Environmental sensibility: consumption and separation of recyclable material in a neighborhood of Maringá - PR, Brazil

Abstract

In spite of holding selective collection programs, the amount of recyclable waste collected daily in Maringá - PR, Brazil, is still very small if compared to its daily domestic solid waste production. Thus, to evaluate the environmental sensibility on the consumption and the separation of recyclable materials, 31 residents from a neighborhood in the northern region of Maringá were interviewed in order to collect information that could contribute to improve the collection and the quality of the domestic solid waste. The method of descriptive research was used, with structured interview – in other words, with fixed questions for all the interviewees. The information collected was described and analyzed. The results showed that, in general, practically half of the interviewees think about the residues that will be produced before buying a product, even though they not always find alternatives to reduce their production. Almost 95% of the interviewees said that they separate the recyclable residues and half of them hand it over directly to the garbage men, in order to help them. It is highly recommended to wash the material but this practice is not performed by everyone that separates the recyclable waste. Therefore, the population awareness on recycling and its benefits, especially environmental, must be continuous, so that they all know about the importance of this activity.