Foreign Studies

The aims of the Case Study of University in Malaysia which is Environmental

Awareness and Education: A Key Approach to Solid Waste Management (SWM) is to

identify what is solid waste which is defined as generation of undesirable substances

which is left after they are used once and can also be defined as the useless and

unwanted products in the solid state derived from the activities of and discarded by

society.

According to Asmawati Desa (2012), there is no material in this world, which is

not useful in one-way or the other. Also there is no material, which is created out of

nothing. It is man’s ignorance that he considers certain things as waste and other thing

as useful. Just as types of wastes are changing, so must the attitude of people towards

waste must change. People must realize that the solution lies in using waste as a

resource rather than to be destroyed. Only due to hazardous to human health, some of

these undesirable substances cannot be directly reused.

The study further discovered that for those who had children aged 5-14 years

old, most information about solid waste management received at school influenced their

household. This indicates that school campaigns and focused on recycling can increase

awareness and attitudes toward solid waste management among children and their

parents. Reports on solid waste management recommended that recycling habit needs

to be established in relation to sustainability solid waste.

In 1992 the World Bank has identified that solid waste is one of the

three major environmental problems faced by most municipalities in Malaysia.

19,100 tons in 2005, an average of 0.8 kilogram per capita per day. Currently, over

23,000 ton of waste is produced each day in Malaysia. However, this amount is

expected to rise to 30,000 ton by the year 2020. In the state of Selangor alone, waste

generated in 1997 was over 3000t/day and the amount of waste is expected to rise up

to 5700t/day in the year 2017. (Global Environment Center Malaysia, 2000)

The amount of waste generated continues to increase due to growing population

and increasing development. Modern lifestyle of the Malaysian has led to more acute

waste problems, convenience products generally require more packaging, careless

habits associated with greater affluence lead to greater quantities of waste, as

demonstrated by discarded wrappers from the inevitable fast food outlet, and the

modern day waste contains a higher proportion of non-degradable materials such as

plastics.

Cornerstone Content Management System. Solid Waste in Malaysia (2002)

states that despite the massive amount and complexity of waste produced, the

standards of waste management in Malaysia are still poor. These include outdated and

poor documentation of waste generation rates and its composition, inefficient storage

and collection systems, disposal of municipal wastes with toxic and hazardous waste,

indiscriminate disposal or dumping of wastes and inefficient utilization of disposal site

space. Litter at the roadside, drains clogged up with rubbish and rivers filled with filthy

garbage definitely indicate that solid waste is a major environmental problem in

Malaysia.
 Their situation has been and will be reducing their environmental capacity to

sustain life. If the present rate of solid-waste production goes on without effective

supervision and disposal methods, there will be a substantial negative impact on the

quality of their environment. Furthermore, the lack of awareness and knowledge among

Malaysian community about solid waste management (SWM) issues, and being

ignorant about the effect that improper SWM has to them has definitely worsened the

problem.

However, since 2007 environmental awareness is building up within the

Malaysian government as well as in consumers’ minds. The government has adopted a

National Strategic Plan for Solid Waste Management with emphasis on the upgrading of

unsanitary landfills as well as the construction of new sanitary landfills and transfer

stations with integrated material recovery facilities. A new Solid Waste Management Bill

was adopted by parliament in June 2007. The bill is to drastically change the structure

of solid waste management in Malaysia and to open up for the development of a

completely new business sector. New concessions on domestic waste management will

be introduced, as well as recycling, and handling of specific types of solid waste like

plastic, paper etc. is highlighted. Desa added that solid waste management is a priority

area under the 9th Malaysian Plan, as can be seen by the government setting up a

Solid Waste Department which is entrusted to enforce the Solid Waste Management

Bill.

According to the study, students’ awareness about environmental problems and

solutions can be increased through education. That it is expected that solid waste

management activities in their university campus involve the students as part of their
learning process. The particular skills and knowledge gained from environmental

education would help them in changing human behavior towards the environment.

Students with some knowledge and skills on environmental education are more

motivated to take part in environmental protection activities and plans. Thus would

generate new ideas for the solution of environmental problems. Sharing new information

from their activities with families, other adults, and community probably will have some

positive implications on solid waste management practices.

Theory of reasoned action (TRA) and theory planned behavior (TPB) were used

in this solid waste management programme as a framework in understanding,

explaining and predicting behavior. These theories are also useful as a guide for

designing intervention strategies to maintain or change a particular behavior. The theory

is based on the assumptions that individual behavioral intentions are directly associated

with their attitudes. The theory of reasoned action views an individual’s intention to

perform or not to perform as an immediate determinant of the action. (Asmawati Desa,

2012).

The theory planned behavior views an individual’s determination is influenced by

attitude, social support and perceived behavioral control. Therefore, this theory is

suitable to predict a student’s intent to participate in a specific behavior in relation to

solid waste management.

Before the awareness and education programme can be conducted, two different

researches were carried out. The first study was to identify the current waste collection

and waste data. Results showed it is estimated that the National University of Malaysia
produce an average collection of about 8 ton of solid waste per day. In order to identify

the type of waste produce by the university, waste characterization study was

conducted. The method used can be referred from the study by Kian-Ghee Tiew,

Stefan Kruppa, Noor Ezlin Ahmad Basri and Hassan Basriof waste characterization

research team from Faculty of Engineering and Built Environmental. After sorting, the

waste was store in bins which were labeled for different items and later were weighed to

determine waste composition. The study has been successful in highlighting the

composition and characteristics of the solid waste produced at the university campus.

Thus both physical and chemical characteristics of the solid waste are important to

determine the selection of the final method of waste disposal. Based on this findings the

university provide three different bins for the separation at source activities. Each bin

is colored differently, for example green is for organic or bio waste, orange for

recyclables and black for residual waste. Before this only one bin is used for all waste.

(Asmawati Desa, 2012)

In the second study, a self-administered questionnaire was used to assess

students’ awareness, attitudes and perceptions towards the solid waste

management. The approach of this research was to analyze problems, create and

conduct interventions and then evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. The main

tool used in data collection was a structured three part questionnaire specifically

designed for this study. The questionnaire covered demographic factors such as year of

study and ethnic of the respondent as well as variables related to the respondent’s

littering attitudes and practices.

status concerning SWM. But there was still quite a number of them (36%) which have

low awareness status. Only 34.1% of the students showed positive attitude towards

SWM whereas another 65.9% showed negative attitude. Regarding perceptions

concerning SWM only 40% of the subjects’ perception status was positive. (Asmawati

Desa, 2012)

The findings of Hines, Hugerford and Tomera also suggest that the level of

consistency between environmental attitudes and behavior is affected by a person’s

knowledge and awareness, public verbal commitment and his/her sense of

responsibility. The transfer from attitudes to behavior can also be affected by lifestyle;

many people, while professing to “correct” attitudes to the environment, are not ready to

change their lifestyle in ways that might mean sacrificing certain forms of leisure and

comfort for the sake of the environment. Other study has also found a weak and

inconsistent relationship between environmental attitudes and behavior; usually

attributable to a reluctance to give up the comforts of modern life. (Asmawati Desa,

2012)

Study reported that programmes were also implemented to promote attitude and

intention change and actively pursuing sustainable environmental practices among their

students. The attempt to encourage, through education and awareness on managing

solid waste in their campus that have been implemented will show good and

encouraging results as long as the persons and the organization have the ability to

assimilate and interpret the knowledge and to convert this learning into impact (to
implement change in managing waste). It is hope that knowledge will actas a precursor

to action.

Actually, the best way to create awareness and to educate the students, steps

had to be taken to include environmental education in the school educational system.

This must be the leading approach to address the environmental problems and

engendering sustainable development. Knowledge and understanding of the

environment are important since a degraded environment means a lower quality of life

for all. It is, therefore, the collective responsibility of all human beings to secure

a healthy environment not only for present, but also for futuregenerations, so building

environmental curricula on this principle becomes a necessity.Environmental education

should, therefore, be a fundamental and integral part of education for all members of

society. Modern societies, both developed and developing, need

environmentaleducation in its formal and informal aspects. Knowledge of the

environment, its conservationand threats must be integrated with the development of

sensitivity to, and respect for, the natural

environment and the formation of proper attitudes towards it. Fundamental education is

thereforethe kind of education aimed at realizing a sustainable living for mankind as a

whole.(AsmawatiDesa, 2012)

https://www.academia.edu/4516680/Foreign_Study_Awareness_on_Solid_Waste_Disp

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