The Attitude of Adolescents Towards the Management of Food Wastes

• Main Authors: Borislava A. Todorova, Iliana G. Velcheva, Stoyka P. Penkova
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Union of Scientists in Bulgaria 2018-12-01
• Series: Ecologia Balkanica
• Subjects: ecology; food; waste; education; attitudes; sociology
• Online Access: http://web.uni-plovdiv.bg/mollov/EB/2018_vol10_iss2/083-092_eb.18142.pdf

Efficiency in managing different types of waste is more important than ever. High urbanization and industrialization alter food production and consumption. Resources taken from nature are used in the production of goods that are consumed or disposed of and treated as waste. Consumers can be considered as the most important group in total waste production, resource consumption and the creation of different environmental impacts. One of the means to achieving sustainable environmental development is to choose the right and appropriate mechanisms of school and family education, intertwined with effective technologies in the different spheres of life. Through proper education, you can create a base for the construction of a new life-style, value orientations, and readiness for the conservation of natural resources. Conducting adequate studies can present problems for environmental treatment of adolescents with food and to propose specific recommendations for enhancing the training in different aspects, with the aim of forming a proper environmental culture and consciousness. The material aims to trace the environmental attitude towards food and nutritional resources in adolescents of different age groups and social strata, and to find solutions to reduce food waste through responsible environmental considerations. It monitors trends in family-friendly, school-friendly and circular behavioural. Good intentions are not always reflected in everyday practices. Among the main factors are food perception and consumer efficiency knowledge, level of education, as well as general beliefs and concerns about the environment. For the purposes of this study, questionnaires have been developed and applied for selected groups of participants. 224 adolescents aged 12 to 18 were interviewed. With the help of 19 questions we were looking for in-depth analysis, flowing through the specific views of adolescents on educating them on the issue and events in their day-to-day life. The results obtained are processed using quantitative methods for analyzing the respondents' answers to the given environmental problem.