Acquisition and use of Environmental Education in Solid Waste Management Practices

Abstract

Environmental issues are becoming more multifaceted and difficult to manage, and with the preponderance of pollution shifting toward problems caused by individuals and small entities, a stronger and wider public understanding of environmental management and related issues is a growing necessity. This study identifies contents of environmental education in solid waste management (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and assesses the recycling interests of households through a participatory assessment. Using a survey questionnaire that addressed five stages of environmental literacy; (awareness, knowledge, understanding, attitude and skills) as well as solid waste generation, disposal and management, a multistage sampling technique was adopted for data collection. The probability sampling was used to draw 1,230 respondents not less than 18 years of age in selected households from three local government areas, classified into high, medium and low density areas. A correlation test was used to determine the relationship between the knowledge of respondents about waste management and their waste management practices. Findings showed that the knowledge for employing reduction/avoidance, reuse and recycling methods was acquired at a tender age through parents, siblings or relations, and at school. Findings also showed no significant relationship between the knowledge of respondents about the content of Environmental Education (EE) and their waste management practices with a coefficient correlation of 0.107 and p: 0.552 > 0.05. Furthermore, the assessment showed that 96% of the individuals were interested in recycling. Deploying environmental education has a significant impact on waste management practices and early childhood knowledge acquisition is vital to environmental education.