Adopting the social dilemmas approach, this paper investigates factors influencing the intentions to separate waste at the source of residential households in Hanoi. In this study, waste separation intentions of respondents were estimated using the amount of the
monetary fine that each household was willing to pay as a commitment to participation. The survey indicates that respondents hold positive intentions to separate waste, with 72% of
the sample stating that they were willing to make a commitment to participate in waste separation at home. The findings indicate that the trust of individuals is a decisive
factor in their waste separation intentions. As a result, policies and initiatives centering on building trust are crucial to an increased participation of residential households in waste separation. Measures to boost the residents' trust include issuing effective laws and
detailed regulations for the enforcement of waste separation at the household level, making efforts in coordinating and exchanging information among municipality agencies and local communities and improving the involvement of all relevant stakeholders