Investigation on the Urban and Rural Students’ Behavior for Plastic Waste Management in Solo Region

Abstract

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to find out the involvement and behavior of students attending school in urban and rural areas in the management of plastic waste. Indicators of student behavior in waste management consist of the types of waste disposed of, students' willingness to dispose of plastic waste according to their grouping, as well as frequent disposal of plastic waste.
 Methodology: The research instrument used was a questionnaire and interview conducted in one school in urban areas and one school in rural areas. Subjects involved in the study were high school students in urban and rural areas of Solo.
 Main Findings: The results showed that there were enthusiastic differences between rural and urban students in the management of plastic waste; the common concern of urban students was 85%, while rural students were 73%. The research findings show that students who study in urban areas have higher plastic waste care behavior than students who study in rural areas.
 Applications of this study: The implications of the results of this study can be useful for further research, namely on the management and use of waste as recycling for both rural and urban students.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: There is no investigation on waste management, in both rural and urban schools. Considering waste is one of the main problems in the world today, so the results of investigations can be useful in reducing waste through education.

Pro-environmental behavior regarding single-use plastics reduction in urban–rural communities of Thailand: Implication for public policy

“…This proportion is rising due to lifestyle changes and is expected to increase further as MSW volumes have increased by about 10% per year 11 . According to a study 12 , urban residents have better plastic waste disposal habits than rural residents. The rural community’s custom of using plastic bags when shopping at accessible neighboring stalls exacerbates this.…”