be used as mask recycling boxes. The shapes and structures of the boxes are different, and the lack of uniformity makes it impossible to standardize management. Moreover, because of the use of non-corresponding category bins, the colors of which are red, yellow, blue, and gray according to the classification items set by the state, the setting unit usually adopt signs, such as “for waste masks”, “special recycling boxes”, or publicity slogans to distinguish their use functions; due to procurement or other problems, this will lead to different color recycling boxes in the same jurisdiction area as mask recycling devices. As the main part of visual communication, the visual effect of color and logo is not intuitive, so that cannot play an effective guiding effect. Therefore, the standardized design of recycling device and visual communication can intuitively improve the recycling efficiency. At the same time, because the open cover structure of the recycling device at the social level is mostly designed to reduce the contact between people and the garbage cover or save labor, it mostly adopts a foot-mounted structure or a push-cover structure, which does not take into account the spread of viruses, bacteria, etc., like medical supply recycling, and has certain risks. Non-contact design is the development trend of design since the epidemic; for the recycling of such dangerous items as masks, the design should be more non-contact and include disinfection. According to the analysis of this survey, there is also a great correlation between the recycling efficiency of the mask recycling box and its spatial site. There are more masks in the recycling box which is close to the living area of the campus street, the dormitory downstairs and the residents downstairs, and the closer to the living environment, the higher the efficiency of the recycling mask. Based on this analysis, the recycling efficiency of the mask recycling box is affected by the visual communication effect of its color and style, the non-contact structure, the spatial regulation site, the standardized process, and other multiple effects. The standardized management of mask recycling must be completed through the coordination of products, governments, citizens, and management institutions. Systematic design can be more effective than a single element of governance. Combined with the results of previous field investigation and analysis, there are many reasons for the low recycling efficiency of mask recycling devices, and the lack of standardized design is only one of the problems; the environment and public psychological cognition are also important reasons affecting recycling efficiency. Through the issuance of the 119 questionnaires distributed, field observations, and interviews with a total of 30 people who were design graduate students, engineering graduate students, doctoral students, and social workers, combined with public awareness and masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new media survey by the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [25], and qualitative research on the factors affecting public wearing of medical masks during the COVID-19 epidemic [26], the relationship between users and their spatial environments in the strategy design of mask recycling management was reanalyzed. it was found that mask abandonment behaviors, abandonment purposes, environmental attributes, and policy requirements are interrelated and mutually constrained, and the survey results are summarized in Table 2. According to the on-the-spot investigation, the mask recycling bins set up in public places such as commercial districts and stations are used as ordinary garbage bins, most of which are domestic garbage. The mask recycling boxes in the canteen or near the snack street are mostly loaded with food packaging bags or uneaten food. The recycling rate of masks in the recycling device in the residential areas, such as the community or the dormitory, is relatively high. In this way, the recycling scene of masks is analyzed and the design is assisted, which is more conducive to the standardization and management of mask recycling.

3. Results

3.1. Mask Recycling Visual Communication Design

As a new type of household waste, the visual guidance system for masks is a particularly important part of the service design. The symbolic visualization of the iconic representation of mask recycling classification enables one to visually and intuitively convey the function of recycling masks. Among the symbolic representations, the new version of the national standard “Domestic Waste Classification Signs” GBT19095-2019 clearly specifies four types of icons for the current waste classification, as shown in Figure 3, which can be seen to be composed of a brief graphic overview and Chinese and English text labels. As a result, the design of the mask recycling classification logo should be carried out with reference to the design dimensions and modeling specifications of the national standard.
In order to improve the recognition of the mask recycling logo, the lattice topology method is used to illustrate the various sites of the mask modeling, and the prototype features and product target structure features are analyzed in two directions to extract the matching parts [27]. The lattice of each part of the mask in the unfolded state is extracted and named as points A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, and C4, and the design is carried out by changing the distribution position of each point. Point A3 moves to the intersection of straight line A2A4, C3 moves to the intersection of straight line C2C4, point A1 moves to the intersection of straight line A2B2 and A4B2, and C1 moves to the intersection of straight line B1C2 and B2C4, thus outlining the standardized icon of disposable masks and using it as a prototype for the visual image design of mask recycling classification. As the most intuitive visual experience in life, color can influence people’s emotion, cognition, and behavior in many ways [28]. For the new classification of mask recycling, color matching is one of the important means to enhance its recognition, so extracting the public’s color impression of masks based on the theory of color psychology is important [29]. Through the above analysis, after the dots of the disposable mask are extracted and moved, some of the sharp corners are rounded, and the corresponding colors are proportioned to the parts of the icon design, so it shows a design language matching the current standard and the final scheme is output. According to GB/T 19095-2019 icon design specification, the logo layout of disposable mask classification icon is designed and exported; the overall design process and design specification requirements are shown in Figure 4.

3.2. Mask Recovering Device Design

In the epidemic era, the germs carried by masks have potential hazards, such as uncertainty and transmissibility, and the recycling phase should also consider blocking virus transmission. In order to prevent the spread of the virus, for functional intent analysis, the mask recycling device has a disinfection function, non-contact design as a special feature, and the use of non-ferrous disinfectant to disinfect the mask in the recycling box while blocking the contaminated mask as a secondary use. Adding a barrier at the throwing port of the mask recycling bin reduces the possibility of other debris entering. Based on the theory of ergonomics, the size and shape of the device were considered [30], and it was decided to use the oblique section of a 45 degree angle as the slope design of the recycling port, and the preliminary output of the design modeling was decided to be carried out by hand-painted expression. Then, the modeling software RHINO was used to output the 3d model of the design, and the various working modules were distinguished. It mainly includes an interactive interface module, face recognition module, mask storage module, disinfection module, garbage bag storage module, induction switch module, icon module, and opening and closing module, as shown in Figure 5.
The interactive interface module is responsible for providing visual feedback and information query; the face recognition module is responsible for the collection of human face information to accurately issue recycling bonus points; the mask storage module is responsible for the loading of the mask and the physical isolation of the external contact with the mask; the disinfection module is responsible for disinfection and marking with inductive spray device inside, by spraying colored disinfection liquid, the masks are marked and disinfected to ensure the timely elimination of the virus. At the same time, they are prevented from being removed by illegal merchants from the recycling box for secondary sales, and the hidden dangers of secondary pollution may be dealt with, which not only protects the safety of users, but also ensures the safety of recycling workers; the garbage bag storage module is responsible for loading the special recycling bag for masks, automatically sealing inward to facilitate the transportation of recycling personnel; the induction switch module is responsible for opening the mask-throwing opening when the user needs to discard it, to reduce the air exchange time of the recycling box; the icon module places the classification identification area to guide the user to classify and find the place; the opening and closing modules are designed as barriers no larger than the size of three face masks to stop other rubbish falling in.

3.3. Mask Recycling Service Strategy Design

Based on the comprehensive analysis of the previous behavioral environment theory, the density of the place where the mask recycling box is placed depends on the population, behavior habits, and spatial attributes of the area. As a jurisdictional unit under the government, the community has detailed records of the flow of people, environmental characteristics, population size, and regional distribution in the managed area. The data information is well-integrated and highly consistent with the data required to place the mask recycling bin. Therefore, the community will be established as the implementation of the mask recycling management strategy object, combined with the public welfare community innovation service design by analyzing its interest model, in order to achieve sustainable development of mask recycling service strategy and a win-win situation for public welfare and profit [31].
(1)
Stakeholder benefit analysis
There are five important departments of stakeholders of mask recycling: residential users, community property management institutions, government management recycling departments, mask recycling devices, and other classified garbage recycling plants. We analyzed the behavior, interests, and touch points of five stakeholders in the mask recycling process to ensure the commercial feasibility of the service strategy, as listed in Table 3.
(2)
User experience journey map construction.
As a common analysis method of service design, user experience journey map can intuitively show the problems existing in the process to understand the pain point and demand point, optimize the experience of different links, find the design opportunity point, output mask recycling service design strategy [32], as shown in Figure 6. From the user experience journey map, some of demand points as follow, (1) mask classification should be unified and normative; (2) the effectiveness of the recycling phase is constrained by user behavior, which is critical to guide user behavior; (3) recycling should have disinfection and identification functions to prevent virus contamination and secondary use by illegal people; (4) the recycling stage should be closed-loop processed to prevent the spread of the epidemic; (5) recycling should be harmless treatment to ensure the rational use of resources, as much as possible to reduce resource consumption; (6) the recovered data and processes should be transparently processed, so that citizens can participate in government supervision and regulate their behavior while supervising.
(3)
Service process design
According to the stakeholder analysis, each element of the service process can be categorized into five types: resident, mask recycling bins, community management organization, government recycling departments, and other recycling plants, as shown in Figure 7. As the main element of mask recycling, the mask recycling box has a positive impact on citizens’ recycling behavior through standardized illustration and the designed box, by using the intuitive visual communication, which enables citizens to understand the use of mask recycling boxes with preliminary classification to put the masks into the special recycling device. The community management organization, as a tripartite department that directly manages users’ living areas, earns profits by collecting management fees from users, and is responsible for providing publicity management services to residents. The management model has a direct impact on mask recycling and the living environment of users. The community needs to reach certification management with government recycling departments for providing information and management data of mask recycling devices, recycling points to residents for benefits, and maintenance services for mask recycling bins. Other recycling plants, as special sorting institutions, have no solution for other sorted waste, so the mis-classified masks could be sent to the mask recycling institutions through the official channel to reduce the pollution caused by improper treatment. Resident users, as the main operators of social work and garbage sorting and discarding, are related to the other three parts with capital flow, material flow, information flow, and behavior flow, thus forming a five-in-one closed-loop service design. In the mask recycling service system, through the restraint and guidance of citizens’ discarding behavior, they can actively participate in mask recycling and achieve good mask pollution control effect.

4. Discussion

In order to effectively analyze the mathematical model of the questionnaire data, FAHP fuzzy analytic hierarchy process [33,34] is introduced to verify the design of the mask recycling service strategy. A combination of subjective and objective analysis is used to test the recognition of the mask recycling strategy of various groups of people. The hierarchical structure of the mask recycling service strategy is determined by expert interviews. Based on the AHP analytic hierarchy theory [35], the feasibility of the mask recycling service design system is calculated and analyzed, as shown in Figure 8.
The target layer is defined as acceptance of mask recycling strategy design and named A; the criterion layer is defined as B device functionality; C is called process feasibility; and D is named normative behavior standardization; the sub-criteria layer is defined as B1 visual design, B2 appearance design, B3 color planning, B4 interaction design, C1 epidemic prevention safety, C2 recycling difficulty, C3 recycling effects, C4 user feedback, D1 recycling rewards, D2 propaganda of government, D3 transparent management, D4 environmental constraints. Because the mask strategy management is the integration of social management, design, education, and other aspects of the design, the nine design experts’, three engineering experts’, two social management experts’, and three education experts’ interviews and hierarchical analysis of the questionnaire survey, based on the 1–9 scale method for the evaluation criteria of expert interviews and questionnaire data to quantify, as shown in Table 4, and the quantitative data fuzzy analytic hierarchy process are used to calculate the judgment matrix and weight analysis of each level, as shown in Table 5, Table 6, Table 7 and Table 8.
In order to ensure the credibility of weight calculation, the consistency of the calculated weight is tested, and the ratio between the consistency index CI of the judgment matrix and the RI value corresponding to the same order is called the random consistency ratio, denoted as CR. When the calculation results are CR   <   0.1 , this indicates that the judgment matrix is valid; otherwise, the matrix needs to be readjusted. Therefore, the matrix analysis and calculation results are listed in Table 9. According to the calculation results of the consistency data, the obtained values are less than 0.1, indicating that the matrix analysis is consistent.
The five-level score was used to formulate the evaluation index and defined as E = {very effective (100 points), effective (75 points), neutral (50 points), ineffective (25 points), and very ineffective (0 points)}. In this way, the questionnaire was randomly distributed to society, and a total of 111 valid questionnaires were collected to obtain the evaluation score of the sub-criteria layer and calculate the weight of each level. The proportion of each index and the weight index are listed in Table 10.
The weight vector index Wi of the criterion layer is combined to establish a comprehensive matrix, and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation matrix is comprehensively calculated to obtain the total evaluation weight vector P = (0.388, 0.391, 0.184, 0.029, 0.008). Finally, the total evaluation weight vector and the evaluation score are weighted, and the final total score of the design is calculated to be 78.03. According to the fuzzy evaluation level and evaluation criteria, the evaluation of the design reaches a good level, indicating that the public is recognized to a certain extent for the design of the mask recycling strategy.

5. Conclusions

The outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic has changed people’s lifestyles and social ways. The surge of mask-using inevitably brings a series of ecological problems, which are both new pollution and traditional pollution. Due to the epidemic situation, the category of masks has changed from medical supplies to daily necessities. In the future, the pollution of masks will directly impact our lives. In the contest of green design, the ecological problems of masks were analyzed, combined with the theory of service design and behavior environment; the relationship between user behavior and psychological cognition in terms of mask recycling and the environment was analyzed. Finally, the community area with public psychological cognition safety was selected as the targeted design environment, and the visual identification of mask recycling classification was standardized based on the national standard GBT19095-2019. The design of the mask recycling device was improved, and the service strategy design of mask recycling was assisted by stakeholder analysis, user experience journey mapping, and a service flow chart, so as to improve the efficiency of mask recycling and to reduce the ecological hazards caused by mask waste. At the same time, this study also has shortcomings; although it has been found that there is a correlation between mask disposal behavior and the environment, user psychology, and the involvement of solutions such as service design, more in-depth strategy development still requires interdisciplinary cooperation. In addition, there are many reasons for the users’ disposal behavior. Limited to the measured characteristics within the scope of the study, there is no more detailed analysis and research in the text, and the importance of other characteristic elements which need further refinement and verification cannot be denied.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, H.Z.; data curation, H.Z. and M.Z.; formal analysis, H.Z. and M.Z.; funding acquisition, Y.W.; investigation, H.Z.; methodology, H.Z. and Y.W.; project administration, Y.W.; supervision, H.Z. and Y.W.; validation, H.Z.; visualization, H.Z. and M.Z.; writing—original draft, H.Z.; writing—review & editing, Y.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by Sichuan Mineral Resources Research Center (SCKCZY2022-YB023) and National Park Research Center in Sichuan (GJGY2022-YB005).

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict to interest.

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Figure 1. Closed-loop life cycle analysis of masks waste.
Figure 1. Closed-loop life cycle analysis of masks waste.
Sustainability 15 01065 g001
Figure 2. User behavior environment correlation analysis.
Figure 2. User behavior environment correlation analysis.
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Figure 3. Diagram of current standards of waste classification.
Figure 3. Diagram of current standards of waste classification.
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Figure 4. Logo layout design and specification of mask recycling device.
Figure 4. Logo layout design and specification of mask recycling device.
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Figure 5. Mask recycling device design.
Figure 5. Mask recycling device design.
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Figure 6. Mask recycling user experience journey map.
Figure 6. Mask recycling user experience journey map.
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Figure 7. The process of mask recycling service.
Figure 7. The process of mask recycling service.
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Figure 8. Analysis of the feasibility level of mask recycling service strategy.
Figure 8. Analysis of the feasibility level of mask recycling service strategy.
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Table 1. Recycling device comprehensive analysis table.
Table 1. Recycling device comprehensive analysis table.
Mask
Recycling Device
Recycling Box
Category
ColorVisual Identification
and Poster Content
Contact StructureSpace SiteRecycling
Efficiency
Score
Sustainability 15 01065 i001Health Care
Waste
Sustainability 15 01065 i002Sustainability 15 01065 i003
Recycling box for masks
PortableFood
Business Street
In full condition, more than 90% is food waste1
Sustainability 15 01065 i004Health Care
Waste
Sustainability 15 01065 i005Sustainability 15 01065 i006
Recycling box for masks
PedalCampus StreetLess garbage,
a small amount of household garbage, mask packaging and masks
2
Sustainability 15 01065 i007Health Care
Waste
Sustainability 15 01065 i008Marker-lessPedalWork AreaLess garbage, internal garbage is mostly mask bags2
Sustainability 15 01065 i009Harmful RefuseSustainability 15 01065 i010Sustainability 15 01065 i011
Recycling box for masks
PortableResidents DownstairsLess garbage, more than 90% masks4
Sustainability 15 01065 i012Other
Garbage
Sustainability 15 01065 i013Sustainability 15 01065 i014
Recycling box for masks
PedalBus
Station
More garbage, basically no masks1
Sustainability 15 01065 i015Health Care
Waste
Sustainability 15 01065 i016Sustainability 15 01065 i017
Recycling box for masks
Push cover Community
Doorway
Less garbage, masks, and garbage equivalent3
Sustainability 15 01065 i018Other
Garbage
Sustainability 15 01065 i019Sustainability 15 01065 i020
Mask recycling slogan
PortableCommercial
Block
More garbage, mostly domestic garbage inside, no masks1
Sustainability 15 01065 i021Combined TypeSustainability 15 01065 i022
Sustainability 15 01065 i023
Sustainability 15 01065 i024
Recycling box for masks
PedalDrugstore EntranceBasically no garbage inside, basically no masks3
Table 2. Mask recycling behavior, psychology, and spatial loci relationship.
Table 2. Mask recycling behavior, psychology, and spatial loci relationship.
Behavioral
Touch Points
Psychological
Perception
of the Location
Reality
Perception
of the Location
The Psychological Intention
Keep wearingHave to wearRequired to wear
or
Not required
1. Response to policy requirements to keep wearing.
2. Required that must be worn in the place.
3. Consider the environment hazardous and want to protect oneself.
4. Wear in the last environment or wear in the next environment.
Remove the mask
(Not discarded)
No need to wear
or
Choose to wear
according to the
situation
Not required
or
Required to wear
according to the
situation
1. No provision for wearing.
2. Think that the environment does not need masks to be worn.
3. Considers there is still a need for mask wearing.
Replace the maskNo need to wear
or
Choose to wear
according to the
situation
Not required
or
Required to wear
according to the
situation
1. Wear according to conditions.
2. Failure or breakage of the mask, etc., considered dangerous.
3. Have spare masks and still need to wear them.
Discard masksNo need to wear Not required
or
Required to wear
according to the
situation
1. Mask not required.
2. Need for mask disposal.
3. Consider the need for subsequent maskless wearing.
4. Have one or more masks and do not know if they are effective.
Table 3. Stakeholder benefit analysis.
Table 3. Stakeholder benefit analysis.
StakeholdersBehaviorBenefitUser Touch Points
Resident
users
1. Discard the mask.
2. Classify garbage preliminarily.
3. Submit the corresponding management fee.
1. Constrains user behaviors
2. Reduce the labor costs.
Masks, garbage bags,
trash cans, community managers, billboards,
information platforms
Community Management Bodies1. Manage mask recycling bins.
2. Charge an administrative fee.
3. Provide corresponding maintenance
services.
4. Screen classified garbage.
5. Publicize and manage the residents in the jurisdiction.
6. Transport sorted garbage.
7. Purchase public facilities.
1. Improve the efficiency of management services and
user satisfaction.
2. Respond to the government’s call and safeguard national interests.
3. Decrease ecological issues and reduce the spread of the epidemic.
4. Charge a management fee.
Government departments, mask recycling bins, transportation channels, resident management
The
Government Manages
The
Recycling
Department
1. Provide disposable mask recycling standards and design standards.
2. Provide standardized disposable mask recycling devices.
3. Manage disposable mask recycling device.
4. Manage community properties, etc.
5. Popularize and publicize to citizens, etc.
6. Make improvements to mask recycling.
1. Simplify the service process
2. Strengthen the cooperation among management departments.
3. Increase the cash flow.
4. Solve epidemic and environmental problems.
5. Optimize social governance
methods.
Information platform,
social management platform,
national government
affairs platform,
local or national standards
Mask
Recycling
Device
1. Impose constraints on user behavior.
2. Block other garbage.
3. Recycle masks.
4. Provide data feedback.
1. Simplify the classification
process.
2. Restrict user behavior.
3. Increase social benefits.
4. Make information feedback effective.
Recycling masks,
guiding behavior,
data collection
Other
Garbage
Recycling
Plants
1. Screen for mask waste.
2. Mask waste is sent to a dedicated mask recycling facility through a dedicated
channel
1. Protect ecological environment.
2. Increase recyclable efficiency.
3. Reduce recyclable waste.
Mask sorting, mask dis-carding,
other trash bins,
communities
Table 4. 1–9 scale rating table.
Table 4. 1–9 scale rating table.
Quantified StandardMatrix Assignment
Event i is as important as event j1
Event i is slightly more important than event j3
Event i is significantly more important than event j5
Event i is more important than event j7
Event i is extremely important compared to event j9
Event i is slightly less important than event j1/3
Event i is significantly less important than event j1/5
Event i is less important than event j1/7
Event i is extremely less important than event j1/9
Table 5. Criterion layer judgment matrix.
Table 5. Criterion layer judgment matrix.
ZBCDWeight W MaximumCI
B11/51/40.101793.0950.047
C511/20.36607
D4210.53214
Table 6. Device functional judgment matrix.
Table 6. Device functional judgment matrix.
Z1B1B2B3B4Weight WB MaximumCI
B111/31/21/50.080274.2600.087
B2311/21/50.14572
B32211/60.16330
B455610.61071
Table 7. Process feasibility judgment matrix.
Table 7. Process feasibility judgment matrix.
Z2C1C2C3C4Weight WC MaximumCI
C111110.237864.2160.072
C2111/21/20.17101
C31211/30.22070
C412310.37043
Table 8. Behavioral normative judgment matrix.
Table 8. Behavioral normative judgment matrix.
Z3D1D2D3D4Weight WD MaximumCI
D111/31/21/40.095774.1620.0544
D2311/21/30.18295
D32211/30.22243
D443310.49886
Table 9. Consistency test results.
Table 9. Consistency test results.
ZZ1Z2Z3
λmax3.0954.2604.2164.162
CI0.0470.0870.0720.054
RI0.5200.8900.8900.890
CR0.0910.0970.0810.061
Table 10. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation matrix.
Table 10. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation matrix.
First-Level
Indicators
Secondary IndicatorsVery
Effective
EffectiveNeutralInvalidVery
Ineffective
BB10.40520.39660.16380.03450
B20.37930.37930.21550.02590
B30.39660.35340.19830.05170
B40.38790.38790.18970.03450
CC10.41380.38790.15520.03450.0086
C20.37930.40520.16380.04310.0086
C30.34480.4310.19830.00860.0172
C40.32760.33620.28450.04310.0086
DD10.42240.41380.12070.03450.0086
D20.40520.40520.14660.03450.0086
D30.41380.40520.15520.01720.0086
D40.41380.41380.14660.00860.0172
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Wu, Y.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, M. Research on Design Strategy of Mask Recycling Service Based on Behavior Environment. Sustainability 2023, 15, 1065. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021065

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Wu Y, Zhang H, Zhang M. Research on Design Strategy of Mask Recycling Service Based on Behavior Environment. Sustainability. 2023; 15(2):1065. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021065

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wu, Yueqin, Hao Zhang, and Miao Zhang. 2023. "Research on Design Strategy of Mask Recycling Service Based on Behavior Environment" Sustainability 15, no. 2: 1065. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021065

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