The Awareness of Senior High School Students to the Color-Coded Trash Bin

Segregation in Universities in Cebu City

Background Information of the Study

In July 2000, the Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of
2000) has been implemented by the Philippine government. This Act provides for an
ecological solid waste management program, creating the necessary institutional
mechanisms and incentives and for other purposes.
To encourage and facilitate the development of local plans, NSWMC is mandated
to publish guidelines for identification of areas with common waste management
problems and appropriate units for clustering solid waste management services. This is
to reinforce provisions of the Local Government Code for all provinces, cities,
municipalities, and barangays to consolidate or coordinate efforts, services, and
resources to establish common waste management are waste characterization and
segregation, source reduction, collection and transport of solid waste materials, recycling
programs and composting. (Aquino A., 2001)

The Department of Education was one of the concerned agencies from the country
who mandated the act through DO 5, S. 2014 - Implementing Guidelines on the
integration of "Gulayan sa Paaralan", Solid Waste Management and Tree Planting under
the National Greening Program (NGP).

Other laws and policies for solid wastes management in the Philippines are PD
825 (providing a penalty for improper disposal of garbage and other forms of
uncleanliness and other purposes), AO 1993-90 (creating a project management office
on Solid Waste Management under the presidential task force on waste management),
DAO 1998-50 (Adopting the landfill site identification and screening criteria for municipal
solid waste disposal facilities), DAO 1998-49 (Technical Guidelines for Municipal Solid
Waste Disposal), and MC 1988-39A (Amending Memorandum Circular No. 39-A, dated
Jan. 19, 1988, by Reconstituting The Presidential Task Force on Waste Management)
 Trash is a part of a student's life. Even in doing projects, assignments and school
activities. That's why students nowadays throw their trash everywhere not knowing the
proper segregation of waste. One reason is laziness, students tend to neglect the rules
of proper waste disposal. Another reason is the ignorance of students about proper
segregation of waste. Nowadays, they are unaware of the consequences of their
imprudent acts. Because of this, we experience serious environmental problems. It also
affects the health of the students. It can also cause air pollution and can cause skin
irritation to students because of the transmission of bacteria in the students' infected
wounds. The researchers conduct this study for students to be aware of the proper waste
segregation and to achieve a healthy and clean learning environment.

1. Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR)

– The researchers will promote the usage of the color-coded trash bins. To enlighten the
awareness of people of how their habits of disposing of wastes in the color-coded trash
bins would change. So, the community would be aware and cautious of environmental
policies when it comes to waste disposal and management.
2. Municipality of Calamba
- The researchers encourage and recommend them to make another effective advocacy
projects regarding the proper segregation of wastes.
3. Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba
- The researchers will provide useful information to the Colegio regarding the color-coded
trash bins effectiveness among the students, faculty, and staff of Colegio de San Juan de
Letran Calamba in segregate.
4. Properties and Maintenance Department of the Colegio
–the proposed study will be beneficial to the said department of the Colegio since the
research will give light on the current programs of segregation of waste in the Colegio,
this to allow other new programs that may be implemented in the Colegio.

Awareness of Sophomore CLSU students in Waste and Segregation

Management, Waste Segregation has been put into law since 2000 (RA 9003) and more
than a few years ago the same act was implemented in the Central Luzon State University
yet up to this day only an observable few follow or understand the rule. Almost all of the
trash bins in the whole CLSU premises are in color yellow (Di-nabubulok) and color green
(Nabubulok), and there are signs all over CLSU saying that there is a 300 peso fine for
those who would be caught littering. Even though seeing those warnings, most of the
students were observed to ignore those and go on throwing trash on the wrong bin or just
let the trash be on the ground perhaps thinking
“the janitor would clean it up”.
In a broader view, in 2010 Nueva Ecija ranked #3 in garbage production in the
Philippines (World Bank, 2010) leaving the province with greater responsibility to manage
our waste. It is a pain to know that our province is one of the leading contributors to
waste production. Having much garbage is just enough to be a worry, but managing that
enormous amount of garbage is another thing that we should worry about. In CLSU,
though the collectors are collecting the garbage on the bins almost every day, there are
trashes that are not in the bins and also the trash is mixed (biodegradable and non-
biodegradable all together) that makes it hard for recycling to happen.
Despite the University’s effort through the University Comprehensive
Environmental Management Plan, the said mixing of trash is often observed in the
university campus. The problem probably is most of the said colored trash bins are
distantly located in different places. In other places, sacks that are used for rice are
converted into trash bins.

As a researcher, it is essential to an institution to have an awareness about trash

segregation in which we the researchers, conducted a study about "The Awareness of
Senior High School Students to the Color-Coded Trash Bin Segregation in Universities in
Cebu City." For the students, not just in SWU, but also to other universities in Cebu as
well, to how essential the school cleanliness to students. The purpose of our research is
about the sanitation of the universities and how the students are aware of the color-coded
trash bin segregation. This research will also know if the students are keen enough to
maintain the cleanliness in the school campus and that they will not rely on campus janitor
to do their task.
 Discussion

The research is a descriptive type of research that is why the researchers’ research
paradigm shows the relationship in the boxes. In the first box the independent variable
which is the awareness of senior high school students, the dependent variable is the color
coded trash segregation and the next box shows the expected outcome of the research
which is the improved cleanliness in the campus, and there is a back arrow to the first
box, because the expected outcome is dependent on the awareness and how keen the
students in trash segregation.
 Research Paradigm

The Awareness of Color-Coded Trash Improved

Senior High School Segregation Cleanliness in the
Students Campus
 Review of Related Literature

The researchers from Lyceum of the Philippines University - Laguna stated that
applying color coding trash bins to the campuses will be effective on improving solid waste
management, specifically in the campus cafeteria as it is where, according to the study,
trash, garbage and rubbish were generated. It was estimated that the average daily waste
generation of the campus cafeteria was 16.3 kg per day. The researchers, therefore,
recommended that the color coding bins for
solid wastes are needed in implementing solid waste management. Preparing a set of
plan was also said to be necessary for the minimization of solid wastes since the study
identified the average daily waste generation of the campus cafeteria (Danao AR,
Watanabe MJ, Garcia EC, October 2016).

According to the study of Arving Navarro and Janrozl Campo (2014) from Central
Luzon State University, the respondents have knowledge about the RA 9003. However,
the students have low level of awareness about the Solid Waste Management Program
and the Solid Waste Segregation Program and lack awareness of the punishment for
those who will violate it. The students practice waste management at home but the
contrary happens regarding the segregation of wastes in their homes. (Arving Navarro
and Janrozl Campo, 2014).

Another study that examined the level of awareness, knowledge and practices of
primary and secondary schools students with regard to waste management conducted by
Im van Niekerk (2014), showed that the school children in Mpumalanga, South Africa
were aware of concerns with waste and waste management practices in their schools
and local environment. It was also apparent the school students had an acute awareness
that poor waste management would have a negative impact on the country as well as on
them as the individual. This prominent awareness was however not evident in the
students’ waste management practices. Good waste management practices activities
were minimal at both the school and home environment. The poor waste management
practice could potentially be linked to the inadequate knowledge illustrated by the
students in waste and waste management. (Im van Niekerk, 2014)

Researchers from the University of the Philippines Diliman wanted to find out that
despite segregation bins in their university the solid waste materials that are collected by
the personnel are still unsorted. After waste characterization and survey to the four
buildings in their university with selected trash bins, the researchers found out that the
segregation is not efficient with the waste characterization, and the majority of the
students that they surveyed answered that they are segregating. However, there are four
major factors/reasons that some did not segregate properly and that is; time, trash bin
design and appearance, environment and behavior towards segregation. (J.V. Marcial,
December 2016)

Albert P. Aquino and his fellow researchers addressed the Republic Act (RA) 9003
or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, a landmark environmental
legislation in the Philippines. They addressed that the RA 9003 stated that the policy of
the state in adopting a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste
management program that ensures the protection of public health and the environment
and the proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid
waste through the formulation and adoption of best environmental practices. To
summarize it all the RA 9003 illustrates that there are potentials and benefits of recycling
not only addressing waste management but also alleviating poverty. (Albert P. Aquino,
December 9, 2013)

The researcher from Western Michigan University, the current recycling and
material rates in the United States leave significant room for improvement. The
researcher also stated that individual variables affect the waste sorting behavior and
increasing recycling rates, the researcher also proposed to have different kinds or types
of recycling to be implemented, so that these individuals will have many options and a
behavioral analytic about what recycling really is. (Katherine J. Binder, December 2012)
 Open dumpsite approach as solid waste disposal method is a primitive stage of
solid waste management in many parts of the world. It is one of the most poorly rendered
services by municipal authorities in developing countries as the systems applied are
unscientific, outdated and inefficient. Solid waste disposal sites are found both within and
on the outskirts of developing urban cities. With increase in the global population and the
rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been a rise in the amount of waste
being generated daily by each household. This waste is ultimately thrown into municipal
disposal sites and due to poor and ineffective management, the dumpsites turn to sources
of environmental and health hazards to people living in the vicinity of such dumps. One
of the main aspects of concern is the pollution caused to the earth—be it land, air and
water. According to Nguyen, many cities in developing countries face serious
environmental degradation and health risks due to the weakly developed municipal solid
waste management system. Several studies have been conducted in order to examine
the health and environmental effects arising from waste dumps. Such studies showed
that a link exists between the two. The conclusion from this and other studies has led to
an increasing interest of researchers in the study relating to environmental pollution as
well as its effects on plants and animals. Few of
these studies examined the environmental and health implications of solid waste disposal
to people living in close proximity of wastes dumpsites. The ever-increasing consumption
of resources results in huge amounts of solid wastes from industrial and domestic
activities, which pose significant threats to human health. However, the ills of
inappropriately disposed municipal solid wastes are quite numerous to be mentioned.
Health deterioration, accidents, flood occurrences, and environmental pressures are just
a few of the negative effects. In many developing countries, solid waste disposal (Sankoh
FP, Yan X, Tran Q, 2013)

Like other developing countries, waste management has become a major problem
in the Philippines for the past decades. This paper provides an overview of the waste
management and recycling in the Philippines and the responses of the government to
address various problems brought about by improper waste management. It reviews the
policies related to waste management from 1938 to 2001, including the latest and perhaps
the most comprehensive solid waste management policy in the country, the Philippines
Republic Act 9003 (RA 9003). It presents the issues on the implementation of these
policies, the status of compliance by the local government, and the recent initiatives and
activities to promote proper waste management and recycling. Using the experiences of
some selected case studies, it illustrates the potential and benefits of recycling both in
addressing the waste management problems and in alleviating poverty. This paper
concludes that the application of good governance through participation of various
stakeholders, strong awareness campaigns, and promotion and replication of innovative
and appropriate technologies are necessary to achieve sound waste management and
sustainable recycling industry. (Kojima and Michida ed., Economic Integration and
Recycling in Asia: An Interim Report, Chosakenkyu Hokokusho, Institute of Developing
Economics, 2011)

Based on the researchers from Mindanao State University Maigo School of Arts
and Trades, they've stated that even though they've already pioneered the said program
there are still a lot of plenteous wastes after a several activities every week in there
campus. Most commonly wastes came from shopworks in the different laboratories from
their school. The objective of their study was to identify the quantity of awareness and
practices of on solid waste management among college students of MSU-MSAT. The
outcome on the relative studies was that there are a high average of students that was
more aware of segregation of wastes from biodegradable to non biodegradable and low
average about republic act 9003 (Margarita C. Paghasian ,2017)

Scope and Delimitation

The focal point of this study was to determine the awareness of Senior High School
Students to the color-coded trash bin segregation .This study focused only on the factors
namely;the awareness of the Senior High School Students ,which is the independent
variable,in correlation to the dependent variable, which was the color-coded trash bin
segregation.The time frame of the study is based on the first semester of the school year
2019-2020.There are 60 senior high school students as respondents.20 respondents in
USJR(University of San Jose-Recolletos),20 also in USC(University of San Carlos) and
20 in CIT-U(Cebu Institute of Technology University),Cebu City.

The weakness of the study is that the researchers will have a hard time in looking
for respondents for the researchers are conducting the study to different
universities.However,the expected weakness will be handled by the researchers for they
have connections to the said universities.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to benefit the following:

Students:
The researchers aims the students to benefit when they read the research
so that they will become aware of the proper segregation.

Workers in the Dumping Site:

This study will help a lot of workers that are working to the dump site for
they will not have a hard time arranging where the plastics should be put and so as to the
other members.
Maintenance in the school:
This study will help the people in the maintenance for they will not be having a hard
time to clean the trash for the students will know the proper trash bin on where to throw
their trash and they will no longer segregate it.

Future Researchers:
This study will captivate other researchers to use other subjects to conduct this
study; The researchers can further elaborate and discover some additional explanation.