The role of intergenerational influence in waste education programmes: The THAW project
- Waste Watch, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT (United Kingdom)
- School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Highfield, University Rd., Southampton SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom)
Highlights: > Children can be effective advocates in changing their parents' lifestyles. > We investigated the role of intergenerational influence in waste education programmes. > Waste Watch's Take Home Action on Waste project worked with 6705 children in 39 schools. > The results showed increased participation in recycling and declines in residual waste. > The study shows that recycling behaviour is positively impacted by intergenerational influence. - Abstract: 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.
- OSTI ID:
- 21578446
- Journal Information:
- Waste Management, Vol. 31, Issue 12; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2011.07.023; PII: S0956-053X(11)00330-8; Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0956-053X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BEHAVIOR
CHILDREN
EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
GLASS
HOUSEHOLDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
RECYCLING
TEXTILES
UNITED KINGDOM
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
AGE GROUPS
ANIMALS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EUROPE
MAMMALS
MAN
MANAGEMENT
POPULATIONS
PRIMATES
VERTEBRATES
WESTERN EUROPE