Determination of consumers' willingness to pay for biodegradable food container in Mukim Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Rapid rising of population and regional urbanization in Malaysia lead to rising in demand and usage of convenience disposable non-biodegradable food container. The amount of mismanaged plastic waste in Malaysia has rose to 0.94 million of metric tons per year in 2015. To overcome the problem, food container that able to undergo biodegradation is introduce to replace those non-biodegradable. This study is conducted in mukim Kota Bharu, Kelantan with the aim to identify the willingness of consumers in this mukim to pay for biodegradable food container. Dichotomous Choice Contingent Valuation Method applied in this study indicated that the consumers in mukim Kota Bharu, Kelantan are willing to pay RM0.78 for a biodegradable food container which is 28 cent more than the current rate. The finding in the study prove that the 4 factors: age, marital status, household monthly income, awareness and perception toward biodegradable food container are the elements that influence the willingness to pay.