Percepção de estudantes universitários sobre a separação e destinação dos resíduos sólidos urbanos

Abstract

With the population increase, the consumption of goods is increasing, and consequently, the production of urban solid waste (USW) has become a major environmental and public health problem. Current data from the Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies - ABRELPE show that in the period 2017 to 2018 approximately 216,629 tons of MSW were generated per day, that is, an average of just over 1 kilogram per person per day. As the care and preservation of the environment is everyone's duty, it became necessary to carry out a survey regarding the knowledge, reflections and attitudes of university students about the separation and destination of MSW. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the perception and performance of university students at the Federal University of Fronteira Sul - Campus Realeza on the separation of organic waste and recyclable waste, as well as their destination in the city of Realeza - PR. The study was qualitative and exploratory in nature. The target audience was students from the Federal University of Fronteira Sul, who reside in the urban area of the city of Realeza-PR, over 18 years old. To obtain the data, a questionnaire consisted of 33 questions that were available to students in the months of August and September 2021. They were applied “online” through social networks (Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram) and email. The answers were compiled in electronic spreadsheets and the data analyzed in graphs and tables. Most students who participated in the survey are over 30 years old, 68% are female and 32% male. There was a greater participation of students from the Biological Sciences course with 45%, followed by the Veterinary Medicine course with 23% and the Nutrition course with 14, most students have resided in the municipality for more than 3 years. It was observed that students have a good knowledge of the subject, putting into practice the knowledge acquired at school, university and in the community. As the students stated, knowledge and information on the topic comes from different sources, not just the university. This demonstrates how important it is to have environmental education at all levels of education, as building citizens' ecological awareness is a slow and constant process. It is through education that it is possible to form conscious and transforming citizens of the environment in which they live, promoting discussion about the problems caused to the environment by the generation and disposal of solid waste in nature, improving the planning, handling and proper disposal of these wastes, being economically viable and ecologically correct. Projects and actions that transmit knowledge and enable educational practices collaborate in the transformation of society.