It has become a major concern that all residents must receive education or knowledge on recycling because environmentally conscious residents are more likely to become environmentally conscious citizens. The study intended to explore the factors affecting the recycling intention among residents in Johor, South Malaysia. The data were collected from 257 respondents who are staying in highly dense areas (city) and semi-dense and the data have been surveyed and further analysed by using the partial least square (PLS) method. Remarkably, the findings revealed that attitude has a positive effect on recycling intention. The analysis also displayed that perceived behavioural control and social influence affects positively and significantly towards recycling intention. Unexpectedly, government support has an insignificant effect on intention. These findings are expected to offer policymakers like city and municipal councils, district offices, and non-government organizations (NGOs) that are linked to environmental helpful information to plan and develop a more effective recycling policy and activities in both dense and semi-dense areas in Malaysia.