Waste management strategies and implementation – A case study of household awareness perception in Kharar, Punjab

Abstract

Environmental protection has risen to the top of the global agenda in this era, but basic waste disposal and management concepts are widely disregarded. People all around the world are aware of the harmful consequences of inadequate waste management, yet the lack of implementation leads to chaos. The present study was therefore undertaken to gather baseline data on waste management practices among residents of Kharar, Punjab, India. A well-designed, unbiased, and pre-tested questionnaire method was used in the present study. A total sample of 152 residents has been randomly surveyed in urban and rural areas of Kharar and data was statistically analyzed. The analysis of the survey incorporated information on waste collection services, facilities, willingness to avail waste collection services, preference for services, social behavior towards waste sorting, and the most potential reason for improper waste dumping. The findings of the survey indicated that a fairly high number of respondents (71%) were aware of the adverse impacts of improper waste management. It was further scrutinized that more than half of respondents followed a good practice of storing the waste in storage bins instead of open dumping. In context to social behavior towards waste segregation or sorting, it was found that the most of respondents have a clear vision and understanding towards waste segregation but less than half of residents were not aware of color-coded bins which made it difficult for them to segregate the biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. The research highlighted the importance of raising public knowledge about the consequences of waste disposal practices. Committed environmental education will be a helpful attribute in inculcating an appropriate environmental culture among people. As the study revealed awareness of waste management in certain areas is lacking so there is an urgent need to rectify this gap in knowledge and practice.