Developing a Solid Waste Management Policy through Young Generation’s View: A Case of School Children in Matara District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The acceleration of the accumulation of solid waste is a major national issue that needs a quick attention in Sri Lanka at present. The lack of policy framework triggers this situation. Exploration of attitude and perception at the grass-root level motivate to build a strong policy foundation to stand as a better and healthy nation in future. Therefore, this study explores young generation’s view on solid waste management with the aim of developing a solid waste management policy. The study used two methodologies: questionnaire survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) method. A sample survey of 1000 respondents from five randomly selected schools in Matara, Sri Lanka was conducted in late 2019. In PRA, students were grouped as 10-15 students per group. The data were analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study results related to survey indicated that: (1) majority (52.4%) of students were highly aware and already engaged in solid waste management practices; (2) gender significantly shapes (Mean male = 4.01 Mean female = 4.82; t =4.30 p=0.000) their perception on readiness of using solid waste management practices; stressing the importance of considering gender in solid waste management policies. Based on the results of PRA, study suggests that an effective solid waste management policy should mainly be focused on 3R concept.