การเสริมสร้างประสิทธิภาพในการจัดการขยะในชุมชนมหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่

Abstract

This study on the efficiency enhancement of waste management in Chiang Mai University community has three objectives: 1) studying the context of waste management within this community 2) studying the factors that influence waste management 3) suggesting the ways to increase efficiency. The study applied both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were collected from interviews, observations and documents of Chiang Mai University’s Waste Management Committee meeting. The population of the studies were the administrators of the university, the waste management staffs of the university, the student council and 410 students. The studied area was Suan Sak campus, Chiang Mai University. The data analysis was based on the statistical methods, including frequency, percentage, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values and comparison between the environmental awareness and the environmental consciousness of waste management. The results of the study was as follows. The context of waste management in Chiang Mai University found the majority of Chiang Mai University’s faculties and departments lacked of system in waste sorting. Overall, both inside and outside buildings, waste is mixed. The study discovered problems of insufficient bins in public areas. Organic waste from the cafeteria is separated and used as animal feed. But the organic waste from one cafeteria, Romsak market is recycled to renewable energy as biogas. However, the management of grease waste from all cafeterias was not under the sanitary standards but the problem was solved by recycling to renewable energy as biodiesel. Some of waste storage areas are not well organized and not enough hygienic. The problem of garbage smell could be observed in some storage areas. This problem has an impact on health and atmosphere. There is not enough storage to accommodate the amount of waste that has been produced. The problem of waste transportation to be treated outside the university was not found. The administrators in the university has a strong focus on waste management policy. They planned to establish Chiang Mai University Recycling Center, which contributes to the university’s objective of sustainability. Due to the budgetary factors, it was impossible to establish recycling center as scheduled. In addition, the university does not currently receive any funding from external sources. However, the university tends to have the potential to search for funding from other sources. In the meantime, the university could apply the combination of technologies in waste management. The student council also has an important role of supporting a campaign to continuously raise environmental awareness. Finally, the study has elaborated the comparative studies on the awareness and consciousness level, which showed the following results. The students in the field of health sciences, sciences and technologies, humanities and social sciences have the environmental awareness on the waste management subject at the highest level. Also, their level on the environmental consciousness on this subject is high. The comparative studies of relationships between the awareness and consciousness according to Pearson Correlation indicated that the Chiang Mai University students had the awareness of waste management in highest level of these relationships in a positive way. Their consciousness of waste management will increase 29.4 percent by statistical significance at the level of 0.01.