IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i24p16904-d1301466.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessing Pro-Environmental Behaviour towards Plastics among Staff and Students at a South African University

Author

Listed:
  • Mwazvita T. B. Dalu

    (School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa)

  • Bonginkosi S. Ngobeni

    (School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa)

  • Tatenda Dalu

    (School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa
    Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa)

Abstract

Plastic pollution is a global issue of concern, with all environmental realms contaminated by plastics. Human consumption as well as management of daily plastics use can play a significant role to control this global environmental problem. Thus, understanding public perceptions about plastic consumption and pollution is vital to engage society in solutions to reduce the associated environmental impact. This study explores the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of a university community towards plastic consumption and pollution. We employed online questionnaires, which had 248 respondents in the end, and data was analysed using a combination of Chi-Squared and Spearman correlation tests. We observed that staff members (i.e., lecturers) had a greater awareness of long-term plastic waste impacts and were more likely to take steps to reduce their plastic use in their daily routines. About 50% of staff members and 14.8% of students indicated that their main source of information was scientific publications, followed by Google (8.3% of staff members, 24% of students). Furthermore, they were also more likely to implement policies and procedures that promote sustainability and reduce waste. Approximately 54.5% of staff members and 56.4% of students highlighted that they did not know of any tools to help reduce plastic pollution, with 36.4% of staff members and 20.5% of students indicating that they did not know of any intervention methods. In comparison, students were more focused on convenience and did not have the same level of understanding or concern about the environmental impact of plastics as they were more likely to use single-use plastics, without considering the potential environmental harm. Hence, to bridge this gap in perception, educational institutions should take proactive steps to educate both staff and students about the importance of reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainability through the provision of educational materials, organising awareness campaigns and events, and implementing policies that encourage responsible plastic use.

Suggested Citation

  • Mwazvita T. B. Dalu & Bonginkosi S. Ngobeni & Tatenda Dalu, 2023. "Assessing Pro-Environmental Behaviour towards Plastics among Staff and Students at a South African University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:24:p:16904-:d:1301466
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/24/16904/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/24/16904/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Szymkowiak, Andrzej & Melović, Boban & Dabić, Marina & Jeganathan, Kishokanth & Kundi, Gagandeep Singh, 2021. "Information technology and Gen Z: The role of teachers, the internet, and technology in the education of young people," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    2. Mwazvita T. B. Dalu & Ross N. Cuthbert & Hulisani Muhali & Lenin D. Chari & Amanda Manyani & Current Masunungure & Tatenda Dalu, 2020. "Is Awareness on Plastic Pollution Being Raised in Schools? Understanding Perceptions of Primary and Secondary School Educators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Gratiela Dana Boca & Sinan Saraçli, 2023. "Effects of Romanian Student’s Awareness and Needs Regarding Plastic Waste Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Khan, Nawab Ali & Azhar, Mohd & Rahman, Mohd Nayyer & Akhtar, Mohd Junaid, 2022. "Scale development and validation for usage of social networking sites during COVID-19," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    2. Fang, Lan & Quan, Yurong & Mao, Hui & Chen, Shaojian, 2022. "The Information Communication Technology and Off-farm Employment of Rural Laborers: An Analysis Based on the Micro Data of China Family Panel Studies," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322088, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Zhuoyao Cui & Haochen Yang, 2023. "From Game Elements to Active Learning Intentions: Exploring the Driving Factors in Digital Learning Platforms," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, November.
    4. Mitja Vrdelja & Sanja Vrbovšek & Vito Klopčič & Kevin Dadaczynski & Orkan Okan, 2021. "Facing the Growing COVID-19 Infodemic: Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking Behaviour of University Students in Slovenia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-16, August.
    5. Daming Li & Canyao Liu & Yu Shi & Jiaming Song & Yiliang Zhang, 2022. "Trade Flow Optimization Model for Plastic Pollution Reduction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-18, November.
    6. Md Asadullah & Minara Yeasmin & Abid Fakhre Alam & Abdulaziz Alsolami & Naved Ahmad & Ibrahim Atoum, 2023. "Towards a Sustainable Future: A Systematic Review of Mobile Learning and Studies in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-17, August.
    7. Graţiela Dana Boca & Arzum Ișitan & Evren Çağlarer & Sinan Saraçli, 2023. "A Cross-Cultural Analysis for Plastic Waste Perception of Students from Romania and Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-24, December.
    8. Fang, Zhen & Razzaq, Asif & Mohsin, Muhammad & Irfan, Muhammad, 2022. "Spatial spillovers and threshold effects of internet development and entrepreneurship on green innovation efficiency in China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    9. Gratiela Dana Boca & Sinan Saraçli, 2023. "Effects of Romanian Student’s Awareness and Needs Regarding Plastic Waste Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    10. Akrivi Krouska & Katerina Kabassi & Christos Troussas & Cleo Sgouropoulou, 2022. "Personalizing Environmental Awareness through Smartphones Using AHP and PROMETHEE II," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, February.
    11. Petar Vrgović & Jasmina Pekić & Milan Mirković & Andraš Anderla & Bojan Leković, 2022. "Prolonged Emergency Remote Teaching: Sustainable E-Learning or Human Capital Stuck in Online Limbo?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-30, April.
    12. Jasna Bogovac & Domagoj Dodig & Tereza Rogić Lugarić, 2021. "Public-Private Partnership and Circular Economy—What Croatian Students Learn at University," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-14, June.
    13. Sorin-George Toma & Cătălin Grădinaru & Oana-Simona Hudea & Andra Modreanu, 2023. "Perceptions and Attitudes of Generation Z Students towards the Responsible Management of Smart Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-40, September.
    14. Ningyan Cao & Normalisa Md Isa & Selvan Perumal, 2023. "Effects of Risk Attitude and Time Pressure on the Perceived Risk and Avoidance of Mobile App Advertising among Chinese Generation Z Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-18, July.
    15. Qi Li & Tachia Chin & Benjian Peng, 2023. "How Paradoxical Leadership Promotes Employees’ Career Sustainability: Evidence from the Chinese Cross-Border E-Commerce Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-17, August.
    16. Camilleri, Mark Anthony & Camilleri, Adriana Caterina, 2022. "Remote learning via video conferencing technologies: Implications for research and practice," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    17. Wei-Ning Hu & Dong-Yue Li & Wing-Kai Lam & Yi Wang & Duo Wai-Chi Wong & James Chung-Wai Cheung, 2022. "Physical Fitness of Chinese Primary School Students across the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: A Retrospective Repeated Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-14, June.
    18. Lozano-Blasco, Raquel & Quilez-Robres, Alberto & Delgado-Bujedo, Diego & Latorre-Martínez, Mª Pilar, 2021. "YouTube's growth in use among children 0–5 during COVID19: The Occidental European case," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    19. Ivana Penjišević & Tamara Lukić & Saša Milosavljević & Bojana Jandžiković & Dejan Šabić & Jovan Dragojlović & Aleksandar Valjarević, 2024. "Sustainable Tourism near the City—A Case Study of Stolovi Mountain, Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-32, January.
    20. Miao Huang & Mohamad Saifudin Mohamad Saleh & Izzal Asnira Zolkepli, 2023. "The Moderating Effect of Green Advertising on the Relationship between Gamification and Sustainable Consumption Behavior: A Case Study of the Ant Forest Social Media App," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-15, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:24:p:16904-:d:1301466. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.