Purpose This study responds to calls for increased theory use, higher levels of theory application and utilisation of approaches that extend beyond how individuals think and feel in social marketing. The capability, opportunity, motivation, behaviour theory was selected for this depth interview study that aimed to identify barriers and enablers towards e-waste reduction.

Design/methodology/approach Following ethical clearance, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in Australia with 19 people, including experts, people working in the e-waste management industry and consumers. A data dictionary was developed and used by coders. High inter-coder reliability was achieved.

Findings A total of 18 influences were identified. Opportunity was the strongest category with eight environmental influences and a combined ten individual influences (capability and motivation), which demonstrates the importance of extending understanding beyond individual factors. Opportunities to support individuals to reduce e-waste include providing an e-waste management system, providing clear and transparent information, availability of and ease of access to e-waste recycling services, improved product design to support e-waste recovery, monetary support, regulation and policies, circular economy and social support.

Research limitations/implications In total, 18 influences offer an understanding of the many ways that a complex problem like e-waste can be alleviated in Queensland, Australia.

Originality/value This paper contributes a detailed application of theory demonstrating how a theory can be applied to identify influences to inform intervention planning.