Abstract.
This study focused on determining the usefulness of MAVAC Technique which utilized eco-friendly bags in recycling used dry paper and plastic wrappers among Grade 7 Durian and Makopa students of Baybay National High School in Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines. Specifically, it intended to determine the respondents’ level of attitude towards the use of eco-friendly bags before and after using them. It also aspired to determine whether or not there is a significant difference in their level of attitude towards the use of eco-friendly bags before and after its actual use. In this research, a pretest-post-test approach to a Quasi-Experimental research design was utilized. Wilcoxon-Signed Rank Test was used in interpreting data. Results of this study revealed that the mean pretest score of the students is 3.08 which rose up to 4.62 in the post-test. It was also found out that there is a significant difference between the pretest and post-test scores of the respondents at 1% level of significance. Findings of the study disclosed that the use of eco-friendly bags in recycling used dry paper and plastic wrappers can be an effective means to solve/minimize the school’s problem on solid waste management.
Keywords: eco-friendly bags; paper and plastic; Quasi-experimental; pretest; post-test
1.0 Introduction
Rationale
Waste, according to Gupta & Sharma (2023), pertains to anything which is considered as unwanted or no longer needed and is thrown away from households, industrial firms, or agricultural entities on a large scale. The major type of waste is solid waste which is characterized by being hard and occupies space such as plastics, woods, papers, and even food leftovers.
The three topmost sources of solid wastes around the world are China, India, and the USA (Nanda and Berruti, 2021). In India alone, 143,449 metric tons of solid wastes were produced daily in 2013 which rose up to 62 million tons annually in 2021 (Mohanty et al., 2022). It has also been projected that due to lack of a proper solid waste management system, the total volume of wastes in developing nations will skyrocket up to three times in 2050.
Karim and Wetterhan (2020) conducted a comparative study on solid waste management in the United States, Europe, and Asia where purposive sampling was used. Results showed that Europe ranked first followed by the United States while Asia had the lowest score among the three. This shows that the Philippines, being a part of Asia, is still finding effective ways to solve this problem.
Since solid waste management deeply concerns the Filipinos, the Philippine Government enacted Republic Act (R.A.) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. This act established a unique ecological way to manage solid wastes by supporting waste reduction, recycling, and proper waste disposal. Appropriate penalties for the violations are imposed and strengthened public awareness and participation in promoting a cleaner, greener, and healthier environment. Cadungog (2024) stressed out that the problem on solid waste management also concerns most schools in the Philippines. Fleming (2011) added that students need to look into their own habits, consider how this problem can be solved, and develop a sense of personal responsibility on waste segregation and its environmental impact.
In accordance with R.A. 9003, The Department of Education-Regional Office VIII issued Regional Memorandum No. 061, s. 2021 which underscored strict compliance to proper segregation of wastes in all public offices and schools. Schumpert and Dietz (2015) posits that the brimming trash cans require an immediate solution.
In Baybay National High School, different strategies had been lobbied by the school’s SWM Team. However, based on their most recent report, there are still sections whose garbage was not properly segregated. According to the school’s Supreme Student Government (SSG) Officers’ report, plastics and used papers mixed up inside garbage bins.
The researchers were thinking that if the students will learn proper waste segregation and recycling at the classroom level, they will be encouraged to do the same in their respective homes and communities. This prompted them to propose MAVAC technique which is coined after the name of one of its implementer, Maria Aillen Valenzona Alkuino-Cabahug.
This proposed intervention is unique because it starts at the classroom level and if this study will yield a significant result, it will be proposed by the researchers that eco-friendly bags will be used by the students in other sections and even in other schools within the division.
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