International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT) ISSN: 2249 – 8958, Volume-8 Issue-5C, May 2019 India. 1390 Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering & Sciences Publication Retrieval Number:E11980585C19/2019©BEIESP DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.E1198.0585C19 Abstract: The grade of the environment is gradually declining especially when it comes to the severe problem of solid waste. It has become a challenging burden for many large metropolitan heterogeneous areas in most of the developing countries. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between households’ attitude, descriptive norm and injunctive norm with intention to practise solid waste segregation-at-source and to ascertain the mediating effect of environmental concern and moderating effect of environmental knowledge between households’ attitude, descriptive norm and injunctive norm with intention to practise solid waste segregation-at-source. The instrument is then validated from four main aspects: face validity, content validity, convergent validity and discriminant validity. After the validation process, the pre-test of this research instrument is conducted among 30 Malaysian households. All the statements have been adjusted after reliability and validity test. The final version of the instrument is set in both closed and open format which consists of eight sections: respondent’s particulars (11 items), general questions on solid waste segregation-at-source (7 items), attitude (14 items), descriptive norm (12 items), injunctive norm (12 items), environmental concern (three sub- parts and 12 items), environmental knowledge (25 items) and intention to practise solid waste segregation-at-source (8 items). The instrument can further be used to examine other similar research areas such as sustainable consumption, recycling as well as solid waste management. Index Terms: Attitude, Descriptive Norm, Environmental Concern, Environmental Knowledge, Injunctive Norm, Instrument Development, Intention to Practise Solid Waste Segregation-at-Source I. INTRODUCTION Malaysia is a transition nation which is now experiencing fast population growth [1-2], rapid changing lifestyle [3], great urbanisation [2,4] along with aggressive economic development [5] and consumption rates [6]. As a result, these changes at the national level have raised several severe environmental concerns [7] in terms of energy security, the volume rate of municipal solid waste [8] and daily solid waste generation in Malaysia. A large amount of municipal solid waste generation has become a challenging burden for many large metropolitan Revised Manuscript Received on April 19, 2019. Kai Wah Cheng, Department of Resource Management & Consumer Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia. Syuhaily Osman, Department of Resource Management & Consumer Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia. Zuroni Md Jusoh, Department of Resource Management & Consumer Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia. Jasmine Leby Lau, Department of Resource Management & Consumer Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia. heterogeneous areas in most of the developing countries, especially Malaysia. In order to handle this public health issue, the recycling programme was first launched in Malaysia since the year 1993. However, it failed in getting much significant progression in it due to the lukewarm attitude and lack of households’ participation [9]. Hence, it was re-launched by the Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government in December 2000 [4]. Malaysian government aims to reach the 22 per cent national recycling target and 100 per cent recovery for the urban solid waste segregation-at-source by the year 2020 [2]. In accordance with the effort of government authority to have better solid waste management, Malaysian Ministry of Housing and Local Government declared 11th November as the National Recycling Day. In fact, the best way to managing the solid waste generation should be started from solid waste reduction at the source [10]. Starting from 1st September 2016, all Malaysian households in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah, Perlis and Kuantan are mandatory to practise solid waste segregation-at-source according to various solid waste compositions under Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007 (Act 672). They are cardboard, plastic, paper, food waste, glass, metal, farm waste, and lump waste. Likewise, it is an offence under the law for not separating solid waste at the source. Households are also encouraged to play their significant social responsibility by practising recycling behaviour so as to preserve and protect the environment for the welfare of present and future generations [11]. However, it can be said that many of the environmental problems today are actually caused by the factor of attitude rather than technical problems [12] because it takes a long time to break the old traditions and alter the current attitudes and practices [13]. In this case, research, education, and public participation are some of the useful tools for long-term improvement and change in the ethics and attitude of the public towards proper waste management [14]. Unfortunately, in terms of the research discussion, there is no specific research which primarily focusing on the intention to practise solid waste segregation-at-source that can be found in the context of Malaysia [15]. The ongoing challenges in implementing solid waste segregation-at- Instrument Development On Measuring Malaysian Households’ Intention To Practise Solid Waste Segregation-At-Source Kai Wah Cheng, Syuhaily Osman, Zuroni Md Jusoh, Jasmine Leby Lau