Raising environmental awareness as a meaningful factor of integrated waste management in Moscow

Abstract

The article is aimed at evaluating the prospects of promoting environmental awareness among the population in Moscow. To meet the goal, the author analyzed foreign studies on environmental awareness- building. The following methods were used during the research: the investigation of the legal and regulatory framework, analysis of surveys performed by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) and Levada Analytical Center, content analysis of the Moscow media sources with the use of the Public.ru database, and exploration of TV programs on Moscow 24 channel. The research indicated the key problem that is a low engagement of the population into the practice of separate waste collection. It undermines the process of integrated waste management in Moscow. The author uses a public-opinion survey to identify the reasons for such low engagement of the population. Those reasons include the lack of time for sorting, the lack of space in an apartment for arranging waste sorting, the lack of trust in a newly established infrastructure. The conclusion is that it is necessary to not only conduct awareness-raising campaigns but to educate the population as well. It is reasonable to arrange lessons on environmental protection to foster environmental awareness in children. When conducting awareness-raising campaigns, it is important to focus on increasing public confidence in the established infrastructure. For example, it makes sense to share information about transporting garbage from containers to sorting stations, and demonstrate how the sorting stations operate.