Greening academia: developing sustainable waste management at Higher Education Institutions

European waste management regulations and the transition towards circular economy. A shift-and-share analysis

Environmental legislation in the European Union (EU) aims to bolster the transition towards circular economy. However, a recurring limitation in EU regulations, encompassing not only environmental but also economic, social, and demographic aspects, is the lack of consideration for the unique characteristics of individual Member States when establishing common targets. The present work seeks to investigate the impact of EU waste management regulations on the attainment of circular economy objectives, taking into account national-level socio-economic and demographic characteristics. In order to do so, we employ Shift-and-Share Analysis, using data on 28 EU countries between 1995 and 2018. Our findings indicate that some Member States, namely Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg and Slovenia, effectively managed to align their regulatory frameworks with EU directives and create a socio-economic context where citizens and governmental bodies foster the necessary levels of cooperation. Cooperation in turn, with widespread pro-environmental attitudes on part of citizens, efficient waste management on part of specialised firms and proper oversight of waste collection activities on part of institutions, facilitated the achievement of significant circular economy goals.

A call for sustainability: Why unused drugs should be redistributed to pharmacy schools for simulated pharmacy practice learning activities

INTRODUCTION

Pharmaceutical waste from unused or expired medications and supplies has environmental, economic, and social implications. Redistribution of these items from institutions to schools of pharmacy may contribute to global sustainability efforts.

PERSPECTIVE

This commentary outlines the proposed call to action through the United Nation's five dimensions of sustainability: planet, prosperity, people, partnerships, and peace. Reuse of medications by schools of pharmacy ensures the lifespan of a product is expanded, thereby reducing the amount of waste in landfills. Forming partnerships between institutions and schools of pharmacy lends to economic prosperity due to cost-avoidance and cost-recovery. This repurposing also prioritizes people by limiting the impact on supply chains and medication shortages, while also resource sharing in times of need. These efforts lead to increased peace through waste mitigation, mutually beneficial business, social responsibility, and community outreach.

IMPLICATIONS

Collaborations between institutions and schools of pharmacy can reduce pharmaceutical waste, which in turn will enhance the economic stability of both parties, while positively impacting the environment and society in which these partnerships reside.

Are universities on the right path to becoming sustainable? Perspectives of students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic baffled the traditional educational system and the face-to-face educational process, shifting to the online environment. Almost all university activities were carried out online for a period of time, which put pressure on university strategies, including sustainability. To maintain the international ranking of universities applying a sustainability strategy, the largest and most representative university in Romania continued to implement the principles of sustainability in its activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus fostering a positive, strong, and trustworthy image amongst its main group of stakeholders, namely students.

Objective/Aim

The aim of this paper is to determine to what extent students related to the university's sustainable strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess whether students could rely on their university to integrate sustainability-related strategies into the overall university strategy.

Methods/Instruments

The authors propose a conceptual model to generate trust in the sustainable practices, which is analyzed with the help of structural equations in SmartPLS.

Results

The results highlight the fact that the students continued to adopt sustainability principles during the pandemic, expressing their preference that the university continue to implement its sustainability strategy, although the focus was on the safety measures generated by the new context. This strategy focusses on sustainable practises, green mobility, and consumption, and, of course, on the sustainable initiatives that address them.

Conclusions/implications

The article presents research based on stakeholder theory, emphasizing the numerous implications for higher education institutions, which can adopt different good practices with a view to improving stakeholder trust and satisfaction.

An ISM approach to overcome the participation barriers in the waste source separation-a case study: Urmia University Campus

A procedure developed to identify and facilitate the implementation of waste source separation strategies applicable in higher education centers, as a prerequisite for the expansion of recycling programs. The target materials proper to be separated were selected based on quantitative/qualitative analysis of waste produced on the Nazlou Campus of Urmia University, Iran (as a case study). The barriers to implementation of the program were identified using the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology. Finally, regarding the main obstacles which could be broken down inside the campus complex, an analysis of factors affecting student participation were done. On average, 37.48% of 1.74 tons of waste daily produced on the campus could be recycled. Based on sieve analyses, the categories of non-ferrous metals, glass, and composite packaging have a wider size distribution (i.e., over 150 to under 80 mm) might lead to improper operation of further mechanical separations and be selected as target materials. The weakness of educational programs and persuading the students are considered the main obstacles. A significant relationship was observed between the three training options, namely "installation of announcements," "organizing waste management classes," and "training through holding the exhibition of recycled products" and the student participation in the program (with more emphasis on the last one). Women were estimated to be more likely than men to participate in the program (70 vs 49%). Also, there was a significant relationship between the knowledge and the student's participation. In other words, strengthening public awareness is essential to increase the participation level.

Green Initiatives and Environmental Concern Foster Environmental Sustainability: A Study Based on the Use of Reusable Drink Cups

Unsustainable production and consumption have threatened human life and nature. Therefore, practitioners around the globe have paid attention to sustainability issues and adopted pro-environmental strategies to protect the environment. Using single-use cups contributes to environmental pollution. This study aims to understand university students’ intention to use reusable drink cups in university campuses. This study has extended the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model by including moral norms, green university initiatives, environmental concerns, and moral norms. The purposive sampling technique has been employed to collect students’ data from the twelve universities in Pakistan. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) has been employed to test the hypothesized model. The study’s results revealed that green university initiatives and norms significantly shape students’ intention to use reusable cups. However, environmental concern has an insignificant impact on the perceived behavioral control. This study’s results help higher education institutions to formulate strategies that create awareness among students and promote environmentally sustainable practices.

Solid Waste Management Approach at the University through Living Labs and Communication Strategies: Case Studies in Italy and Portugal

Universities are today seen as living labs for the creation of knowledge with the aim of transferring it to society. The integration of sustainability is a critical point in this context, as solutions for problems experienced in society can be experimented with regarding physical aspects, such as Solid Waste Management (SWM), and efficiency in energy and water use, but also social aspects such as accessibility, equality, and inclusion. This paper explores the implementation of similar SWM projects in two European universities, Milan-Bicocca University and Instituto Superior Técnico from Lisbon University. Milan-Bicocca was the pioneer project that followed an ambitious model that demanded the removal of all isolated waste bins from inside the offices and rooms, replacing them with waste collection islands in the public spaces. This meant a very coordinated procedure and communication plan, and inspired the pilot project in Instituto Superior Técnico, currently in the expansion phase. This paper describes the implementation of each model and their specificities, and a roadmap is proposed that resulted from the interactions, meetings, and discussions between the two teams, Italian and Portuguese.

The impact of upbringing and the local community on the development of environmental awareness among college educated people in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Environmental problems are global problems today but the development of environmental awareness and the approach to one varies between the countries, and even between the municipalities of the same country. Numerous natural and social factors have an impact on its development. Research presented in this article collected the data from the inhabitants and analyzed the level of influence of the following social factors-education, upbringing and local community, on the development of environmental awareness among college educated people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Data collected through the anonymous survey included answers of the population born after 1995, after the civil war in the country. Chosen questions are related to the waste disposal and processing along with the waste treatment in their communities and households. This article explores how strong the impact of these factors on the development of environmental awareness is and which of them has the greatest influence.

Student’s Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception (KAP) to Solid Waste Management: A Survey towards a More Circular Economy from a Rural-Based Tertiary Institution in South Africa

Students of Higher Educational institutions (HEIs) are regarded as major stakeholders of an institution and key agents of transformation in society. Thus, the environmental knowledge of students in academic institutions is instrumental in providing a solution to the solid waste menace and other environmental problems in the community. However, there exists a wide rural–urban gap in transitioning towards sustainable development across HEIs. This informed the current study examining the knowledge, attitude, and perception (KAP) of students at a rural-based educational institution on solid waste management. It also aimed to learn about the institution’s current practices regarding solid waste management and identify steps that can be taken to move the institution closer to a circular economy goal. This study presents the KAP results from a survey of 376 students from nine schools at the University of Venda for the conceptualization of a circular economy (CE) vision for the university. The results show that the knowledge of the students on solid waste management was low and inadequate. However, students are willing to partake in recycling projects to improve the current environmental state of the institution. This study also revealed that some of the students (41%) require motivation to participate in recycling schemes through economic incentives. Increasing awareness of environmental education and initiating participatory environmental programs and strengthening 3 of the key sustainability competencies is recommended as an effective tool to transition to a circular economy in the institution. Further studies are recommended in areas of gamified learning for CE and capital generation from waste for capacity building.

Challenges of Uncertainty in Sustainable Strategy Development: Reconsidering the Key Performance Indicators

The planning and development of the university strategy is closely linked to the university’s current performance, key priorities, and capabilities. A systematic literature review of factors that influence decision-making for strategy development has been applied in this research. To determine the external factors that influence strategic decision-making for universities nowadays there has been chosen a structure from the PESTLE analysis. The systematic literature review was limited to only higher education factor analysis. Based on the literature review, the authors have developed an approach for strategic direction evaluation and ongoing key performance indicator analysis. The approach is based on the Importance-Performance Matrix–IPA and developed further to include a comprehensive analysis of the strategic directions, organizational sources, and capabilities. An assessment of the university’s main strategic priorities with influencing factor analysis can be done using the developed approach adapted by the authors. It integrates the principles of resource-based strategy, key stakeholder engagement and creating shared value in the strategy development process. The adapted method was used in the 3rd generation university strategy development. The research contributes to the literature on a systematic approach development in the strategy evaluation process. This article puts emphasis on the resource-based view and key stakeholder involvement in the evaluation process.

Evaluating an Educational Intervention Designed to Foster Environmental Citizenship among Undergraduate University Students

Taking its primary interest in active environmental citizenship, this paper aims at evaluating a case of an educational intervention designed to foster environmental citizenship among undergraduate students at a technological university. The study employs a survey methodology implementing a recently validated environmental citizenship questionnaire. A randomized pre-group –post-group quasi-experimental survey design explores students’ environmental citizenship attributes before and after the intervention course, ‘Sustainable Development’, in comparison to students who participated in a general elective course, ‘Media Philosophy’. The results show that the participation in the intervention course induced positive change in students’ environmental citizenship in comparison to the control group. Additional analysis indicates that environmental citizenship is significantly related to environmental attitudes, nature experiences during childhood and adolescence, and gender. The article provides a timely contribution shedding light on how specific pedagogical approaches in higher education can foster environmental citizenship.

Semi-Systematic Literature Review on Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions

Public sector organizations, primarily higher education institutions (HEIs), are facing greater levels of responsibility since adopting and committing to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (SD) and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). HEIs are expected to provide guidance for various stakeholders on this matter, but also to implement this agenda and the SDGs in their institutions. Although the role of these organizations has been recognized, the fields and issues that HEIs should address on their path towards sustainability and SD are still unclear. To provide further clarity, a semi-systematic literature review on sustainability and SD in HEIs was conducted to identify both the key concepts and main research themes that represent sustainability and SD in HEIs and to identify research gaps. This review increases our knowledge of this topic and enhances our understanding of sustainability and SD in the context of HEIs.

Determinants of Sustainable Waste Management Behavior of Malaysian Academics

The global increase of urban solid waste in developing countries is creating highly significant challenges. There is a lack of research on sustainable waste management behavior (SWMB) among university academic staff. Hence, this study aims to examine the effect of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control on SWMB. This study employed the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as the underlying theory. This study’s sample consisted of 252 academic staff from the top three sustainable universities in Malaysia listed by the UiGreenMetric in 2018. The academic staff were surveyed by using an online and self-administered survey and analyzed by using PLS-SEMThe results showed that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control positively affect SWMB. This study makes significant contributions to both theory and practice. The study fills in the literature gap and supports the TPB theory. This study provides empirical evidence on the effect of main TPB variables, such as attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control on SWMB through a quantitative research approach, exploring all three of the 3Rs to study academic staff’s waste management behavior on campus. From the managerial perspective, this study’s results provide empirical evidence on factors that affect SWMB among academic staff. This information is crucial to managers and policymakers to plan strategies to engage academic staff with SWMB. Managers and policymakers should focus on conducting more campaigns on sustainable waste management for academic staff. The campaigns would enhance academic staff’s attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control towards practicing SWMB for a more sustainable campus in the future.

Impact of an intervention for reducing waste through educational strategy: A Mexican case study, what works, and why?

Generation and inadequate management of solid waste constitute a global challenge. Projections for 2050 portend an annual increase of 3.40 billion tons of waste. This study assessed the impact of an environmental education intervention (EEI) aimed at reducing waste generation and fomenting pro-environmental behaviors in an academic public-health institution in Mexico. The EEI was implemented over 20 months using a model of behavior change. Using a mixed-method design (QUAN + qual), baseline and follow-up measurements were performed through electronic questionnaires (n = 754), focus groups (n = 20), and waste quantification. A double-difference model was performed to measure pro-environmental behaviors impact: overall and by sex, age, educational level and function within the institution. Waste quantification was performed using a quartering method and weekly monitoring. The qualitative data were studied through thematic analysis. As a result of the EEI, women reduced their use of multilayer packaging (-15.6 pp, p < 0.05) and frequent use of non-ecological materials (-17.6 pp, p < 0.05). Graduate-level participants reduced their regular and frequent use of these materials (-33.3 pp, p < 0.05, 27.6 pp, p < 0.01), while those with lower educational levels increased their ecological behavior at home (12.1 pp, p < 0.05). Waste generation dropped by 60.1% vis-a-vis the baseline measurement. Our qualitative findings showed a relationship between holding a position of power in the institution and recycling. They also revealed that available infrastructure for separating waste contributed substantially to the observed impact. With actions centered on physical structure, community practice and institutional policy components, the EEI improved the pro-environmental behaviors and perceptions of participants.

A Systematic Literature Review of Concepts and Factors Related to Pro-Environmental Consumer Behaviour in Relation to Waste Management Through an Interdisciplinary Approach

Although there has been a steady increase in the number of studies on consumer behaviour in relation to sustainable development, there is limited focus on the product disposal phase. This systematic literature review intends to: (1) clarify how concepts related to pro-environmental consumer behaviour are understood and analysed in the academic literature on waste management; (2) discover any interplay between pro-environmental consumer behaviour and generic consumer behaviour, and the conditions and factors that favour it. A typical systematic literature review methodology was applied to the papers available on Web of Science, Science Direct and EBSCO (Elton Bryson Stephens Company) host between 1975 and 2019, leading to the selection of 699 final papers. The findings reveal that: (1) Although scholars tend to create a variety of pro-environmental consumer behaviour models depending on their specific field of inquiry, all approaches can be traced back to a limited number of reference theories; (2) The overall level of interplay between pro-environmental consumer behaviour and generic consumer behaviour is limited, nevertheless a favourable context or a supportive institutional-legal framework can significantly influence it; (3) A plethora of conditions and factors favour this type of interplay, involving social psychology, laws, economics, institutions and more; (4) Several critical issues appear in the analysed papers, especially some scholars’ assumptions to be able to identify all key factors. It follows the need for a more interdisciplinary approach, a deeper analysis of the effectiveness of the intervention measures at the governmental and institutional level, and a clear classification of factors and conditions (as proposed by this review).

Selective collection of recyclable waste in Universities of low-middle income countries: Lessons learned in Bolivia

The implementation of solid waste selective collection (SC) systems is quite difficult in low-middle income countries. Lack of awareness, infrastructure, administrative support and knowledge about recycling are the main barriers for its operation, reducing the possibility of successes. This paper introduces the methodological approach for assessing a recyclable waste SC project in a Bolivian public University. The waste fractions generated before (2016) and after (2019) the action were assessed, as well as the opinion and knowledge of the students, providing reliable indicators of the improvements and benefits obtained. Results of the waste characterization analysis reported that, after one month of implementation of the system, about 15 kg of plastic and 37.1 kg of paper and cardboard were collected, about 8 wt% and 42.9 wt% of the recyclable waste produced. At the same time, the questionnaire survey allows demonstrating that the SC behavior of the students improved considerably from 2018 to 2019, (t_[608] = -7.654, p < 0.05^***), as well as the satisfaction about the waste collection service provided (t_[608] = -6.6224, p < 0.05^***) and about the diffusion of information with awareness campaigns (t_[608] = -8.708, p < 0.05^***). The project and the phases followed for its implementation can be of reference for other local and international stakeholders, for replicating the study in other Universities and public areas. The novelty of the study is the introduction of a step by step methodology for assessing the SC of recyclable waste for supporting the recycling policies of developing cities in low-middle income countries and for boosting sustainable development according to the principle of the circular economy.

Solid waste management index for Brazilian Higher Education Institutions

This paper presents the Solid Waste Management Index (SWaMI) for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The main objectives are to present how SWaMI was developed, to apply the Index in three different universities in Brazil and one in United States, to statistically compare the results and to present an analysis of these HEIs under the SWaMI assessment dimensions perspective. The SwaMI fills a gap regarding a specific waste management tool for HEIs decision makers, considering the responsibility of educating and training future leaders and the need to insert the sustainable waste management discussion in its end activities. Criteria were selected through literature review and divided in dimensions, further weighted according to their significance in waste management. These weights were discussed and stipulated based on expert opinion using the Budget Allocation Process (BAP) weighting method. The individual indexes for each dimension were further combined into a composite index through the Linear Aggregation Method. Main findings shows that when comparisons were deployed between HEIs, no statistical significance was noticed when the means were compared between universities using ANOVA with Tukey test. Nevertheless, when comparing each dimension within each HEI, there was significant difference between the Policy and Management dimension and the other three dimensions of the evaluation criteria at USP. Researchers concluded that the SWaMI provides decision makers with graphic results concerning HEIs solid waste management situation, hence, it allows the creation of a baseline data on how the current system works, pointing out the dimensions that present the greatest weakness allowing to perform benchmarking between buildings, institutes, and even between HEIs.

University Contributions to the Circular Economy: Professing the Hidden Curriculum

In a world dominated by linear economic systems, the road to improving resource use is multi-faceted. Whilst public and private organisations are making progress in introducing sustainable practices, we ask ourselves the extent to which education providers are contributing to the circular economy. As engines for skills and knowledge, universities play a primary role in propelling circular economy approaches into reality and, as such, hold the potential for raising the bar on sustainable performance. A rapid evidence assessment (REA) was therefore undertaken to examine the interactions between university estate management and the circular economy. This assessment identified six pertinent themes: campus sustainability, the hidden curriculum, environmental governance, local impact, university material flows, and the role of universities as catalysts for business and examined 70 publications. A second part of the study reviewed the environmental activities of 50 universities ranked highly in terms of their environmental credentials or their environmental science courses. The results are presented and then discussed in terms of how universities can affect material flows, promote sustainability outside of the formal curriculum, and act as catalysts with business. The economic significance of universities provides an appreciable demand for circular products and services. Universities should develop “hidden curriculum” plans to promote improved environmental behaviours of staff and students. Universities can also catalyse a circular economy by working with business to improve eco-effectiveness as well as eco-efficiency. For example, projects should extend the focus from decreasing carbon footprint to achieving carbon positivity, from improving water efficiency to treating wastewater, and from recycling to reverse logistics for repurposing. Pilot projects arising from such work could provide valuable research bases and consultancy opportunities.

Controlling air pollution in a city: A perspective from SOAR-PESTLE analysis

Strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results (SOAR) analysis is a strategic planning framework that helps organizations focus on their current strengths and opportunities to create a vision of future aspirations and the results they will bring. PESTLE is an analytical framework for understanding external influences on a business. This research paper describes a field study and interviews of city hall managers from the city of Mashhad, Iran, conducted to investigate the application of SOAR and PESTLE frameworks for managing Mashhad's air pollution. Strategies are prioritized by the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), Shannon entropy (SE), and analytic network process (ANP) multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, considering economic conditions, managers' opinions, consensus, city council approvals, and national documents. The results of this research study show that creating centralized databases, supporting local governments, and developing smart city infrastructure, with weights of 0.194, 0.182, and 0.161, respectively, are the highest ranked strategies for managing air pollution in Mashhad. It can also be concluded that citizen involvement is key to achieving success in the employment of any management strategy. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:480-488. © 2018 SETAC.

Explaining the differences in household food waste collection and treatment provisions between local authorities in England and Wales

Separate household food waste collection for anaerobic digestion is one method used in the sustainable management of biodegradable municipal solid waste (MSW). Recycling of food waste contributes to the UK's reuse, recycling and composting targets and can help local authorities boost plateauing rates whilst encouraging landfill diversion. This study explored the reasons for differences in the provision of food waste collections, using two comparable local authorities, one with a collection in Wales (Cardiff), and the other absent of such service in England (Southampton). A PESTLE analysis investigated the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental impacts of separate food waste collections. The greenhouse gas impacts of the collection and treatment systems of MSW in both cities were estimated for 2012/13. Results showed significant policy and legislative differences between devolved governments, that separate food waste collections can save local authorities significant sums of money and substantially reduce greenhouse gas impacts. A survey of one hundred respondents in each city aimed to understand attitudes and behaviours towards recycling, food waste segregation, cooking and purchasing habits. The number of frequent recyclers and levels of satisfaction were higher in the authority which provided a separate food waste collection. In the area which lacked a separate collection service, over three-quarters of respondents would participate in such a scheme if it were available.

Benefits, challenges and critical factors of success for Zero Waste: A systematic literature review

Considering the growing concern with solid wastes problems and the pressing need for a holistic approach to their management, this study developed a literature review about the subject "Zero Waste". To that end, a systematic literature review was executed, through which 102 published articles were analyzed with the aim to, initially, comprehend the concept of Zero Waste, and, then, map its benefits, challenges, and critical success factors. The results show that scholars have not reached a consensus regarding the concept of ZW. While some studies fully address this philosophy, other studies are based on just one or on some of its topics. The benefits were grouped and organized into four dimensions: benefits to the community, financial-economic benefits, benefits to the environment and benefits to the industry and stakeholders. As to the challenges, barriers were identified both in the macro environment (mainly political and cultural) and in the meso and micro environments (stakeholders, industries, and municipalities). The analysis of the articles enabled listing critical success factors, supported by a set of activities that must be carried out. Regarding future studies, it is worth noting that more empirical studies about ZW implementation are necessary, particularly with regard to educational practices designed to promote changes in user behavior.

Toward zero waste: composting and recycling for sustainable venue based events

This study evaluated seven different waste management strategies for venue-based events and characterized the impacts of event waste management via waste audits and the Waste Reduction Model (WARM). The seven waste management scenarios included traditional waste handling methods (e.g. recycle and landfill) and management of the waste stream via composting, including purchasing where only compostable food service items were used during the events. Waste audits were conducted at four Arizona State University (ASU) baseball games, including a three game series. The findings demonstrate a tradeoff among CO2 equivalent emissions, energy use, and landfill diversion rates. Of the seven waste management scenarios assessed, the recycling scenarios provide the greatest reductions in CO2 eq. emissions and energy use because of the retention of high value materials but are compounded by the difficulty in managing a two or three bin collection system. The compost only scenario achieves complete landfill diversion but does not perform as well with respect to CO2 eq. emissions or energy. The three game series was used to test the impact of staffed bins on contamination rates; the first game served as a baseline, the second game employed staffed bins, and the third game had non staffed bins to determine the effect of staffing on contamination rates. Contamination rates in both the recycling and compost bins were tracked throughout the series. Contamination rates were reduced from 34% in the first game to 11% on the second night (with the staffed bins) and 23% contamination rates at the third game.

Siting landfills and incinerators in areas of historic unpopularity: surveying the views of the next generation

The Campania Region in Southern Italy has suffered many problems with municipal solid waste management since the mid-1990s, leading to significant public disturbances and subsequent media coverage. This paper reports on the current views and knowledge of young people (university students) in this region about waste management operations and facilities, specifically the siting of landfills and incinerators. By means of a structured questionnaire, opinion and knowledge were systematically examined by degree type and course year. The study took place in 2011 at the University of Salerno campus. A sample of 900 students, comprising 100 students for each of the nine considered faculties, and 20 students for every academic course year, was randomly selected. Only about a quarter of respondents were not opposed to the siting of a landfill or an incinerator in their city. This clearly highlights that historic opposition to the construction of waste facilities is difficult to overcome and that distrust for previous poor management or indiscretions is long-lived and transcends generations. Students from technical faculties expressed the most reasonable opinion; opinion and knowledge were statistically related (Chi-square test, p<0.05) to the attended faculty, and the knowledge grew linearly with progression through the university. This suggests that awareness of waste management practices develops with experience and understanding of environmental issues. There is general acceptance that many stakeholders - technicians, politicians and citizens - all have to be part of the decision process when siting a new waste management facility. The opinions of the young respondents were significantly influenced by their level of environmental knowledge.

The role of intergenerational influence in waste education programmes: the THAW project

Whilst the education of young people is often seen as a part of the solution to current environmental problems seeking urgent attention, it is often forgotten that their parents and other household members can also be educated/influenced via home-based educational activities. This paper explores the theory of intergenerational influence in relation to school based waste education. Waste Watch, a UK-based environmental charity (www.wastewatch.org.uk), has pioneered a model that uses practical activities and whole school involvement to promote school based action on waste. This methodology has been adopted nationally. This paper outlines and evaluates how effective school based waste education is in promoting action at a household level. The paper outlines Waste Watch's 'Taking Home Action on Waste (THAW)' project carried out for two and half years in Rotherham, a town in South Yorkshire, England. The project worked with 6705 primary age children in 39 schools (44% of primary schools in the project area) to enable them to take the "reduce, reuse and recycle message" home to their families and to engage these (i.e. families) in sustainable waste management practices. As well as substantial increases in students' knowledge and understanding of waste reduction, measurement of the impact of the project in areas around 12 carefully chosen sample schools showed evidence of increased participation in recycling and recycling tonnages as well as declining levels of residual waste. Following delivery of the project in these areas, an average increase of 8.6% was recorded in recycling set out rates which led to a 4.3% increase in paper recycling tonnages and an 8.7% increase in tonnages of cans, glass and textiles collected for recycling. Correspondingly, there was a 4.5% fall in tonnages of residual waste. Waste Watch's THAW project was the first serious attempt to measure the intergenerational influence of an education programme on behaviour at home (i.e. other than schools' own waste). It clearly shows that household recycling behaviour can be positively impacted by intergenerational influence via a practical school-based waste education model. However, although the model could potentially have a big impact if rolled out nationally, it will require seed funding and the long-term durability of the model has not yet been fully quantified.