Doğal Yaşam Tıbbı Dergisi

Öz

In parallel with the rapid increase in the world population, the use of natural resources and the amount of waste generated are also increasing rapidly. Zero waste management, which aims to prevent waste at its source, will achieve its purpose thanks to generations who are knowledgeable about zero waste and are sensitive to the environment, and will minimize the damage of waste to the environment and human health. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of adult individuals residing in the Karatay District of Konya province on zero waste.
This cross-sectional study was conducted by applying a questionnaire and environmental behavior scale on adults aged 18-65 residing in the Karatay district of Konya province between September 20, 2021 and November 20, 2021. The data of the survey were analyzed in computer environment. While analyzing, Excel package program and IBM SPSS 20.0 package programs were used. For the tests performed, the statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05.
A total of 400 people participated in the research. The mean age of the participants was 35.85±11.38 years, 65.0% were women, 74.0% were married, and 41.8% were university graduates. It was seen that 74.0% of the respondents were aware of zero waste, and 56.0% were aware of the zero waste management carried out in their district. 83.8% of the participants stated that they were not informed by the authorities. The rate of those who misunderstood the color of the bags used for plastic waste was 79.3%. The rate of those who separate the wastes according to their qualities is 33.5%. The rate of those who throw electronic devices into waste containers is 14.0%, the rate of those who separate the food and throw it away is 36.5%, and the rate of those who dispose of frying oil by accumulating is 52.0%. In the answers given by the individuals who participated in the survey to the questions about the environmental behavior scale, an average of 64.22±11.62 points (min:20.00-max:100.00), the average of the individuals who graduated from high school or below is 61.80±12, It was observed that individuals scored 80 points, and an average of 66.84±10.61 points in university and higher graduations. While the individuals with the lowest income level had information about zero waste at the rate of 61.8%, those with the highest income level had information about zero waste at the rate of 90%.
As a result, in our study to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of people about zero waste in Karatay District, as seen in previous similar studies, people's environmental awareness and in this context, their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about zero waste were not at a sufficient level. It was seen that as the educational level of the individuals participating in our study increased, their knowledge about zero waste increased, and their attitudes and behaviors were shaped as a more environmentally sensitive individual. Similarly, it was observed that as the income level of the participants increased, their awareness level about zero waste also increased. In this direction, emphasis should be given to trainings and incentive studies should be carried out in order to turn knowledge into behavior.