Study on household waste management practices of undergraduates

Abstract

Lifestyle changes of people have brought an increase in nature and the amount of waste generated in domestic households. A large fraction of household-generated waste consists of biodegradable materials. The rest includes plastic and glass materials as well as parts of used electronic-based appliances. To achieve sustainable development, United Nations’ 2030 agenda suggests preventing, reducing, recycling, and reuse of waste. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify how different categories of domestic waste are disposed of by a selected Sri Lankan community. The study was carried out as a survey, involving residences of undergraduates of the University of Vocational Technology. A structured questionnaire was distributed online, among 390 students. However, only 36.7% (143) of students responded. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. The study findings indicated that, at present, only 47% of houses separate waste as bio-degradable and non-biodegradable, and 24% of the overall residences discard mixed wastes. A proportion of 57% of the houses burn polythene wastes, while burning is also the disposing method of rubbery debris by 37% and packing material like polystyrene and other discarded plastics by 35% of the houses, respectively. Interestingly, 83.3%, 81.8%, and 50% of the residences respectively handover electrical/electronic, metallic and paper based wastes to waste-collectors. However, 24.5 % dump the glass and other ceramic-based waste into a pit. Students’ responses indicate that 14% of them do not have an understanding of hazardous waste and disposal. Hence, there is a requirement for a concentrated intervention at different levels to educate university students as well as the general public on how to dispose waste safely.