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Effect of Plastic Waste Awareness on Plastic Waste Disposal Practices among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Plastic waste has become an important environmental and public health concern in Nigeria, particularly in urban and institutional settings where the widespread use of plastic bottles, sachets, packaging materials, bags, and other single-use plastics contributes to increasing volumes of solid waste. Improper disposal of plastic waste may result in blocked drainage systems, flooding, environmental pollution, degradation of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and potential health risks associated with polluted environments. University students are important participants in environmental health promotion because their consumption and disposal behaviours can influence the quantity of plastic waste generated within university communities. Plastic waste awareness provides students with information about the environmental and health consequences of plastic pollution, sources and types of plastic waste, appropriate disposal methods, recycling, reuse, waste reduction, and the importance of reducing dependence on single-use plastics. Plastic waste disposal practices refer to the behaviours students adopt in storing, separating, reusing, recycling, collecting, and disposing of plastic waste. In Nigeria, inadequate awareness, limited recycling facilities, poor waste collection systems, convenience, consumption patterns, and established disposal habits may influence students' plastic waste disposal practices. Effective plastic waste awareness may improve environmental knowledge and encourage responsible plastic waste disposal. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of plastic waste awareness on plastic waste disposal practices among university students in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework. The Health Belief Model explains environmental health behaviour through perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action, providing a basis for understanding students' decisions to adopt appropriate plastic waste disposal practices. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, behavioural capabilities, and environmental conditions in shaping environmental behaviour. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework provides a basis for examining how improved awareness and attitudes resulting from plastic waste education may influence disposal practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how plastic waste awareness may influence plastic waste disposal practices among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from undergraduate students in selected universities in Nigeria using a structured self-administered questionnaire and an observational waste disposal checklist. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, universities, faculties or departments, academic levels, and eligible students. Where feasible, selected student groups will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Students in the intervention group will receive structured plastic waste awareness education covering sources and types of plastic waste, environmental and health consequences of plastic pollution, waste reduction, reuse, recycling, segregation, appropriate disposal methods, single-use plastic reduction, and available campus waste management systems. Plastic waste disposal practices will be assessed using indicators such as proper use of waste bins, waste segregation, recycling, reuse of plastic materials, avoidance of indiscriminate dumping, reduction of single-use plastics, appropriate disposal of plastic bottles and sachets, and participation in campus environmental sanitation activities. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' sociodemographic characteristics, plastic waste awareness, exposure to education, and disposal practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the effect of plastic waste awareness on plastic waste disposal practices. Appropriate diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that plastic waste awareness has a significant positive effect on plastic waste disposal practices among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured plastic waste awareness education are expected to demonstrate improved understanding of the environmental and health consequences of plastic pollution and greater adoption of responsible disposal practices. Education may encourage proper use of waste bins, segregation of plastic waste, recycling and reuse, reduction of single-use plastics, avoidance of indiscriminate dumping, and greater participation in campus environmental initiatives. However, awareness alone may not guarantee sustained behavioural change because students may continue to face barriers such as inadequate recycling facilities, insufficient waste bins, irregular waste collection, limited incentives for recycling, convenience, and the widespread availability of single-use plastic products. Consequently, plastic waste awareness is expected to be most effective when supported by accessible recycling facilities, adequate waste bins, reliable collection systems, campus environmental policies, and active student participation. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on plastic pollution, environmental health, waste management, environmental education, university health, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the effect of plastic waste awareness on plastic waste disposal practices among university students. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, state environmental protection agencies, National Universities Commission, university administrations, environmental health officers, student affairs departments, waste management agencies, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for reducing plastic pollution in educational institutions. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening campus-based plastic waste education, improving recycling infrastructure, increasing availability of waste collection points, promoting plastic reduction and reuse, strengthening university environmental policies, and encouraging sustainable plastic waste disposal practices among university students across Nigeria.

Keywords: Plastic waste awareness, plastic waste disposal practices, university students, plastic pollution, waste management, recycling, environmental health, environmental education, waste disposal, sustainability, public health, Nigeria.