An Assessment of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward General Waste Segregation among the Population of the United Arab Emirates

Increases in the human population and economic development have led to a rise in waste production, which poses significant environmental risks and presents a pressing global issue in waste management. Among other countries, this situation affects the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the other hand, poor waste segregation practices can result in failed waste recycling efforts, leading to the excessive use of resources and worsening issues (such as energy consumption, global warming, and sustainable development). Waste segregation is a crucial step in waste management, which involves dividing waste according to its characteristics and type. By following this procedure, recycling effectiveness is increased, the environmental impact is decreased, and hazardous material disposal is ensured. Beneficial waste segregation reduces contamination, making it possible to recover valuable materials and thus use fewer landfills. Even though the failings in waste segregation are a severe issue, insufficient research has been carried out. This includes research on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of people living in the UAE regarding waste segregation, information which is crucial to developing a successful intervention to address this problem. The current study evaluated the KAP concerning waste segregation among UAE citizens and identified correlations between KAP variables, with the primary aim of filling a research gap, while analyzing the correlations between sociodemographic characteristics and KAP levels, which was the secondary aim. This was accomplished by a cross-sectional study conducted all over the UAE. Data were collected from 391 participants using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire that was developed from previous research and investigated sociodemographic characteristics, waste segregation practices (5), attitudes (5), and knowledge (5). UAE University’s ethical committees approved this study (ERSC_2024_4360) for research, and the results were confirmed through statistical analyses and Cronbach’s alpha testing. The inclusion criteria targeted residents of the UAE who were 18 years of age or above, and the survey was distributed via an online platform (Google Forms) with non-probability sampling. G*Power statistical power analysis estimated a minimum sample size of 385 participants. To identify correlations in the results, a structural equation model (SEM) and SPSS, such as Chi-square tests and Spearman correlation coefficients, were used to assess the associations between KAP variables. These tests were chosen for their robustness in handling categorical and continuous data, respectively. A notable majority (84.1%) of the participants were female, and 15.9% were male; the gender difference was highly significant, as revealed by the Chi-square test. Most participants (67.0%) fell into the 18–24 age group. The highest level of education reported was a bachelor’s degree (47.3%). The parents’ educational levels showed a relatively high level of education, with more than half having at least a high school degree or higher: father’s education level (67.2%) and mother’s education level (73.1%). Most participants were students (58.8%), but a significant portion of the sample was employed (25.1%). Unemployment was reported at 12.3%. The parents’ employment statuses showed a higher percentage of unemployed mothers (49.4%) compared to fathers (6.9%). The average scores suggested a favorable inclination toward sustainability (mean ± standard deviation (SD) for knowledge, 3.59 ± 0.78; poor knowledge, 3.6%; and excellent knowledge, 16.9%), attitudes (3.73 ± 0.77; poor attitudes, 2.8%; and excellent attitudes, 22.5%), and practices (3.62 ± 0.76; poor practices, 2.3%; and excellent practices, 16.4%), with all the means surpassing the midpoint. In the correlation test, the current study demonstrated positive correlations between knowledge and attitudes (r = 0.666, p < 0.001) and between knowledge and practices (r = 0.682, p < 0.001). Also, a positive correlation (r = 0.159, p < 0.001) was found between general waste segregation KAP and sociodemographic variables, with a significant correlation (r = 0.110) between attitudes and gender. These findings emphasize the possibility of using focused educational and policy interventions to improve waste segregation behaviors. An additional investigation is advised to delve into the fundamental mechanisms behind these correlations and devise customized approaches to encourage sustainable waste management practices among various demographic groups in the UAE.