ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL-BASED RECYCLING PROGRAMMES ON WASTE MANAGEMENT BEHAVIOUR AMONG STUDENTS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN DELTA STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships between awareness of school-based recycling programmes, availability of recycling facilities, participation in school-based recycling programmes, and waste management behaviour among Social Studies undergraduate students in tertiary institutions in Delta State. The study was guided by four research questions and three hypotheses. It adopted a correlational survey research design. The population comprised all 230 Social Studies undergraduate students in the College of Education, Warri; College of Education, Mosogar; University of Delta, Agbor; and Delta State University, Abraka during the 2024 academic session. Due to the relatively small population size, no sampling was necessary; hence, all 230 students were included in the study. Data were collected using a researcher-designed structured questionnaire titled Waste Management Behaviour and Recycling Practices Questionnaire (WMBRPQ), which comprised sections on demographic data, waste management behaviour, awareness of school-based recycling programmes, availability of recycling facilities, and participation in school-based recycling programmes. The instrument was validated by experts and yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.86 after pilot testing. Data analysis included descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), with a criterion mean of 2.50 used to categorize waste management behaviour as positive or negative, alongside inferential statistics such as Pearson’s correlation coefficient and simple linear regression to examine relationships and predictive influences. Findings revealed that students demonstrated negative behaviour towards waste management and there was a significant positive influence of awareness of school-based recycling programmes, availability of recycling facilities, and participation in school-based recycling programmes on waste management behaviour. The study recommended strengthening environmental education campaigns, increasing the provision of recycling facilities and encouraging student-led recycling and clean-up initiatives to promote sustainable environmental practices in tertiary institutions.