Okulumuzda 2022-2023 eğitim öğretim yılında yürütülen TÜRÇEV Çevrenin Genç Sözcüleri programı kapsamında Okul Müdürümüz Muammer Çalışıcı, müdür yardımcısı Didem Yüksel ve Matematik Öğretmeni Ali Rıza Başün koordinatörlügünde yürütülmektedir. Çevre kirliliğinin önlenmesinde geri dönüşümün önemini vurgulamak için yapılan çalışmada projede görev alan öğrencilerimiz arkadaşlarıyla röportaj yaparak ve okulumuzdaki geri dönüşüm çalışmaları ile ilgilie bilgiler toplayarak bir makale ele alınmıştır. Bu makalenin tamamı aşağıda sunulmuştur.
THE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING IN DEVELOPING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND RAISING AWARENESS
INTRODUCTION
Recycling is of great importance in terms of developing awareness of environmental protection and raising awareness. Recycling is an environmentally friendly practice that has many benefits such as the protection of natural resources, reducing the amount of waste and saving energy.
In today's world, problems such as depletion of natural resources, increasing amount of garbage and environmental pollution show that people should recycle and live an environmentally friendly life. Therefore, it is of great importance to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and recycling in schools.
Awareness-raising activities should be carried out in the society to emphasise the importance of recycling. Trainings on recycling should be given in schools, the use of environmentally friendly products should be encouraged, and the support of the society should be provided for the collection of recyclable materials. In this way, the importance of recycling will be recognised by more people and the awareness of protecting the environment will be developed.
DEVELOPMENT
It has been observed that there is a lot of environmental pollution in and around our school. As young spokespersons of the environment, we decided to conduct research on the source of this problem and solutions. For this research, we conducted interviews and surveys with 180 students (11-14 years old) in December 2022. In these questionnaires and interviews we conducted;
90% of them aren’t sensitive to the environment,
85% have no knowledge about how to protect the environment,
82% aren’t interested in the consequences of environmental problems,
81% don’t give importance to recycling,
It was determined that 75% of the students didn’t have information about energy resources.
It has been observed that there is consumption in the school every day, but students do not show the necessary care and sensitivity about the recycling of waste materials despite this consumption. It has been observed that our friends act unconsciously about recycling and this situation poses an important problem for our school. In the survey we conducted to reveal the reasons for this situation;
88% of the students have no knowledge about recycling,
85% don’t know how to separate materials,
80% could not establish a relationship between environmental pollution and recycling,
70% don’t know the location of recycling bins,
We determined that 60% of them could not give up their habits and continued their old habits.
In the studies conducted;
Vining and Embrou (1990), in their study, it was determined that individuals who have knowledge about recycling have high general environmental knowledge.
Simmons and Midmar (1990) stated that individuals who participate in recycling have high environmental awareness.
Domina and Koch (2002) stated in their study that recycling behaviours increase the environmental motivation of individuals.
Güleç (2012), in his comprehensive study on applied recycling of waste paper, stated that there was a significant increase in students' knowledge and awareness levels about environmental wastes.
Altınışık (2014) states that recycling has a great importance in increasing the welfare of the country.
The contribution of schools to recycling is very important because tonnes of waste are produced in schools every day. Wastes generated by students throwing away unused paper, plastic, glass, metal and other materials pollute the garbage collection areas and the environment. However, these wastes are recyclable materials and are beneficial for the environment. Implementing recycling in schools will help conserve natural resources, contribute to reducing the amount of rubbish and leave a cleaner world for future generations.
CONCLUSION
As a result, the importance of recycling in schools and the increase in awareness for recycling emphasise the importance of living an environmentally friendly life. Schools should educate students about recycling and ensure that they are aware of this issue. The implementation of recycling ensures the protection of natural resources and the prevention of environmental pollution.
Schools can also organise various activities to raise awareness about recycling. For example, recycling competitions, recycling themed boards, recycling activities and waste minimisation projects can attract students' attention and make them aware of recycling.
A few suggestions for raising recycling awareness and consciousness in students are listed below:
Education: Education is the most basic step for students to learn about recycling. By organising lectures and seminars on recycling, students can be informed about the importance of recycling, how it should be done, and the types of waste suitable for recycling.
Recycling Bins: By placing recycling bins in schools, we can ensure that students correctly sort the waste suitable for recycling. On these boxes, it should be clearly stated which materials should be thrown where.
Setting an Example: Teachers and staff should have recycling awareness as much as students have knowledge about recycling. Students will act according to the exemplary behaviour of teachers and staff.
Recycling Projects: Recycling projects can be carried out in order for students to learn more about recycling and gain awareness on this issue. For example, a project can be prepared on how to collect recyclable wastes at home and at school.
Environmental Activities: Environmental activities organised in schools are important to increase students' recycling awareness. For example, activities such as artworks made with recyclable materials, film screenings on recycling, recycling competitions can be organised.
Recycling Awareness Campaigns: Awareness campaigns that encourage student participation can be organised to increase recycling awareness at school. For example, you can attract the attention of students and families with brochures, posters and videos prepared with materials suitable for recycling.
REFERENCE
Altınışık, T. (2014). Ulusal Geri Dönüşüm. Bilim, Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı.
Domina, T. and Koch, K. 2002. Convenience and frequency of recycling: Implications for including textiles in curbside recycling programs., Environment and Behavior.
Güleç T. (2012). Kağıt ve Kağıt Geri Dönüşümü Hakkında İlköğretim Öğrencilerinin Bilgi Düzeyinin Ölçülmesi ve Çevre Bilincinin Oluşturulması, Eğitim Odağında Artvin Sempozyumu.
Vining, J. and Ebreo, A. (1992). Predicting recycling behavior from global and specific environmental attitudes and changes in recycling opportunities. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
Simmons D. and Widmar R. (1990). Motivations and barriers to recycling. Environmental Education.
https://www.cevko.org.tr/index.php?lang=tr
Adres:
Yavuz Selim Mah. Estergon Sok. No21 Canik/Samsun
Telefon
0 362 238 03 22