Fine skill for the retail disposal of waste with and without propaedeutic intervention in university students: microevaluation in environmental education

Abstract

In this study we carry out a performance assessment of communal garbage disposal by three groups of students from a university campus that has no formal recycling program. This propaedeutic exercise consists of three treatments: one control and two intervention modalities (curricular and extra-curricular). The object of the exercise is to comparatively evaluate the deposit capacity and ease of separation of solid residue in five different containers. The curriculumbased activity was aimed at fostering the following of instructions without deepening students’ understanding of the scientific and technical properties of the waste. It was successful in confirming the hypothesis that this propaedeutic activity is likely to be more effective if it is incorporated into a broader solid waste recycling program. This latter was subjected to empirical verification, with low results shown, in a fourth group of students from an educational institution that did operate an integrated urban solid waste-management program.