UNIFAAT solid waste management plan: Education and environmental perception

Abstract

The search for sustainability has promoted debates, analysis and programs for the elaboration and implementation of environmental policies in various society sectors. In this process, the inherent complexity of understanding environmental problems and their direct relation to human activities becomes increasingly evident. As an example, the problem related to solid waste must be highlighted. This issue involves factors such as patterns of production and consumption, negative environmental impacts on fauna and flora, contamination of soil and water, etc. From this perspective, it is important to emphasize the role of education and higher education institutions in the mobilization and articulation of individuals as transforming agents of the socioenvironmental reality in which they are inserted. In this perspective, this work aims to present the analysis of students’ perceptions of UNIFAAT, located in Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil, Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), which has been in operation since 2014. The program is an action developed by the Center for Studies, Post graduate and Extension Activities (CEPE/UNIFAAT) and it has achieved relevant socioenvironmental results such as reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills, generating income for recycling communities’ members and their families and environmental awareness of students and teachers.