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CHAPTER 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the problem

People love new gadgets and every aspect of technology as it enhances their lives, but

it comes at an ethical and environmental cost. The supply for Electrical and Electronic

Equipment (EEE) remains to accelerate exponentially with nations developing further and

increasing populations. Technology appears to become all but outdated only a short time after

it has been bought because we have developed into a culture of use-and-throw-away. Our

commitment to ever-advancing technology has put a high standard on all our products,

requiring that each generation quickly upgrades upon the last, thereby increasing the amount

of e-waste being produced.

E-waste or electronic waste is broadly described as loosely discarded, left-over,

out-of-date, broken electrical or electronic devices. E-waste ranges from computers,

televisions, phones to laundry devices and fridge to everything else in between. Majority of

electrical and electronic equipment is not often waste, but merely obsolete and traded up for

the recent releases. In addition to the alarming increase in e-waste, unsuitable disposal

imposes adverse effects in people’s surroundings and lives.

E-waste may be among the most dangerous discarded items, but they are rarely

considered as such. If these wastes are not treated properly, they can trigger organ damage,

neurological harm, and serious disease not only in employees who deal with it directly but

also within the community. Components of electrical and electronic equipment and their

wastes are composed of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury, and persistent
organic pollutants (POPs) such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), among tens of other harmful chemical compounds.

Inappropriate disposal methods may lead to the emission of harmful chemicals, some of

which like mercury, PBDEs, and PCBs. Copper wires are obtained from burning e-waste

such as vinyl-coated cables, harmful byproduct POPs like dioxins and furans are then

produced and emitted to the atmosphere. Dioxins are considered as among “the most toxic

chemicals known to science. Furthermore, when disposed of with common waste or manually

scrapped to extract metal components for recycling, e-waste such as fluorescent lamps

discharge mercury vapor from the glass tube and leads to toxic pollution. Experts also explain

that mercury exposure, a potent neurotoxin, can harm the brain and the central nervous

system. Note also that when the plastic tubing for a cathode-ray tube of televisions and

computer monitors are incinerated or dumped, PBDEs are released and contaminates the

environment.

Last December.13, 2017, with the Global E-Waste, the International

Telecommunication Union, United Nations University, and the International Solid Waste

Association reported the increasing quantity of e-waste and its inappropriate and unsafe

methods of disposal through incinerating or dumping. According to this study, about 44.7

million tons of e-waste was produced worldwide in 2016. Also, the study shows that about 2

to 5 kilograms of e-waste are produced per inhabitant in the Philippines. While the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has approved and endorsed

several official sites to manage e-waste and schemes about e-waste, there is no extensive

e-waste management in the Philippines.

Schools are also source of most e-waste Electrical and electronic equipment are

regularly utilized by learners for various activities and hands-on, particularly students from

the field of information and communications and technology (ICT) and electronics.
Unfortunately, electronic devices in school tend to have shorter life span as it is commonly

used and often damaged by students abuse or mishandling. Most schools still do not have

policies on proper disposal of e-wastes. E-waste consciousness must be raised in school, its

employees and students, as it affects the entire community. This paper aims create a mobile

application that raises e-waste awareness. Specifically, it aims to: 1) assess existing

knowledge of students with regards to e-waste; 2) Raise awareness on e-waste management;

3) evaluate the effectiveness of mobile application in raising e-waste awareness.


1. 2 Statement of the problem

The National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) stated that broken

electrical or electronic equipment and gadgets are adding to the Philippines already

burgeoning issue of solid waste-management. Unfortunately, most individuals do not know

what e-waste is, thus, leading in improper disposal along with other waste like plastics. In

close future, this is projected to impact the environment prone to bad e-waste management.

In response to the research problem, this research was undertaken to create an

educational mobile application and know the effectiveness of using a mobile application in

raising e-waste awareness to learners.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1) What are the pre-test and post-test scores of the respondents?

2) Is there a significant difference between the pre-test and post test scores of the

respondents?

3) Is there a significant result from using mobile application in raising e-waste

awareness?

The following hypotheses were formulated:

Ho: There is no significant effect from using mobile application on raising e-waste

awareness.

Ha: There is a significant effect from using mobile application on raising e-waste

awareness.
1.3 Significance of the study

The result of the study will be of great benefit to the following:

Muntinlupa City- The result, if a success, will greatly help in raising e-waste

awareness to citizen and thus practice of proper disposal will be implemented,

minimizing the risk of e-waste in the community.

Muntinlupa Environmental Sanitation Center (ESC)- Data gathered will

provide the ESC with information about student’s awareness on e-waste. Data gathered

will help the ESC initiate collaboration among schools and households to help and

advocate about e-waste management.

Cupang Senior High School- The result will aid the school to raise e-waste

awareness among its learners, this will let learners to value school properties such as

computers.

Students and teachers- This study will help the learners and teachers to raise

e-waste awareness, its risk and how it should be disposed. Realizing the value of each

gadget and devices, teaching how upgrading to latest releases is not a necessity.
1.4 Scope of the study

This study will focus on the development of mobile application that will raise e-waste

awareness. The study will be conducted inside the premises of Cupang Senior High School.

The respondents in the study includes fifty (50) students selected from the strand of

Information communications and technology (ICT) and Electronics.

1.5 Limitations of the study

Inaccessibility: Students who do not own a mobile phone will not be selected as

respondents. Access to the mobile application will be difficult.

Inadequate technical information: respondents might have no technical information on

e-waste and therefore I could not obtain quality information as anticipated.


1.7 Conceptual framework

EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBILE APPLICATION IN RAISING E-WASTE AWARENESS

AMONG CUPANG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1. Mobile phone 1. Output making 1. Mobile application


(Mobile application)

2. Mobile application 2. student’s level of


2. Gathering of e-waste awareness
respondents to
3. Survey answer the pre-test
questionnaire 2.Effectiveness of
(pre-test and post mobile application in
test) 3. Installation of the e-waste awareness
mobile application
(experiment)
4. ICT and
electronics students
4. Final assessment
through Post test

5. Gathering of
scores

6. Statistical
treatment

The figure above illustrates the paradigm or conceptual framework showing if the

mobile application is an effective medium in raising e-waste awareness among students from

Cupang Senior High School. Herewith, is the Input-Process-Output (IPO) model system
approach applied with made up of three parts, the input section, process, and the output

section. In the input section, the variables to determine the effectiveness of mobile

application in raising e-waste awareness among Cupang Senior High School students which

includes:1)Mobile phone, 2)Mobile application, 3)Survey questionnaire, 4 information and

communications technology and electronics students. These variables are important

components where data can be used together with output making, the Gathering of

respondents to answer the pre-test, Installation of the mobile application,Final assessment

through post-test, gathering of scores and, statistical treatment to the creation of mobile

application, determine the student’s level of e-waste awareness and the effectiveness of

mobile application in raising e-waste awareness among Cupang Senior High School Students.

In the process section, it involved the administration and conduction of survey through the

use of questionnaires, and the documentary analysis where the data and findings will be

collated, interpreted and analyzed using the statistical instrument to be employed in the

conversation of raw data from the information into a meaningful facts to improve its veracity

and to come up with the output.


1.9 Definition of Terms

For the purpose of specificity and clarity, the folowwing terms that were used in this

study were operationally defined for better understanding.

In terms of its conceptual and operational definition

 Contextusl

 Operational

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