Solid Waste Management Awareness and Practices among Senior High School Students in a State College in Zamboanga City, Philippines

Abstract

Solid waste management is one of the challenges faced by many countries. Poor solid waste management will lead to various problems in health, environment and socio-economic aspects. Since, educational institution is an agent of change and through R.A. No. 9003, solid waste management concepts are being integrated in science education. In this study, descriptive – quantitative approach was utilized using the researcher made instrument - Solid Waste Management Awareness and Practices Questionnaire (SWMAPQ). A total of 332 Grade 12 students participated in the study from a State College, of which 68 are Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students, 166 are Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL) students and 98 are General Academic Strand (GAS) students. Result shows that students have enough knowledge in terms on definition of solid waste, effect of improper solid waste disposal, solid waste prohibited activities, school initiatives towards solid waste, importance of solid waste management and students’ responsibilities. However, students have low knowledge on the different laws relevant to solid waste management. Television or radio, parents and social media are the sources of these awareness. The result also shows that students have good solid waste management practices in terms on segregation, reduction, reuse, recycle and disposal.