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Research Paper
Abstract
The topic of environmental protection has attained highest importance in this era globally but the practices of basic
concepts waste disposal are often neglected. People around the globe are aware of the impact of improper waste disposal
practices, but the negative attitude of implementation gives rise to chaotic situations. This study was conducted to obtain
baseline information about waste management practices among school children in Kerala. This cross sectional study was
conducted using a well designed and validated questionnaire. Out of one thousand students of a high school and higher
secondary school from Thrissur City in Kerala, 300 were randomly selected. The data analyzed using student t-test showed,
high school students are more aware about household waste management than the higher secondary school students. It is
evident from this study that there is significant difference between awareness and practice. Our study reveals the necessity
of giving mass awareness to the impact of waste disposal practices from the beginning of school education. Committed
environmental education will inculcate a proper and appropriate environmental culture in the students. As the study
revealed awareness of e-waste disposal is lacking there is an urgent need to rectify this gap in knowledge and practice.
1. Introduction
We are born from the earth, we return to the earth and we agement (SWM) has 3 basic components namely coll-
sustain by the earth. Hence the environment in which we ection, transportation and disposal. Comprehensive solid
live is very important and it directly affects our lives. It is waste management incorporates a diverse range of activiti-
said that man is the product of his environment. Environm- es including reduction, recycling, segregation, modificati-
ental problem is a global concern. It has no boundary. on, treatment and disposal which have varying levels of
Around the world; efforts are being made to make people sophistication (Zagozewski et al, 2011). The objective of
aware about environmental protection. One of the main SWM is to reduce the quantity of solid waste disposed off
causes of environmental degradation is improper manage- on land by recovery of materials and energy from solid
ment in the disposal of solid waste. It is a major cause of waste in a cost effective and environmental friendly mann-
pollution and outbreak of diseases in many parts of the er (MF, 2009).
world. There is no permanent solution for environmental
problems, only thing we can reduce and control waste gen- It is estimated that 1, 60000 MT (Metric Tonne) of munici-
eration by proper awareness and practice. Proper manage- pal solid waste is generated daily in India. According to
ment of the waste generated is most important in this the 2001 census, per capita waste generation in India is 0.5
matter. Waste management is a science that addresses the Kg/day (Vinod & Venugopal, 2010). Waste management
logistics, environmental impact, social responsibility and activities generate potential environmental benefits if man-
cost of an organizations’ waste disposal. Solid Waste Man- aged properly (Gentil et al, 2009). There has been hardly
any effort in the past to create community awareness, eith- 3. Results and Discussion
er about the likely perils due to poor waste management or
the simple steps that every citizen can take. This could The sample represented 133 (44.5%) high school and 167
have helped in reducing waste generation and promote (55.5%) higher secondary students between the age group
effective waste management. But this scenario has chang- of 13-17 years. In that, 155 (52%) students were from rural
ed. Nowadays more and more people are taking interest in area and 145 (48%) from urban side. Among them 52
environmental issues, as they have started to experience (17%) were from joint family and 248 (83%) from nuclear
the ill-effects of ecological issues. Now environmental family.
education is welcomed by all categories of people. It is an
attempt to reorient education so that environmental compe- Results showed that most of the high school students have
tence is restored as one of its basic aims along with person- attended awareness programs as compared to higher seco-
al and social competence (Shobeiri et al, 2007). ndary students (p=0.004). High school students are well
aware of principles of waste minimization and the role of
Environmental problems are many. It is mounting high local authorities in waste management, segregation of was-
with new problems like disposal of e-waste. E-waste is a tes, effective mechanism for house hold waste manageme-
collective terminology for the entire stream of electronic nt, complication of improper waste management and eager
equipment such as TV, refrigerators, telephones, air condi- to know about environmental problems (p<0.05) than the
tioners, computers, mobile phones etc. that has reached its higher secondary school students. Both the groups lacked
End of Life (EOL) for its current user. Such devices are awareness about e-waste and its disposal (Table 1).
generally considered toxic when disassembled or incinerat-
ed and are typically targeted for hazardous disposal or are Regarding practice of proper waste management, high sch-
slated for necessary recovery and reuse (MF, 2009). ool students have proper ideas and practice of waste segre-
gation, conversion of waste to kitchen compost (p<0.05).
Hygiene starts from home. Our household waste accounts Both groups are committed to minimize the wastes and to
for major amount of solid rubbish. Some are reusable and avoid throwing the wastes outside their premises (p>0.05,
others non-reusable. All these constitute megatons of Table 2).
municipal wastes. If it is not properly disposed off, the
consequences are dangerous (Yadav & Mishra, 2004). So Towards attitude, both groups have responded positively
there is an urgent need to streamline and sensitize young for minimizing the house hold waste (p>0.05, Table 3).
minds to the environmental problems and concerns. It is Whether students are from joint family or nuclear family
the education which makes human beings knowledgeable there is no significant difference in their awareness, practi-
to environment and problems related to it. Students must ce and attitude (p>0.05).
have awareness about environmental problems so that they
can play their role very effectively in proper waste mana- A large amount of solid wastes are generated from homes.
gement (Tartiu, 2011). Hence this study was an attempt to Household waste is a major source of solid waste. The qu-
know how far the school students are aware and practicing antity of solid waste grows faster than population (Vinod
proper waste management? & Venugopal, 2010). Solid waste disposal has been identi-
fied as a major cause of pollution and environmental threat
2. Materials and Methods globally and very specially to God’s own country, Kerala.
In spite of the higher literacy rate and well developed
A questionnaire was given to 300 students selected rando- educational systems and status in the state, there is lack of
mly from a group of one thousand. The study was carried practicing proper waste management among Keralites, wh-
out at a high school and higher secondary school for girls ether young or old. The findings of the present study have
in Thrissur, Kerala. Purpose and method of the study was made it clear that they are well aware of the importance of
explained to the students, teachers and parents to get their waste management. But they are lacking in the practice of
consent. The instrument of research was a validated self- proper waste management. This study findings support the
administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was design- studies conducted by Ifegbesan (2008).
ed to assess students’ knowledge, attitude and practice on
waste management at home. The questionnaire included We found that there are serious drawbacks in the practice-
ten questions related to awareness, five questions each reg- ng of proper waste management among higher secondary
arding practice and attitude in waste management. The school students as compared with high school students.
education level of students was categorized as high school This may be due to insufficient motivation from parents
and higher secondary. The results in two categories were and teachers at this stage of growth period when they are
evaluated. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics preoccupied with preparation of qualifying examinations
and student t-test using SPSS (version 16). p value less th- for future studies. This study revealed a most noteworthy
an 0.05 is considered as significant. and an eye opening situation prevailing in families i.e. thr-
owing household wastes outside their premises. It is only There is no difference in students’ practice about waste
12 % of the participants who responded with the answer management based on type of family they belong. This sh-
‘yes’ but it demands a major shift in people’s selfish attitu- ows the growing trend of negative attitude to social comm-
de, not concerned about the serious negative impact on a itment which was existing since long back in joint famili-
residential neighbourhood. It is an environmental abuse to es.
be corrected at the earliest if we want to save the mother
earth. Present study showed that there is a serious lack of aware-
Table 1. Awareness (p Values for Higher Secondary versus High School Students)
Table 2. Practice (p Values for Higher Secondary Versus High School Students)
Table 3. Attitude (p Values for Higher Secondary versus High School Students)
Students with better awareness towards social duty are ness about e-wastes and its management among both the
more aware towards environmental awareness (Astalin, groups. In this era of cybernetics, young generation is
2011). Another significant finding is 90% of the participa- being influenced by cyberphilia. As a result, worldwide e-
nts responded that they are seeing garbage on roadside wastes are generated uncontrolled and unchecked. Chinese
while coming to school, which proves the filthiest conditi- domestic e-waste stockpiles are approaching a peak (Liu et
on of the roads and the severity of improper waste mana- al, 2006). As of March 2009, approximately 4, 00,000 tons
gement. of e-wastes are produced in India. 19,000 tons of this com-
es from Mumbai, the largest e-waste generator in the coun- Research, 24, pp. 92-101.
try (MF, 2009). E-waste is the fastest growing segment of
the solid wastes in India (0.01-1%). This rate is growing at Ministry of Finance (MF) (2009) Position Paper on the
an alarming pace and a high percentage of electronics are Solid Waste Management Sector in India. Department
ending up in the waste stream releasing dangerous toxins of Economic affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of
into the environment. So it is the need of the time to India.
review this serious situation. With collective efforts from
the part of government, educational institutions and NGOs, Shobeiri, S.M., Omidvar, B., and Prahallada, N.N. (2007)
proper guidance can be given in this neglected area of A Comparative Study of Environmental Awareness among
waste management. Secondary School Students in Iran and India. Int. J.
Environ. Res., 1(1), pp. 28-34.
It is the birth right of every citizen to live in a pollution fr-
ee environment, to get good air to breathe and to have safe Tartiu, V. (2011) Evaluation of attitudes and knowledge
water to drink. As long as these basic rights are denied or a regarding municipal waste among students, Case study:
conducive atmosphere is not created, a nation cannot claim Bucharest Academy of Economic studies. J. Economia.
of its amazing and sustainable development. Seria Management, 14(1), pp. 263-276.
References
Astalin, P.K. (2011) Environmental Awareness in Relation
to Awareness towards Social Duty and Some Educational
Factors affecting it among Higher Secondary Students.
Journal of Education and Practice, 2(3), pp. 54-62.