Authors:

Bhavna Parwani, Samrin Mirza

Abstract:

Municipality Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is an absolute challenge for the nation because it affects the resources and the economy adversely. The rapid growth of urbanization has many adverse impacts on waste management, making it one of the major problems of the developing nations. Research studies indicate that 90% of municipality solid waste finds its ways into open dumps, with severe health hazards and environmental degradations.

The Pirana landfill in Ahmedabad is one such example receiving approximately 4,000 metric tonnes of waste daily. One of the major reasons for poor management of waste is the lack of environmental awareness, irresponsible civic behaviour and inadequate education. Hence it si most necessary to impart environmental education, especially at school levels to bridge the gap in habits, attitudes, and behaviour towards waste-disposal practices. Against this background, the paper emphasizes waste management education delivered at Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB) schools in Ahmedabad. A set of primary data from 24 schools were collected by making use of structured questionnaires filled by school teachers.

The findings suggest that although schools adopt several methods of teaching imparting positive attitudes and practices regarding waste disposal among students is still a big issue. The study further discusses the waste disposal practices at school level and found that 61.5% schools rely on municipal services to dispose of waste generated within their premises. It also concludes and calls for increasing the strength of environmental education, upgrading the hands-on training of teachers, and implementing changes to the curriculum to mitigate these issues effectively.

Keywords:

Ahmedabad, School, GSEB, Waste Management Education

Vol & Issue:

VOL.17, ISSUE No.4, December 2025