PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Aleena Elizabeth Alex (Physical Science Education)
St. Thomas College of Teacher Education, Pala-2024
ABSTRACT:
The project titled "A Study on Plastic Waste Management Practices among High School Students" aims to investigate the plastic waste management practices among high school students. The prevalence of single-use plastics among high school students is concerning, as it contributes to the accumulation of plastic waste in landfills and oceans. The study was conducted in St. Michael's HSS, Pravithanam, Kottayam district, and the data was collected from 30 students using a survey method. The study found that most students scored between the ranges of 40-50 marks in plastic waste management practices, and the mean score for the whole sample is 46.23 with a standard deviation of 4.59. The study also found that boys have good plastic waste management practices than girls in moderate and lower achievement categories, while girls showed higher achievement in higher levels of plastic waste management practices. The study highlights the need for a multifaceted approach that encompasses education, behavior change, and infrastructure improvements to address plastic waste management among high school students.
Keywords: Plastic waste management, practices of plastic waste management
INTRODUCTION:
Plastic waste has become a significant environmental issue globally, with detrimental effects on ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Among the various contributors to plastic pollution, high school students represent a demographic that can play a crucial role in mitigating this problem. Therefore, understanding their plastic waste management practices and attitudes towards sustainability is paramount in developing effective intervention strategies.
The prevalence of single-use plastics among high school students is concerning, as it contributes to the accumulation of plastic waste in landfills and oceans. Many students rely on plastic bottles, bags, and packaging for their daily activities, often disposing of them improperly without considering the long-term consequences. Without proper education and awareness, these habits can perpetuate the cycle of plastic pollution and exacerbate environmental degradation.
Moreover, the lack of proper waste management infrastructure in many schools further compounds the issue. Inadequate recycling facilities and limited education on proper waste disposal exacerbate the problem, leading to a culture of convenience over environmental responsibility. As a result, plastic waste continues to accumulate, posing a threat to ecosystems and human health.
Addressing plastic waste management among high school students requires a multifaceted approach that encompasses education, behavior change, and infrastructure improvements. By understanding the current practices and attitudes of students towards plastic waste, stakeholders can develop targeted interventions to promote sustainable behaviors and reduce plastic consumption.
Furthermore, engaging high school students in plastic waste management initiatives can have broader societal benefits beyond environmental conservation. It fosters a sense of responsibility and empowerment among young individuals, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to become stewards of the environment in their communities and beyond.
Through this project, we aim to investigate the plastic waste management practices among high school students and identify factors influencing their behaviors. By conducting surveys, interviews, and observational studies, we seek to gain insights into the disposal habits, attitudes, and perceptions of students towards plastic waste. Additionally, we will explore the role of educational interventions and infrastructure improvements in promoting sustainable behaviors among students.
Ultimately, by understanding and addressing the challenges associated with plastic waste management among high school students, we can work towards creating a more sustainable future for generations to come.
NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:
Plastic products have become an integral of our daily life as a result of which the polymer is produced at massive scale worldwide. It is estimated that approximately 70% of plastic packaging products are converted into wastes in a short span of time. We are able recycle only 60% to of the waste produced as plastics and the remaining 40% serves as a threat to mankind and towards earth. If we are able to properly dispose plastic products at the consumer level, the values of recycled plastics can be increased considerably. Along with good recycling practices, we need a free attitude in our daily life as it is the need of hour.
The present study enables the investigator to study on the plastic waste management practices in high school students, because the sample denotes the upcoming generations well.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:
To find out prevailing plastic waste management practices among high school students.
To compare the plastic waste management practices among boys and girls in the same sample
METHODOLOGY:
For the study, the data was collected from 30 students of St. Michaels H.S. Pravithanam using survey method.
SAMPLE:
The sample for the study consist of30 students from St. Michaels H.S. Pravithanam, selected randomly from both VIII and IX classes.
TOOLS USED:
For the present study a rating scale was used for assessing prevailing plastic waste management among high school students.
SCORING PROCEDURE:
The rating scale for the study consist of 3-point Likert scale. For a positive statement 3 points was allotted for “Yes” and 2 and 1 respectively for “Sometimes” and “No”. For a negative statement “No’ was given 3 points followed by 2 and 1 for “Sometimes” and “No”. A total of 20 questions were there in the questionnaire, which reflects overall plastic waste management practices of students. As a result, the score maximum is limited to 60 points.
DATA COLLECTION:
The study was conducted in St. Michael's HSS, Pravithanam, Kottayam district having 30 from both standard VIII and IX. For the study 16 girls and 14 boys were selected randomly for the study.
ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS:
The first objective of the study was to analyze was the awareness of plastic waste management practices among high school students. The data need for the study was obtained through survey method among 30 high school students using rating scale technique. The maximum obtained score obtained score was 57 and minimum score was 39.
The investigator, used descriptive statistics mainly mean, standard deviation and frequency distribution for obtaining findings of a the objectives. The investigator prepared frequency distribution of the scores of level of attitude towards prevailing plastic waste management practices among high school students of Kottayam district as in Table 1.
Table 1: Frequency distribution of scores related to practices in plastic waste management among High School students.
From the frequency distribution table, it is clear that 80% of students’ scores between 40-50 marks, which shows their understanding over plastic waste management practices. About 16.7% showed higher level of knowledge and only 3.33% showed a below average performance.
The highest number of frequencies lies between 40-50 range of marks and minimum over 30-40 range of marks. It is evident that no students have below average performance in plastic waste management practices.
Figure 1: Frequency distribution chart on scores obtained in plastic waste management practices among HS students.
From the frequency distribution chart it is evident that majority of students have marks between the interval 40-50, which can be considered as an average performance. It is also evident that no students came under the category of marks from 0 to 30. It shows the minimum level of understanding on the subject.
The following table shows the variable, no of samples analyzed (N), maximum score, minimum score, mean and standard deviation (S.D.) on the level of scores on plastic waste management practices among High School students.
Table 2: Maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation scores on prevailing plastic waste management practices among HS students.
Table 1.2 shows that the mean score obtained by students are 46.23 which is about 80% of marks. It shows high level of understanding of students regarding the topic.
The standard deviation, score of the study is 4.59, which shows that there is no bigger gap between higher achieved students and lower achieved students. It also reassures our findings related to our mean score. From the mean and standard deviation score it can be said that, most students are aware and still practicing plastic waste management methods.
Based on the standard deviation of scores, the whole sample was classified into three categories such as high, moderate and lower level practices on plastic waste management. The distribution of students in the sample is presented in Table 3.
Table 3: Distribution of students on the basis of mean and standard deviation.
The table shows that majority (60%) of students are practicing moderate plastic waste management strategies. Also 16.67% shows high level of attainment in practicing these while 23.3% comes below the level.
The pie chart of the above data is given below:
Figure 2: Pie chart showing level of achievement
For the second objective of the study, i.e., a comparison between boys and girls regarding plastic waste management practices, the data was filtered as boys and girls and analyzed the findings. The study was conducted over 14 boys and 16 girls of St. Michael's HS Pravithanam.
The mean values of the scores for practices regarding plastic waste management are listed in Table 4.
Table 4: Mean scores of boys and girls in the assessment
The above table shows that the mean score of boys in practices related to plastic waste management as 45.6875 and that of girls as 46.8571. Boys scored more than girls in mean value, which clearly states that they have good attitude towards managing plastic wastes. Girls also scored well, which is almost 80% of the score. It shows their willingness for a clean plastic free world.
The graph shown below shows the comparison of mean scores:
Figure 3: Mean scores of boys and girls in plastic waste management practices.
The table below shows the relationship between gender and variable, and how standard deviation varies with gender.
Table 5: comparison of mean and S.D. scores of boys and girls
From the table it is clear that the boys’ shows good performance in plastic waste management practices than girls. It can be reassured by categorizing students into higher achievement and lower achievement based on standard deviation values.
The table below shows the number of students having higher, moderate and lower performance based on standard deviation vales in both male and female category.
From this table, the girls shod higher achievement than boys. But coming to moderate level of performance and lower level of performances the girls scored less compared boys.
Based on these we can clearly state that boys have good plastic waste management practices than girls.
MAJOR FINDINGS:
From the frequency distribution analysis of scores in plastic waste management practices, most students scored between the ranges of 40-50 marks.
The mean score for the whole sample is 46.23 with a standard deviation of 4.59.
From the standard deviation values it is obvious that 60% of students comes under moderate category and 16.6% with high level of achievement.
While comparing the mean scores of boys and girls, it is evident that boys have good plastic management skills than girls.
The standard deviation scores of boys and girls implies that higher level of achievement in plastic waste management practices are more for girls compared to boys, while on moderate and lower achievement category boys shows improvement than girls.
REFERENCES:
https://typeset.io/papers/plastics-the-environment-and-human-health-current-consensus-25az22g875
http://swachhbharaturban.gov.in/writereaddata/SBM%20Plastic%20Waste%20Book.pdf
Siddiqui, J., & Pandey, G. (2013). A review of plastic waste management strategies. Int. Res. J. Environ. Sci, 2(12), 84.
Ilyas, M., Ahmad, W., Khan, H., Yousaf, S., Khan, K., & Nazir, S. (2018). Plastic waste as a significant threat to environment–a systematic literature review. Reviews on environmental health, 33(4), 383-406.
Chow, C. F., So, W. M. W., Cheung, T. Y., & Yeung, S. K. D. (2017). Plastic waste problem and education for plastic waste management. Emerging practices in scholarship of learning and teaching in a digital era, 125-140.
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