Perception of the students in proper waste disposal
Answers
Answer:
We are born from the earth, we return to the earth and we
sustain by the earth. Hence the environment in which we
live is very important and it directly affects our lives. It is
said that man is the product of his environment. Environm-
ental problem is a global concern. It has no boundary.
Around the world; efforts are being made to make people
aware about environmental protection. One of the main
causes of environmental degradation is improper manage-
ment in the disposal of solid waste. It is a major cause of
pollution and outbreak of diseases in many parts of the
world. There is no permanent solution for environmental
problems, only thing we can reduce and control waste gen-
eration by proper awareness and practice. Proper manage-
ment of the waste generated is most important in this
matter. Waste management is a science that addresses the
logistics, environmental impact, social responsibility and
cost of an organizations’ waste disposal. Solid Waste Man-
agement (SWM) has 3 basic components namely coll-
ection, transportation and disposal. Comprehensive solid
waste management incorporates a diverse range of activiti-
es including reduction, recycling, segregation, modificati-
on, treatment and disposal which have varying levels of
sophistication (Zagozewski et al, 2011). The objective of
SWM is to reduce the quantity of solid waste disposed off
on land by recovery of materials and energy from solid
waste in a cost effective and environmental friendly mann-
er (MF, 2009).
It is estimated that 1, 60000 MT (Metric Tonne) of munici-
pal solid waste is generated daily in India. According to
the 2001 census, per capita waste generation in India is 0.5
Kg/day (Vinod & Venugopal, 2010). Waste management
activities generate potential environmental benefits if man-
aged properly (Gentil et al, 2009). There has been hardly
Vivek et al / Journal of Environment (2013), Vol. 02, Issue 06, pp. 147-150
ISSN 2049-8373
Available online at www.scientific-journals.co.uk
148
any effort in the past to create community awareness, eith-
er about the likely perils due to poor waste management or
the simple steps that every citizen can take. This could
have helped in reducing waste generation and promote
effective waste management. But this scenario has chang-
ed. Nowadays more and more people are taking interest in
environmental issues, as they have started to experience
the ill-effects of ecological issues. Now environmental
education is welcomed by all categories of people. It is an
attempt to reorient education so that environmental compe-
tence is restored as one of its basic aims along with person-
al and social competence (Shobeiri et al, 2007).
Environmental problems are many. It is mounting high
with new problems like disposal of e-waste. E-waste is a
collective terminology for the entire stream of electronic
equipment such as TV, refrigerators, telephones, air condi-
tioners, computers, mobile phones etc. that has reached its
End of Life (EOL) for its current user. Such devices are
generally considered toxic when disassembled or incinerat-
ed and are typically targeted for hazardous disposal or are
slated for necessary recovery and reuse (MF, 2009).
Hygiene starts from home. Our household waste accounts
for major amount of solid rubbish. Some are reusable and
others non-reusable. All these constitute megatons of
municipal wastes. If it is not properly disposed off, the
consequences are dangerous (Yadav & Mishra, 2004). So
there is an urgent need to streamline and sensitize young
minds to the environmental problems and concerns. It is
the education which makes human beings knowledgeable
to environment and problems related to it. Students must
have awareness about environmental problems so that they
can play their role very effectively in proper waste mana-
gement (Tartiu, 2011). Hence this study was an attempt to
know how far the school students are aware and practicing
proper waste management?
2. Materials and Methods
A questionnaire was given to 300 students selected rando-
mly from a group of one thousand. The study was carried
out at a high school and higher secondary school for girls
in Thrissur, Kerala. Purpose and method of the study was
explained to the students, teachers and parents to get their
consent. The instrument of research was a validated self-
administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was design-
ed to assess students’ knowledge, attitude and practice on
waste management at home. The questionnaire included
ten questions related to awareness, five questions each reg-
arding practice and attitude in waste management. The
education level of students was categorized as high school
and higher secondary. The results in two categories were
evaluated. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics
and student t-test using SPSS (version 16). p value less th-
an 0.05 is considered as significant.
Explanation:
Answer:
In olden times, humans lived close to the nature. They used items made of natural things like natural fibres,leaves etc. Earthenwares, houses built from mud and medicines derived from plants, were all biogradable and therefore, did not accumulate. But, modern lifestyle and the use of a variety of man-made non- biogradable goods have greatly increased the production of waste creating the problem of environmental pollution. Therefore, we need to dispose off the waste in a
managed and scientific manner. Urban population produces more non- biogradable waste while rural population produces mainly biogradable waste while rural population produces mainly biogradable waste.