ASSESSING STUDENTS’ AWARENESS AND

PRACTICES IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

AMONG GRADE 11 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
IN JASAAN SOUTH DISTRICT

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

Volume: 15
Pages: 235-241
Document ID: 2023PEMJ1359
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10171005
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-21-11
Psych Educ, 2023, 15(3): 235-241, Document ID:2023 PEMJ1359, doi:10.5281/zenodo.10171005, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Assessing Students’ Awareness and Practices in Solid Waste Management Among

Grade 11 Senior High School In Jasaan South District
Leonieses J. Kilaton*, Mazzel L. Aguilor, Jenny Flor R. Zamayla
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
The purpose of the study is to determine the School Solid Waste Management Awareness and
Practices among Senior High School Grade 11 Students. One of the difficulties that many nations
encounter is solid waste management. Health, environmental, and socioeconomic issues will all be
impacted by poor solid waste management. Using the Solid Waste Management Awareness and
Practices Questionnaire, a descriptive-quantitative technique was used in this study. The study also
sought to ascertain the respondents' profiles with regard to their Sex, Age and Strand Enrolled, as
well as the various solid waste management practices of segregation, waste reduction, waste
recycling, and waste disposal, as well as the respondents' level of awareness of solid waste
management. The primary tool for this study's data collection was a survey questionnaire. With a
sample size of 459 students in Grade 11 who completed the survey questionnaire. The descriptive
research methodology was applied. In order to collect data, the researcher used a variety of methods,
including questionnaires, observations, and pure research. Numerous statistical measures were
applied, including the weighted mean, frequency distribution, percentage distribution, and Chi-
Square and Raosoft for data random sampling , Pearson-R and statistical package for social sciences
(SPSS).

Keywords: solid waste management, awareness, practices, assessing, raosoft, sample size, solid,
chi-square, percentage

Introduction in the contaminated environment of today (Marello

Located in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is an
archipelago nation. Due to its growing middle class,
urbanization, and big and youthful population, it has a
vibrant and quick-growing economy (World Bank,
2020). Knowing this furthermore, the Philippines'
generation of solid waste is rising (Castillo & Otoma,
2013). In accordance with Republic Act No. 9003
(also known as the Environmental Solid Waste
Management Act of 2000), solid waste includes all
trashed up household, commercial, institutional, and
industrial items as well as street sweepings,
construction waste, agricultural waste, and other non-
hazardous/non-toxic solid waste.
Today, environmental deterioration is a serious
problem. All other considerations have been
superseded by the need to protect our environment
(Michael,2014). As a result, managing solid waste is a
challenge in both wealthy and developing nations. The
production of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a
significant environmental concern facing communities
today (Pattnaik & Reddy, 2010).
Waste collection, transportation, disposal, and
treatment were all included in solid waste
management. It promotes economic growth and a
higher standard of living by minimizing or eliminating
negative effects on the environment and human health.
It's essential to know how to properly dispose of waste
and Helwege, 2014). Building a successful program
for solid waste management needs community
education. Understanding so lid wa s te
management will alter how people feel about rubbish.
Waste should not be handled or addressed because it is
waste. They once believed that everyone put all of
your trash in one container (Sarino, 2014).
As part of the Civic Welfare Training Service
component required for all baccalaureate degree and
vocational programs with a curriculum of at least one
year, the National Environmental Awareness and
Education Act of 2008 specifically mandated that the
CHED and TESDA incorporate environmental
education into the National Service Training Program
under Republic Act No. 9163.
The national government should launch an ongoing
education and information campaign on solid waste
management in partnership with the Department of
Education (DepEd), Technical Education and Skill
Development Authority (TESDA), Commission on
Higher Education (CHED), and Philippine Information
Agency (PIA).
Jasaaan Senior High School is a cutting-edge
in s ti tu t io n with a tran q u il, o rd erly , and
environmentally friendly culture. All schools in the
province are required by law to start initiatives and
provide sensible solutions to environmental problems.

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Research Article
However, as seen, a variety of student
activities consistently produce a significant quantity
of garbage. A second study was then conducted by
the researcher to examine "waste management
knowledge and practices in one of the Senior High
Schools in the Jasaan South District" in order to assist
in enhancing school waste management programs and
preventing the environmental repercussions of
ineffective waste management. By disseminating and
making use of the study's findings, the researcher can
aid the community.
Research Questions
This basic action research will answer the following
questions:
1. How should the respondents' solid waste
management procedures be characterized in terms of:
1.1 Segregation;
1.2 Waste Reduction;
1.3 Waste Recycling and Reuse; and
1.4 Waste Disposal?
2. What is the respondent’s level of awareness on the
school solid waste management practices?
3. Does the level of student awareness correlate
significantly with the way they handle their solid
waste?
4. What initiatives could improve the respondent's
solid waste management knowledge and habits?
Literature Review
Philippines is an island nation in the Pacific Southeast
Asia. Because of expanding urbanization, rising
middle class, and it has a huge and young population
(World Bank, 2020). Given this condition, solid waste
generation in the Philippines alsorises (Castillo &
Otoma, 2013). (Castillo & Otoma, 2013). Republic
Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of
2000). All wasted commercial, domestic, and other
rubbish are considered solid waste. non-hazardous
industrial and institutional garbage, street Sweepings,
building waste, agricultural waste, and other solid
waste that is non-toxic and non-hazardous.
Additionally, it is clear that in Production of solid
trash is rising in other regions.
According waste production will rise, according to
World Bank (2019). Global annual generation by
70%, up from 2.01 billion to 3.40 billion tons by
2050 from tons in 2016. The creation of garbage
makes its management more difficult. (2010) Al-
Katib et al. Therefore, managing solid waste is a
must. The management of solid waste relates to the
Kilaton et al.
prevention of generation, storing, accumulating,
transferring, and transporting, the collection,
handling, and proper disposal of solid wastes conform
to the ideals of public health, economics,
conservation, engineering, aesthetics, and other
environmental factors, and that also responds to public
perceptions. But solid waste management is frequently
disregarded (Masood, Barlow, & Wilson, 2009).
Concerns about solid waste management in the United
States include improper trash disposal, ineffective
waste collection, and a lack of disposal facilities.
(Matunog & Awa, 2013; Senate Economic Planning
Office, 2017) Philippines Philippines was regarded
as the world's top source of plastic pollution as a result
(WWF-Philippines, 2018). Additionally, improper
handling of solid waste may result in environmental
issues like water pollution and health risks for local
residents and other socio- economic issues like as soil
contamination, air pollution, flooding, and others
(Abu Qdais, 2007; Sharholy et al., 2008; Senate
Economic Planning Office, 2017). San Juan (2019)
responded to the challenge by revealing that
community members' involvement in solid waste
depending on the actions performed by their
management program authorities or officials. Al-Katib
et al. (2010) further emphasized that technological,
political, and environmental considerations are
environmental, economic, legal, sociocultural, and
present resources Any of the resources that aren't
present will failure of the solid waste management
program so that the Residents of the community will
be dissatisfied (Lad, Chauhan & Gole, 2020). Other
than these, widespread collaboration and active
Participation is additionally required. So, educating
individuals is necessary through spreading knowledge
about how to handle It has become crucial to manage
created solid waste (Marello & Nolasco, Baguia, &
Padua, 2019; Helwege, 2014).
Since education is one of the opportunities it will
provide solid waste education and information
dissemination. Several research were undertaken to
establish management its effects on the students'
awareness and behavior levels. These, however, take
place in higher education. For Paghasian (2017), for
example, reported that college students in Maigo is
quite knowledgeable about solid waste management.
Studies on solid waste management are few and
receive little emphasis in primary school. So, senior
high school students were used in this investigation.
The curriculum for senior high school has recently
been incorporated into basic education. This dates
back to the time R.A. The Enhanced No. 10533 The
2013 Basic Education Act was passed considering that
pupils spend. The researcher wants to ascertain the
level of solid waste management awareness among
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Research Article

x = Z(c/100)2r(100-r)
senior high school students, the sources of their
awareness, and their solid waste management practices n = N x/((N-1)E2 + x)
after 12 years of basic education with the integration
E = Sqrt[(N - n)x/n(N-1)]
of environmental awareness and education in their
curricula management techniques.

Where N is the population size, in this study, the total

Methodology population is 246, R is the fraction of the responses,
and Z (c/100) is the critical value for the confidence
level c which is 95%. The researchers used the online
This chapter describes the research methodology of survey tool adopted from Mr. Mark Anthony R.
this basic research. Gantang on Solid waste Management Awareness and
Practices Among Zone 2 Higher Education Institution
Participants and/or other Sources of Data and in Zambales. to obtain the sample size of 459.
Information
This study obtained a total of 459 respondents, which
Table 1. Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the is the total population for the four (4) combined
Respondents’ Profile (AGE) strands in this study: HUMSS, STEM, ABM and
TVL- Cookery and SMAW.

Table 4. further illustrate the sample size per Strand in

Grade 11 in Jasaan Senior High School.

Table 2. Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the

Respondents’ Profile (SEX)

Results

Table 3. Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the The table shows the scale range of the weighted mean
Respondents’ Profile (STRAND) for the result of each survey questions.

Table 5. Sample Size per Strand

Data Gathering Methods

Using the Raosoft survey tool (Raosoft, 2004), to

determine the sample size of the population with 0.05
The table shows that in all strands HUMSS got a
level of error or 5% margin of error and 95% level of
highest sample size of 162 students and the STEM got
confidence, wherein, the following formula is used:
the lowest sample size of 33 students. In getting the
sample size each strand we used the raosoft calculator.

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Research Article

the highest rating of "Strongly Agreed" with a

Table 6. Solid Waste Management Practices as to
mean score of 4.00. According to this study,
Segregation
students can reduce waste by just buying the food they
actually need. Indicator 9 came in at number 10, "It's
awkward to bring container when buying cook food
for takeaway." Solid waste management responses had
a computed mean of 3.16 overall, with "Agreed"
being the qualitative interpretation.

Table 7. Solid Waste Management Practices as to

Waste Reduction

The table 6 shows that on the 3 and 4, "I segregate

non-harmful waste from toxic and hazardous garbage,"
the respondents gave a score of "Strongly Agreed. "I
blend all garbage in one garbage container," and
"Wastes such as Pentel pens, laboratory chemicals,
ink, cell batteries, and others." first place with a mean
Reduction is the intentional purchase of things that
of 4.00.
generate less trash, according to Ambayic et al. (2013).
It assists schools in cutting waste while demonstrating
The findings demonstrate the students' keen awareness
proper garbage management to children.
of and favorable attitudes toward waste management.
Despite their attitudes and knowledge, the respondents
Table 8. Solid Waste Management Practices as to
hardly ever exercise or manage garbage properly.
Waste Recycling and Reuse
The indicator with the lowest mean value, "I notice
good rubbish segregation," was placed 9th and had the
translation "Disagree" at a mean of 2.00. Although the
respondents concur on desirable objectives that could
improve the school's waste management system, they
do not always put their knowledge into practice. The
estimated mean for solid waste management was 4.10,
and the qualitative interpretation was "Strongly
Agreed." This demonstrates how most people separate
their solid trash.

While respondents are aware of and favor trash

segregation techniques, Culaste et al. (2018) found that
there is still their attitudes and behaviors with relation
to trash segregation differ significantly.

Solid waste management practices for waste

reduction are shown in Table 7. All factors were
given "Strongly Agreed" ratings by the respondents, Table 8: Waste Management Techniques for Recycling
however factor two, " I buy only what I need so that I and Reuse. The weighted means for indicator 8, "I
will not end up throwing away extra food," received

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Research Article

reuse grocery bags" and indicator 9, "I reuse washable

food containers" are 3.85 and 3.95, respectively.
According to the three indications, “I reuse my old
materials than buying a new one.” It is ranked 10th,
has a weighted mean of 2.50, and a qualitative grade of
“Disagree”. This implies that respondents think
recycling and trash reduction are equally crucial for
achieving sustainable waste management. The
respondent agrees (A) with various waste recycling
and reuse solutions, as indicated by the variable waste
reduction weighted total mean of 3.38 – “strongly
agree”.
Students majoring in environmental studies at
Waterloo University don't seem to understand
recycling, according to Bator et al. (2011). We
assumed that because college students are more
environmentally conscious than high school students,
all students at the University of Waterloo are familiar
with recycling practices. It is important to use a variety
of instructional resources to increase campus
awareness. Ferrer (2015) polled 300 college students
from the Philippines' Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Maynila regarding their use of the words "reduce,"
"reuse," and "recycle." He asserts that student
recycling behaviors are unrelated to their personal
characteristics. Ferrer suggests that all students should
be taught to reduce, reuse, and recycle regardless of
their profile.
mean overall was 3.15, with "Agreed" as its qualitative
meaning. This implies that responders only sometimes
deal with rubbish. According to the findings, the
respondents do not always and fully implement waste
management
Students in grades one through three do not separate
their trash, according to research by Parocha, Esguerra,
and Hular (2015). Similarly, even though they are
aware of the issue, college students do not properly
dispose of their trash (Madrigal and Oracion, 2018).
Using Paghasian's work as inspiration, students
moderately practice appropriate garbage disposal
(2017).
Table 10. The table shows the scale range of the
weighted mean for the result of each survey question.
Table 11. Level of Awareness on the Solid Waste
Management Practices

Table 9. Solid Waste Management Practices as to

Waste Disposal

The table 6 shows that on the 9, " I can distinguish and

Solid Waste Management Practices, Table 9. The
respondents gave the indications 3, 5, and 10 a
"Strongly Agreed" rating, with the highest mean value
of 3.85 placing them first, second 3.80, and third 3.75,
respectively. Solid waste management's estimated
identify biodegradable from non-biodegradable.” The
level of awareness of solid waste management
practices is shown in Table 11. With a qualitative
rating of "Fully Aware," indicator 9 (I am

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Research Article
knowledgeable about the importance of recycling) is
ranked first among the 10 indicators with a weighted
mean of 3.90, followed by indicator 8 (I can
distinguish between biodegradable and non-
biodegradable materials) at number two with a mean
of 3.85. This shows that the respondents are aware of
the value of recycling and are well-versed in the
various techniques for managing solid waste. I am
aware of Republic Act 9003, also known as the
Ecological Solid Trash Management Act of 2000,
according to Indicator 9, which came in at number ten,
demonstrates that some respondents are aware of
environmental trash management.
Table 12. Relationship Between Students’ Awareness
and Practices on Solid Waste Management
The test hypothesis for student awareness and solid
waste management practices is shown in Table 12. The
calculated Pearson correlation coefficient (r), which is
0.553 and denotes "High positive correlation," is
significant at a 0.01 level of significance. As a result, it
is decided to exclude the null hypothesis (Ho),
according to which there is a significant connection
between student awareness and solid waste
management practices.
Accordingly, those who are aware about waste
management are more inclined to put it into practice.
S. Gorman also Gorman J. (2018) contend that
individuals act in particular ways because they are
aware of the circumstances. People who are informed
will approach a topic with positivity. Unaware people
could have a bad or neutral opinion of a field.
Students' awareness of waste management has an
impact on their attitude since what they know impacts
how they act. While respondents' understanding of
MSW management is good, a recent survey found that
their attitudes and behaviors are either neutral or
moderate (Laor, Suma, Keawdounglek, Hongtong,
Apidechkul, & Pasukphun 2017).
According to Madrigal and Oracion, the high degree of
respondents' awareness and attitude regarding SWM
Kilaton et al.
can have a favorable impact on their solid waste
disposal behaviors at home and at school (2018). They
came to the conclusion that while knowledge and
attitude may impact environmental behavior, they
must also be associated with the possible rewards of
engaging in environmental activities after noting that
solid waste disposal techniques do not match the
respondents' high level of awareness. According to
Laor (2018), one's attitude about a topic is influenced
by their level of understanding about it. According to
their research, a number of variables, including
education, affect attitudes toward trash management.
People with less education are more pessimistic than
intelligent individuals (Laor, Suma, Keawdounglek,
Hongtong, Apidechkul, & Pasukphun 2017).
Discussion
Accordingly, those who are aware about waste
management are more inclined to put it into practice.
S. Gorman also Gorman J. (2018) contend that
individuals act in particular ways because they are
aware of the circumstances. People who are aware will
be positive about a topic. Unaware people could have a
bad or neutral opinion of a field. Students' awareness
of waste management has an impact on their attitude
since what they know impacts how they act.
While respondents' understanding of MSW
management is good, a recent survey found that their
attitudes and behaviors are either neutral or moderate
(Laor, Suma, Keawdounglek, Hongtong, Apidechkul,
& Pasukphun 2017). According to Madrigal and
Oracion, the high degree of respondents' awareness
and attitude regarding SWM can have a favorable
impact on their solid waste disposal behaviors at home
and at school (2018). They came to the conclusion that
while knowledge and attitude may impact
environmental behavior, they must also be coupled
with the possible benefits of engaging in
environmental activities after noting that solid waste
disposal processes do not match the respondents' high
level of awareness.
According to Laor (2018), a person's perspective on a
subject is influenced by their level of understanding
about it. According to their research, education is just
one of several factors that affect attitudes toward waste
management. Individuals with less education tend to
be more pessimistic than those with more education
(Laor, Suma, Keawdounglek, Hongtong, Apidechkul,
& Pasukphun 2017)
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Research Article
Conclusion
The following conclusions were drawn from the
findings that are binding on the respondents: (1)
Students in grade 11 of the senior high school were the
respondents. (2) Regarding the solid waste
management techniques in segregation, the
respondents indicated that they "strongly agree,"
although Regarding waste minimization, waste
recycling and reuse, and trash disposal, the respondent
selected "agree". (3) The respondents are aware of the
various methods for managing solid waste. (4) The
students' knowledge of solid waste management and
their solid waste management practices are
significantly related. (5) The findings showed that
respondents are knowledgeable about various waste
management strategies and are able to sustain a
program was created to advance and increase the
knowledge of the student respondents- Recycling,
reduction, reuse, and disposal.
The researcher has provided the following based on
the summary of the investigations and the findings; (1)
Solid waste management (SWM) techniques are well
and very well understood by the respondents. It is
therefore advised that educational institutions focus on
organizing intensified awareness on education
campaigns on proper trash reduction techniques
through waste segregation and starting to bring their
own container when you buy your own food container
serve for additional garbage or bring your own garbage
at home. (2) Additionally, school should raise
awareness of solid waste and the environment. By
highlighting the value of trash recycling and
appropriate waste disposal, SWM practices. (3)
Effective garbage management strategies should
constantly be discussed with the students by their
teachers and be aware of Republic Act 903, commonly
known as the 2000 Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act. (4) To evaluate the consistency of
the results and to offer other academics new
Kilaton et al.
viewpoints and thoughts on the subject, a larger-scale
follow-up study in this line may be conducted.
References
Achouri, M. (2019). A Study on Awareness of Domestic Solid
Waste Management. IOSR Journal of Environmental Science,
Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR JESTFT), 11(5), 43-48.
Retrieved April 10, 2019, from http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr
jestft/papers/vol11-issue%205/Version-2/F1105024348.pdf
Ambayic, A. S. 2013. Household Practices on Solid Waste
Management. Undergraduate Thesis. Mindanao State University -
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Tan, J.J.O. and Abad A.C., (2013), Automated Waste Sorter with
Mobile Robot Delivery Waste System
Bator, L., Bhat, A. and Santos, J. (2011). Descriptive Research:
Definition, Characteristics, Methods, Examples And Advantages.
Retrieved from
https://www.questionpro.com/blog/descriptive -research/
Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://byjus.com/chemistry/biodegradable-and-non-biodegradable/
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Environmental
Management Bureau. (2015). National solid waste management
status report (2008-2014). Retrieved from http://nswmc.emb.gov.
ph/wp- content/uploads/2016/06/Solid-Wastefinaldraft12.29.15.pdf
Affiliations and Corresponding Information
Leonieses J. Kilaton, LPT
Tagoloan Community College – Philippines
Mazzel L. Aguilor, LPT
Jasaan Senior High School
Department of Education – Philippines
Jenny Flor R. Zamayla, LPT, MAN
Jasaan Senior High School
Department of Education – Philippines
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