Raising Awareness on Solid Waste Management through Formal Education for Sustainability: A Developing Countries Evidence Review

Abstract

Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a multifaceted problem comprising political, socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental aspects. Due to exponential urban growth, it has become one of the most significant issues faced by urban spaces in developing countries. The gap in environmental knowledge among the youth and the old within developing countries contribute to ecological issues or waste management problems, resulting in unsustainable development, with important consequences in low-income countries. For that matter, a systematic review was conducted aiming to identify and analyse environmental knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and practice studies on SWM from 2010 to 2019 in developing countries. The evidence suggests that students at both secondary and tertiary levels have positive environmental attitudes, and high awareness of environmental issues, but there is a lack of practical education of teachers to guide students to put SWM into practice. Student’s low environmental knowledge is related to a deficiency in teachers’ practical experience in SWM for environmental sustainability. A relationship between teachers’ and students’ knowledge and attitudes towards SWM, as well as differences in awareness, attitude, and practices of SWM linked with education and age, were also found. This review also revealed that the lack of environmental education in most developing countries is caused by fragilities in practical environmental curricula of teachers to respond to modern-day environmental issues for sustainable development and cleaner production (CP). To bridge the knowledge gap between the youth and older people in SWM, environmental sustainability education should be integrated into schools at all levels within developing countries.

Role of the school heads in the sustainability of zero waste management projects

“…To sustain solid waste management or environmental issues in developing countries, formal education for sustainable development is essential at all levels of education, able to trigger a whole societal transformation. For better environmental sustainability or waste management sustainability education, teachers with the right knowledge, attitude, skills, and innovation, are required (Debrah et al, 2021). Moreover, environmental knowledge is a term used to describe concepts and behavior patterns related to the environment.…”

“…Responses indicated that the guidelines presented by the school head were effectively clarified and well-discussed to the stakeholders of the school. The study of Debrah et al (2021) sought to establish that teachers' environmental knowledge influences how waste is practiced and managed in schools. Most teachers in developing countries lack practical environmental knowledge to impact positive environmental education in students, which will contribute to enhancing environmental sustainability.…”

“…The generation of waste can be lowered through a variety of options, including reducing, reusing, recycling, or taking appropriate action to prevent waste through design and engineering solutions (Shively, 2018). Debrah et al (2021) averred that waste is an unavoidable, unwanted material resulting from human activity. It is generated from every human and animal habitat.…”

A Sustainable Solution to Obtain P-K-Mn Glass Fertilizers from Cheap and Readily Available Wastes

“…Each year, human activities generate large amounts of wastes that have a negative impact on the environment and must be stored or treated [1]. Their minimization can be achieved by reusing and recycling, which will lead to the reduction of dependence on natural resources and the achievement of sustainable development objectives [2,3].…”

Incorporation of Recycled Tire Products in Pavement-Grade Concrete: An Experimental Study

“…Due to an exponential growth in the use of cars in Kuwait, the accumulation of used tires poses a serious risk to the ecosystem; therefore, recycling waste products is vital [8][9][10]. Recently, great effort has been directed toward finding alternate ways to use waste materials emerging in the world [11][12][13].…”