Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour (KAB) of Student Community Towards Electronic Waste – A Case Study

Objectives: This study would help us understand the awareness level, attitude of students and their behaviour towards e-waste generation, segregation and disposal in academic institutions in Bengaluru. Methods/Analysis: Students who are in high school were part of the respondent group as they are one of the major producers of e-waste due to implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Higher Education. The study tests the Knowledge-Attitude- Behaviour (KAB) model with the students on usage of electronic waste. A survey instrument was deployed to a sample size of 335 students for the study. Findings: The study on the students’ knowledge, attitude and behaviour reveals that as and when there is an increase in the awareness and knowledge about e-waste; there is a positive change in the attitude towards e-waste generation, segregation and disposal. The respondents of the current study being students at the high school level, it is found that most of them have sufficient knowledge about e-waste handling. This is due to the fact that they are being exposed to environment related activities on regular basis. A change in the attitude leads to modification in the behaviour which is essential for the benefit of a larger society. Students feel that producers of electronic products must be responsible for the scientific disposal. Government authorities must come out with stringent regulations to ensure this. Application/ Improvements: The study on the high school students in the current scenario is essential to analyze as this group of future generation has high usage and disposal of electronic products.