See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/318469240

Survey on awareness and attitudes of secondary school students regarding

plastic pollution: implications for environmental education and public health
in Sharjah city, UAE

Article  in  Environmental Science and Pollution Research · July 2017

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9625-x

CITATIONS READS

2 4,795

7 authors, including:

Mohammad Bakri Hammami Anas Hashem

University of Sharjah University of Sharjah
8 PUBLICATIONS   2 CITATIONS    3 PUBLICATIONS   2 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Nihar Dash
University of Sharjah
29 PUBLICATIONS   303 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Incidence, Trends and Survival Rates of Cardiac Sarcoma View project

Health education and Behavioral psychology View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Nihar Dash on 08 February 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Survey on awareness and attitudes of
secondary school students regarding plastic
pollution: implications for environmental
education and public health in Sharjah
city, UAE
Mohammad Bakri Alaa Hammami,
Eman Qasem Mohammed, Anas
Mohammad Hashem, Mina Amer Al-
Khafaji, Fatima Alqahtani, Shaikha
Alzaabi, et al.
Environmental Science and Pollution
Research

ISSN 0944-1344

Environ Sci Pollut Res

DOI 10.1007/s11356-017-9625-x

1 23
Your article is protected by copyright and
all rights are held exclusively by Springer-
Verlag GmbH Germany. This e-offprint is
for personal use only and shall not be self-
archived in electronic repositories. If you wish
to self-archive your article, please use the
accepted manuscript version for posting on
your own website. You may further deposit
the accepted manuscript version in any
repository, provided it is only made publicly
available 12 months after official publication
or later and provided acknowledgement is
given to the original source of publication
and a link is inserted to the published article
on Springer's website. The link must be
accompanied by the following text: "The final
publication is available at link.springer.com”.

1 23
 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res
DOI 10.1007/s11356-017-9625-x
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Survey on awareness and attitudes of secondary school students
regarding plastic pollution: implications for environmental
education and public health in Sharjah city, UAE
Mohammad Bakri Alaa Hammami 1 & Eman Qasem Mohammed 1 &
Anas Mohammad Hashem 1 & Mina Amer Al-Khafaji 1 & Fatima Alqahtani 1 &
Shaikha Alzaabi 1 & Nihar Dash 2
Received: 3 November 2016 / Accepted: 26 June 2017
# Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2017
Abstract Since the industrial revolution in the 1800s, plastic
pollution is becoming a global reality. This study aims to
assess knowledge and attitude about plastic pollution among
secondary school students in Sharjah city, United Arab
Emirates. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400
students in 6 different secondary schools in Sharjah city. Self-
administered questionnaires were distributed through proba-
bility stratified random sampling method between February
and April 2016. Majority of the population understands how
harmful plastic wastes are to the environment (85.5%).
However, the students’ mean knowledge score was 53%, with
females (P < 0.01), grades 11 and 12 (P = 0.024), and students
whose mothers were more educated (P = 0.014) being more
knowledgeable and inclined towards pro-environmental be-
havior. Yet, all students showed tendency to be involved in
the fighting against this dilemma. Strategies which address
deficiencies, provide incentives for change, and assure gov-
ernmental support along with environmental education are
needed to bridge the information gap and enhance opportuni-
ties to adopt pro-environmental behaviors.
Keywords Plastics . Pollution . Environmental awareness .
Public health . Secondary school
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
* Mohammad Bakri Alaa Hammami
U00041488@sharjah.ac.ae
1
College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Post Box No. 27272,
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
2
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Sharjah
University, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Introduction
It is well known that plastics—as inexpensive yet durable ma-
terials—have been widely used globally in all aspects of daily
life and have facilitated the advances of the society by various
means. They have been beneficial in many fields, including
transportation, telecommunication, food, clothing, and
healthcare industries (Andrady and Neal 2009). According to
North and Halden (2013), the annual production of plastic
around the world has exceeded 300 million metric tons.
Plastic pollution: where the journey starts
This increased production and widespread utilization, howev-
er, has its own negative impacts on the globe because a lot of
disposed plastic products end up becoming litter, waste, and
pollution (Greber 2015). According to Raman Sharma &
Sharma (2014), the one to blame is not the plastic but the
misuse of the human beings to plastic. Pandey (2016) found
that each of the plastic categories has a different composition
and therefore carries its own harms on human life.
It is believed that some plastic products are resistant to degra-
dation under the effect of sun and/or microorganisms and can
persist in the environment for thousands of years, facilitating
continuous exposure to ingredients in plastics and increasing
the risk of their accumulation, which gives the chance for their
harmful effects to appear (Stevens 2002; UNEP 2017). These
effects include destruction of the habitat’s natural beauty
(Adane and Muleta 2011), injury and death of wild and sea
animals (Verghese et al. 2006; Gregory 2009), and blockage of
sewerage systems which assists the spread of many infectious
diseases (Ellis et al. 2005). In addition, the process of plastic
production contributes to the global warming and air pollution
(Verghese et al. 2006; Ellis et al. 2005).
 Author's personal copy
Marine environment and microplastics: a growing
concern
Plastic wastes were documented as a problem in the marine
environment since the 1970s. Only recently, however, has it
been identified as a global threat (Eriksen et al. 2013).
Petroleum-based plastics have stable carbon-hydrogen bonds,
which accounts for its durability and resistance to environ-
mental degradation. Due to its strong nature, plastic wastes
accumulate in rivers, lakes, and oceans causing all sorts of
problems to the marine life. Microplastics are a notable source
of marine plastic pollution in the recent years (Wu et al. 2016).
Microplastics are small fragments (<5 mm) of plastic which
come from two primary sources: (1) microbeads, which are
manufactured microplastics commonly made from polyethyl-
ene and polypropylene, used in many facial cleansers, tooth
pastes, and hand scrubs, and (2) plastic debris that is degraded
by multiple biological, physical, and chemical factors. The
ecological impact of microplastic pollution lies in its ability
to absorb toxic hydrophobic compounds and escape the
wastewater treatment of fresh water as well as potential danger
on sea creatures and ocean life (Xanthos and Walker 2017;
Wu et al. 2016).
Plastic litter and its consequences in the United Arab
Emirates
The rapid growth of the population, and hence the increased
demands of plastic manufacturing, and the fact that it is a
country rich in petrochemicals eventually led the UAE to be-
come one of the biggest plastic waste producers in the world.
During the last 15 years, the country has witnessed its fastest
economic progress in areas of construction, manufacturing,
and real estate. Seventy-five percent of the total UAE waste
comes from construction sites and buildings (27.7 million tons
in Dubai alone in 2007), out of which more than 10% is
plastic. Recycling is a major way of disposal of plastics in
UAE. However, the overwhelming production of waste ex-
ceeds its safe disposal capacity which resulted in plastic waste
problems recently (Al-Hajj and Hamani 2011).
Being located in a desert landscape and a dry climate where
there is no fresh water supply, UAE’s main fresh water re-
source is through desalinating and bottling sea water. Hot
climate, availability and cheapness of water bottles, and lack
of population knowledge about plastic pollution have signifi-
cantly increased the levels of plastic bottle consumption. In
UAE alone, the average annual consumption of plastic water
bottles was equivalent to 43 gal (450 bottles) per resident in
2011, which ranked UAE as the country with the fourth
highest level of bottled water consumption in the world.
With the addition of 11 billion plastic bags estimated to be
used annually, there is an overall waste production of 912.5 kg
per person every year, which is not only affecting the nature
Environ Sci Pollut Res
and human health but also causing massive negative effects on
animals. For instance, it is predicted that 50% of camels in
UAE die because of ingestion of plastic products, which cal-
cify in their stomach and eventually kill them (Pandey 2016).
The road ahead: current and future aims
Several measures are being employed to reduce the negative
impacts of plastic products, including recycling, ban of distri-
bution of these products, and application of taxes or fees
(López and Martín 2015). Additional methods include
landfilling, incineration, and biodegradation (North and
Halden 2013). Yet, despite all the efforts to reduce the problem
of plastic pollution, plastic products are still widely used by
the community, especially plastic bags, mainly due to their
cheapness (Adane and Muleta 2011).
Increased knowledge and awareness about environmental
dilemmas are assumed to change environmental attitudes, and
all in turn are presumed to strongly influence environmental
behavior and decrease irresponsible human practices towards
nature (Kollmuss and Agyeman 2002). Environmental aware-
ness does not only refer to the mere simplistic information
about environment. Awareness includes—in the broad
sense—causes of the environmental problems, contributors,
effects, and long-term impacts.
Although the general public in UAE has relatively less influ-
ence on policy, simple community behaviors can reduce plastic
hazards significantly. To that end, education is the only tool that
can be utilized during this crucial time against the social igno-
rance regarding such a threatening environmental issue, particu-
larly among students, which represent the most significant group
in the fight against plastic pollution, in the sense of being the
future educated workforce, industry developers, and
policymakers. Moreover, being the future backbone of the coun-
try, they can influence more people to raise their awareness re-
garding this emerging problem (Kong et al. 2014).
Aim and significance of this paper
Although littering plastic wastes is the ultimate cause of pol-
lution, in this study we target a step behind in the cycle: plastic
consumption. Lack of research in this field raises many ques-
tions regarding the knowledge of the society about this issue
and whether they are willing to change their patterns of plastic
consumption. Our aim is to assess the level of awareness,
attitudes, and behaviors regarding plastic pollution among
secondary school students in Sharjah city, UAE. This research
will provide an insight into the opinions of the students re-
garding this issue and their behaviors and actions concerning
plastic products. Furthermore, this research can serve as the
basis for future governmental plans, public organizations, and
private initiatives that can help reduce the extent of this grow-
ing threat.
 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res
Methods
Design of the study
This cross-sectional study was conducted among secondary
school students in six governmental Arabic schools in Sharjah
city, United Arab Emirates (UAE), during the period from
February to April 2016. The main target population was
Arabic students in governmental schools in Sharjah city who
were in grade 10, 11, and 12 available at the time of data
collection. Participants that did not match the criteria were
excluded.
Sample of the study
Minimum sample size was calculated using the formula n
ð1−PÞ
¼ 4PME 2 (n: sample size, P: expected prevalence, ME: margin
of error) and rounded up to the nearest hundred to reduce the
margin of error. Expected prevalence (knowledge) was 74%
based on a similar study done in Malaysia (Aminrad et al.
2013). Based on that, the sample size was equal to 400. A
probability stratified random sampling method was utilized.
Four hundred participants were chosen from six secondary
schools that were randomly selected out of a list of Arabic
governmental secondary schools in Sharjah provided by the
ministry of education, three male and three female schools.
Equal numbers of students were picked up randomly from
each school and stratified according to gender and year of
study equally.
Instrument of the study
A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was developed
based on previous studies conducted elsewhere. A pilot study
was done on a sample of 15 subjects, and then the question-
naire was modified and reviewed by the Family and
Community Medicine Department; it was determined as valid
and reliable for the purpose of this study. After obtaining the
necessary consents from the school authority, the team went
into classrooms and explained the research objective and the
process of gathering information. The questionnaires were
then distributed to the students. Investigators were present
during the data collection process to answer queries raised
by the students.
Each student was asked 34 questions regarding knowledge,
perception, and attitudes towards plastic pollution; the ques-
tionnaire was divided into three sections. First section pre-
sents demographics and background of the participants.
Second section measures knowledge of students regarding var-
ious aspects of plastic pollution. Each correct answer was
given a score of 1. Total knowledge score was out of 11, which
then was converted to a percentage for comparison and
analysis. Third section involves attitudes and general
practices of the participants. A 5-point Likert scale was used
to determine the attitude of the participants towards plastic
pollution. The rank was from 1 to 5, with 1 being “Strongly
Disagree” and 5 being “Strongly agree.”
Ethical consideration and consent
Before distributing the questionnaires, we made sure to clearly
explain the study and its aims, and to ensure the privacy and
the secrecy of information that will be collected. A written
consent from both students and parents was obtained, and
those who did not sign the consent form were excluded from
the study. Those who could not attend the questionnaire by
themselves were assisted by data collectors. Data was stored
along with the consent forms with the research investigators
and treated with strict confidentiality.
Data analysis
Data was compiled in MS Excel 2013 spread sheet and ana-
lyzed using SPSS version 22 software. Chi-squared test was
employed for identifying statistical difference between cate-
gorical variables, t test to compare mean scores of males and
females, and one-way ANOVA to compare mean scores with
grades. Correlation rules were applied to measure strength of
relations. A multiple linear regression model was used to ex-
amine the effects of various students’ characteristics on
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. All assumptions were
tested and met using SPSS. Dummy variables were used to
replace the independent categorical variables in simple regres-
sion. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically
significant. Results were obtained and compared to those of
previous articles to evaluate and conclude.
Results
Background information
A total of 399 questionnaires were completed by individuals
that matched inclusion criteria. The response rate was 99.75%.
Demographics of the sample are all summarized and pre-
sented in Table 1.
Knowledge about plastic pollution: sources of knowledge
and awareness about environmental and health impacts
Most of the participants (85.5% (n = 341)) consider plastic
wastes to be harmful to the environment. However, when
knowledge regarding various aspects of plastic pollution was
taken into account, the mean percentage was less than 52.11%
[SD = ±19.259]. When comparing different demographic
 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res

Table 1 Demographics of the sample R2 = 0.086 (8.6%). All three variables were statistically sig-
Variable/category Percentage (frequency) nificant to the model at P < 0.05. Regression analysis results
are shown in Table 2.
Gender Male 48.9% (n = 195)
Female 51.1% (n = 204)
Plastic utilization: awareness about trend and perceived
Age 15 or below 10.6% (n = 42)
causes
16 to 17 74.6% (n = 297)
18 to 19 13.3% (n = 53)
Only 18.8% of students think that plastic utilization is decreas-
More than 19 1.5% (n = 6)
ing by virtue of increased population awareness (47.3%) and
Year of study Grade 10 30.8% (n = 123)
availability of alternatives (44.6%). However, the vast major-
Grade 11 33.6% (n = 134)
ity of participants correctly perceived the utilization of plastic
Grade 12 35.6% (n = 142)
as increasing (81.2%), with participants choosing the high
Nationality Emirati 90.7% (n = 362)
availability (56.8%), low costs (38%), and lack of awareness
Non-Emirati 8.8% (n = 35)
(21%) as the most important causes of this rise (Fig. 1).
Mother’s educational level Pre-university 69.4% (n = 272)
Graduate 30.6% (n = 120)
Father’s educational level Pre-university 72.2% (n = 280) Plastic disposal: perception and behaviors
Graduate 27.8% (n = 108)
The participants were asked about the ways they used to dis-
pose plastic wastes, and most of them (81.5%) dispose of
these products in the dustbin, although the majority (77.2%)
aspects to the respondents’ knowledge scores regarding plas-
knew that the best way of plastic disposal is recycling. Most of
tic pollution and its effects, higher percentages were noticed in
them (81.5%) also chose the correct answer (i.e., landfill/
females [r = 0.305, P = 0.000], grade 11 and 12 students
recycling) regarding the fate of used plastic products in
[r = 0.21, P = 0.024], and participants whose mothers were
UAE. The areas with highest pollution as chosen by the par-
more educated [r = 0.2, P = 0.014] (Table 2).
ticipants were industrial areas (82%), waste dumping sites
The best sources of knowledge about these environmental
(65.7%), and crowded residential areas (39.4%) (Fig. 2).
issues as chosen by the participants are Internet (34.6%) and
awareness campaigns (24.5%). All knowledge questions with
participants’ responses are summarized in Table 3. Perception about best methods to reduce plastic pollution
Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to pre-
dict the knowledge score from gender, year of study, and Participants chose eco-friendly products (36.5%), of which
mother’s level of education. These variables significantly pre- the most preferred is glass (42.7%), and awareness campaigns
dicted knowledge score, F (3, 395) = 10.447, P < 0.001, (31.2%) as the best methods to reduce the use of plastic

Table 2 Comparing different variables to knowledge about plastic pollution and level of plastic utilization

Variable/category Utilization Knowledge

Low Moderate High (P value) Correlation Regression

P value B value (95% CI)

Gender Male 53% 31.5% 15.4% 0.153 <0.001 9.730 (6.06–13.4)

Female 43.9% 38.1% 18%
Year of study Grade 10 50.6% 30.1% 19.3% 0.246 0.024 2.688 (0.37–5.0)
Grade 11 38% 44.6% 17.4%
Grade 12 55.8% 30.1% 14.2%
Nationality Emirati 48.1% 34.5% 17.4% 0.519 0.839 –
Non-Emirati 51.7% 37.9% 10.3%
Mother’s educational level Pre-university 48.3% 36.3% 15.4% 0.808 0.010 5.140 (1.0–9.25)
Graduate 48.1% 31.6% 20.3%
Father’s educational level Pre-university 48.2% 34.2% 17.6% 0.709 0.196 –
Graduate 48.9% 35.6% 15.6%
Total sample plastic utilization 48.6% 34.7% 16.7% – – –

Significant values are indicated in bold

 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res

Table 3 Responses on the knowledge questions about different aspects of plastic pollution

Correctly answered Incorrectly answered

Do you think plastic wastes can harm the environment? (Yes) 85.5% (n = 341) 14.5% (n = 58)
Does plastic pollution lead to lung problems? (Yes) 46.6% (n = 186) 53.4% (n = 213)
Does plastic pollution lead to skin problems? (Yes) 37.6% (n = 150) 62.4% (n = 249)
Does plastic pollution lead to reproductive problems? (Yes) 20.6% (n = 82) 79.4% (n = 317)
Does plastic pollution lead to negative effects on brain functions? (No) 36.3% (n = 145) 63.7% (n = 269)
Does plastic pollution lead to heart problems? (Yes) 32.6% (n = 130) 67.4 (n = 269)
Does plastic pollution lead to cancers? (Yes) 45.1% (n = 180) 54.9% (n = 219)
Does plastic pollution lead to growth and maturation problems? (No) 29.1% (n = 116) 70.9% (n = 283)
In the UAE, what happens to most of the plastic products after being 81.5% (n = 325) 18.5% (n = 74)
disposed? (Goes to landfill or gets recycled)
What is the best disposal method for the environment? (Recycling them) 77.2% (n = 308) 22.8% (n = 91)
Do you think that the trend of utilization of plastic products is increasing 81.2% (n = 324) 18.8% (n = 75)
or decreasing? (Increasing)

products (Fig. 3). The majority (71.2%) also agreed that ap- towards other methods of learning. All students’ responses
plying penalties could be another useful measure. and attitude questions are summarized in Table 4.

Reduction of plastic pollution: a mutual responsibility

The effect of knowledge on attitudes and behaviors
Most of the students (68.9%) thought that awareness
changes behavior. However, there was no significant rela-
tionship between the two, as knowledgeable students were
no different from non-knowledgeable students in terms of
plastic utilization per day. Nevertheless, participants with
higher percentages of knowledge showed more positive
attitude towards changing plastic pollution; they were
more willing to spread awareness about plastic pollution
[r = 0.2, P = 0.009], reuse plastic bags [r = 0.310,
P < 0.01], and show personal efforts rather than depend
on the government [r = 0.150, P < 0.01]. However, they
were no different than less knowledgeable students in their
tendency t o pay money t o help raise awareness
[P = 0.481], that is, most of the students were willing to
help financially regardless of their level of knowledge.
Students who attended more environmental classes showed
significant higher knowledge [χ 2 = 15.551, df = 6,
P = 0.016], although most of them did not welcome the
idea of more lectures in the future, and were more inclined
It is important to document that the highest percentage of
participants (36.1%, n = 143) perceived the responsibility
of reducing pollution to be the primary role of munici-
pality. Nevertheless, 31.1% (n = 123) think that it is a
primary responsibility of the community rather than any-
one else. Most of them (61.9%) also think that the gov-
ernment is raising enough awareness regarding the issue
of plastic pollution.
Discussion
Awareness about plastic pollution: levels and effects
on students’ attitudes
The mean knowledge score in Sharjah secondary school stu-
dents indicated a poor environmental background regarding
pollution and effects of harmful plastic wastes on the nature.
Compared to other surveys done elsewhere, a mean score of
52% of Sharjah students is much lower than secondary school

Fig. 1 Causes for increased 60

50 46.1
plastic usage as viewed by
respondents 40 30.8
30
17 15
20 12.8
10 3.5
0
Highly available Low costs Low level of Hard to break Can't be No rules\bans
awareness in replaced by for plastic usage
society other products
 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res

Fig. 2 Responses regarding level low pollution moderate pollution high pollution
100.0
of pollution in different areas in 15.0 11.6 13.6
Sharjah city 80.0 39.4 37.8
25.1 27.6 30.2
65.8
60.0 82.2
19.4
40.0 33.8
59.9 60.8 56.3
16.8
20.0 42.9
26.7 11.6
17.3
0.0 6.3
Parks Waste Market places Crowded Roadsides sewage(drain) Industrial
dumpingsites residential lines areas
areas

students in Singapore (70.9%) (Ivy et al. 1998), Hungary
(74%) (Stevens 2002), and Malaysia (74.4%) (Aminrad
et al. 2013). These findings point out a gap of knowledge
among students in Sharjah and pose a question upon the edu-
cational system of whether or not students are getting enough
environmental education. Gender differences were noticed to
be similar to other studies (Kong et al. 2014).
Increasing the level of awareness about such a prevailing
problem is a very important step to change people’s behavior,
since the participants’ awareness very clearly affected their
attitudes and willingness to start a change. Similar findings
were noticed in studies done in Texas (Bradley et al. 1999),
Malaysia (Aminrad et al. 2013), and Istanbul (Ergen et al.
2015). Participants with more awareness had more desire to
participate and make a difference either by helping to make
the people around more aware or by self-involvement regard-
less of the fact that they considered the municipality to be the
side of the main responsibility to limit this spreading pollu-
tion. Nevertheless, it is still the role of municipality to give the
population a chance to convert this attitude into a positive
behavior by providing better recycling environments, more
campaigns, and strict regulations to stop the violations of
many factories and workshops.
Methods to increase the students’ awareness
The study demonstrated that awareness campaigns are a very
important measure to raise awareness against plastic pollution.
This can be explained by the fact that campaigns represent a
more interactive and engaging method of teaching rather than
the traditional old school lectures. With this in mind, we can
methods of teaching that focuses more on involving the stu-
dent in the learning process in an interactive manner rather
than spoon-feeding.
The significant Internet usage by the respondents coupled
with their low rates of knowledge raises another question of
whether or not web coverage of this issue is sufficient enough
to raise awareness. A key factor here is that most of the re-
spondents had very high social media access in comparison to
significantly low rates of environmental blogs and scientific
website visits. These findings suggest that online awareness
should target social media to reach a bigger part of the society
rather than running blogs and websites which are less favor-
able by students. In a study done in Istanbul (Ergen et al.
2015), similar suggestions were mentioned about the impor-
tance of spreading information through other sources like so-
cial media and even Internet and mobile games, which provide
an entertaining educational method specially for the younger
population.
The increased utilization of plastic products: reasons
and suggestions
Most of the respondents agreed that plastic utilization is in-
creasing, which seemed to collaborate with the huge industrial
development witnessed in the UAE in the recent years. The
reasons behind this plastic upsurge as suggested by the popu-
lation should be considered when plastic regulations are
reviewed. Applying penalties, providing alternatives, raising
3%
Eco friendly products

explain why there was no relationship between students’ 11% Awarness campaigns
knowledge and attending plastic pollution lectures, and why
37%
many students did not welcome the idea of having more lec- 18% Banning plastic utalization
tures in the future. This, however, does not eliminate the im-
portant role of school-based education not only in increasing voluntary actions
the awareness of students but also in changing their behaviors
31%
and that of their families and achieving a more sustainable Increase plastic products
prices
management method of this increasing pollution (Maddox
et al. 2011). A key thing to mention here is that the UAE
educational system is shifting towards more developed Fig. 3 Respondents’ preferred ways to reduce plastic pollution
 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res

Table 4 Attitude of secondary school students regarding different ways to decrease plastic pollution

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

I am willing to spread awareness about plastic 29.1% (n = 116) 38.9% (n = 155) 28.9% (n = 115) 1.3% (n = 5) 1.8% (n = 7)
pollution to friends and family members
I am willing to reuse and bring own bags 31.7% (n = 126) 38.5% (n = 153) 26.4% (n = 105) 1.5% (n = 6) 1.8% (n = 17)
for shopping
I am willing to support environmental 18.9% (n = 75) 34.3% (n = 136) 36.1% (n = 143) 7.8% (n = 31) 2.8% (n = 11)
campaigns by paying money
I am willing to start a campaign with my 23.9% (n = 95) 32.9% (n = 131) 34.4% (n = 137) 5.5% (n = 22) 3.3% (n = 13)
friends and not rely on government

costs of plastic, and decreasing its availability seem to be practices of the respondents, which would be valuable for the
accepted regulations by the respondents which might pave study.
the road for the government to make a change regarding this
issue. Introduction of a levy per plastic bag can be of particular
importance and effectiveness, especially with the presence of
people’s acceptance and support of the idea (Convery et al.
Conclusion
2007), which was the case in our study.
The levels of awareness about plastic pollution and its conse-
Despite the fact that the majority of participants knew that
quences were influenced by multiple factors of grade, gender,
recycling is the best way to dispose plastic products, most of
and mothers’ educational level. Pro-environmental behaviors
them dispose of it in the dustbin. One reason behind this can
need a suitable environment in order to be enforced and prac-
be the low availability of recycling bins in the community, as
ticed. Many actions can be taken to provide the desired envi-
reported by the highest percentage of participants (51.6%).
ronment, including the involvement of more interactive lec-
This sheds the light on another problem that can be easily
tures and activities about this issue within the educational
corrected and with less expenses compared to other solutions
system and encouraging its continuity throughout education
that aim to reduce this growing concern. Providing more
life. This process of active learning should not be limited to
recycling bins and introducing disposal vending machines—
schools and should start as early as primary and elementary
which provide coins in exchange of plastic—would be very
schools. Public authorities and private sectors should be en-
encouraging for the society to get more involved into the
couraged to involve this kind of education within other extra-
recycling process.
curricular informational sources like social networks and on-
Industrial areas are always considered to be the most pol-
line games, and specifically, games that target male kids as
luted sites in all the cities around the world. Indeed, a closer
they were significantly less knowledgeable than females.
look into the industrial areas in Sharjah reveals a huge prob-
Municipality should as well provide a better recycling envi-
lem in waste dumping and plastic utilization. Health impacts
ronment and firm regulations to reduce this ever-growing
arising from those areas are of increasing concern to Sharjah
problem.
citizens as factories and workshops hardly abide to the regu-
lations and standards set by the Sharjah municipality. Lack of
awareness among workers coupled with high costs for post-
manufacturing waste treatment are two reasons for the upris-
ing pollution in those areas which needs to be dealt with ur- Acknowledgements Ms. Amani Ayman Khallouf is acknowledged for
revising and proofreading the final manuscript. Teachers and supervisors
gently. Technology should be exploited in updating the ma- of the schools are greatly acknowledged for their cooperation with the
chines used in the plastic industry so as to produce less pollu- study investigators.
tion or deal with the by-products of plastic production in a
healthier way.

Compliance with ethical standards

Limitations of the study
This sample was taken from governmental schools in Sharjah
city only due to access limitation, which might not reflect the
entire population in the UAE. Moreover, more detailed infor-
mation could have been obtained regarding the attitudes and
Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of
interest.
Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding
agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
 Author's personal copy
References
Adane L, Muleta D (2011) Survey on the usage of plastic bags, their
disposal and adverse impacts on environment: a case study in
Jimma City, southwestern Ethiopia. J Toxicol Environ Health Sci
3(8):234–248. Retrieved from http://www.academicjournals.org/
JTEHS
Al-Hajj A, Hamani K (2011) Material waste in the UAE construction
industry: main causes and minimization practices. Architectural
Eng Des Manag 7(4):221–235. doi:10.1080/17452007.2011.
594576
Aminrad Z, Zakariya S, Hadi A, Sakari M (2013) Relationship between
awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards environmental educa-
tion among secondary school students in Malaysia. World Appl Sci J
22(9):1326–1333. doi:10.5829/idosi.wasj.2013.22.09.275
Andrady A, Neal M (2009) Applications and societal benefits of plastics.
Philos Trans R Soc B: Bio Sci 364(1526):1977–1984. doi:10.1098/
rstb.2008.0304
Bradley J, Waliczek T, Zajicek J (1999) Relationship between environ-
mental knowledge and environmental attitude of high school stu-
dents. J Environ Educ 30(3):17–21. doi:10.1080/
00958969909601873
Convery F, McDonnell S, Ferreira S (2007) The most popular tax in
Europe? Lessons from the Irish plastic bags levy. Environ Resour
Econ 38(1):1–11. doi:10.1007/s10640-006-9059-2
Ellis S, Kantner S, Saab A, Watson M (2005) Plastic grocery bags: the
ecological footprint. Environmental changes are spreading infec-
tious diseases-UN study, Victoria, pp 1–19
Ergen A, Baykan B, Turan S (2015) Effect of materialism and environ-
mental knowledge on environmental consciousness among high
school students: a study conducted in Istanbul province. Int J Hum
Sci 12(1):511. doi:10.14687/ijhs.v12i1.3130
Eriksen M, Mason S, Wilson S, Box C, Zellers A, Edwards W et al (2013)
Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Laurentian Great
Lakes. Mar Pollut Bull 77(1–2):177–182. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.
2013.10.007
Greber K (2015) Effects of plastic pollution on deep ocean biota and
ecosystems (Bachelor’s thesis). Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/
download/files/909/36693270.pdf
Gregory MR (2009) Environmental implications of plastic debris in ma-
rine settings—entanglement, ingestion, smothering, hangers-on,
hitch-hiking and alien invasions. Philos Tran R Soc B: Bio Sci
364(1526):2013–2025. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0265
Ivy T, Road K, Lee C, Chuan G (1998) A survey of environmental
knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of students in Singapore. Int
Res Geo Environ Educ 7(3):181–202. doi:10.1080/
10382049808667574
View publication stats
Environ Sci Pollut Res
Kollmuss A, Agyeman J (2002) Mind the gap: why do people act envi-
ronmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behav-
ior? Environ Educ Res 8(3):239–260. doi:10.1080/
13504620220145401
Kong D, Ytrehus E, Hvatum AJ, Lin H (2014) Survey on environmental
awareness of Shanghai college students. Environ Sci Pollut Res
21(23):13672–13683. doi:10.1007/s11356-014-3221-0
López J, Martín M (2015) Social perceptions of single-use plastic con-
sumption of the Balinese population (Doctoral dissertation, Novia
University of Applied Sciences, Vasaa, Finland). Retrieved from
https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/93403/Lopez_
Javier.pdf?sequence=1
Maddox P, Doran C, Williams I, Kus M (2011) The role of intergenera-
tional influence in waste education programmes: the THAW project.
Waste Manag 31(12):2590–2600. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2011.07.
023
North E, Halden R (2013) Plastics and environmental health: the road
ahead. Rev Environ Health 28(1):1–8. doi:10.1515/reveh-2012-
0030
Pandey P (2016) Plastic waste management in UAE. ecomena. Retrieved
8 August 2016, from http://www.ecomena.org/plastic-uae/
Pandey S (2015) Plastic commodities and associated risks in the house-
holds of AMC (Asansol Municipal Corporation), West Bengal,
India. Retrieved from http://www.socialresearchfoundation.com/
upoadreserchpapers/3/45/1507131229101%20st%20sanjeen%
20pandey.pdf
Raman Sharma V, Sharma M (2014) Plastics: issues challenges and re-
mediation. Int J Waste Resour 04(01). doi:10.4172/2252-5211.
1000134
Stevens E (2002) Green plastics : an introduction to the new science of
biodegradable plastics. Princeton University Press, Princeton, pp.
15–30
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (2017) Kenya an-
nounces breakthrough ban on plastic bags. Retrieved from http://
www.unep.org/africa/news/kenya-announces-breakthrough-ban-
plastic-bags
Verghese K, Jollands M, Allan M (2006) The litterability of plastic bags:
key design criteria. In 5th Australian Conference on Life Cycle
Assessment, Melbourne, pp 1–10. Retrieved from http://www.
academia.edu/21179480/The_Litterability_of_Plastic_Bags_Key_
Design_Criteria
Wu W, Yang J, Criddle C (2016) Microplastics pollution and reduction
strategies. Front Environ Sci Eng 11(1). doi:10.1007/s11783-017-
0897-7
Xanthos D, Walker T (2017) International policies to reduce plastic ma-
rine pollution from single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads):
a review. Mar Pollut Bull 118(1–2):17–26. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.
2017.02.048