The influence of education on the awareness and behavior of university students towards solid waste pollution and management

Abstract

Nowadays, pollution caused by solid waste littering is a major threat both to the environmental and human health. Previous studiesshowed that not littering solid waste and keeping the environment clean are directly correlated to the perception, knowledge, awareness, attitude and behavior of public domain regarding solid waste pollution and management. While there are many internal and external factors affecting individuals' awareness and behavior towards the environment; environmental education is at the forefront of these factors. This study investigates whether or not the courses regarding Solid Waste Pollution and Management taught in the Department of Environmental Engineering, Cyprus International University has an impact on the environmental awareness and behavior of Faculty of Engineering students. The students were surveyed in two different groups; first group of students who completed at least one course regarding Solid Waste Pollution and Management and the second group of students who did not take any course. The findings of the study show that the students who completed at least one course have more conceptual knowledge about solid waste pollution and management than those students who did not complete any course. However, the environmental courses taken did not create a positive influence on the attitude and behavior of the students particularly on waste disposal activities.