Hazardous waste management and environmental culture development at Manuela Beltrán University

Abstract

The objective of the study was to establish the impact of the policies of internal management of hazardous chemical residues of the Manuela Beltrán University (UMB), Bogota, in the consolidation of a culture of environmental protection in the academic community. A methodology of quantitative type with a descriptive design was accepted, while the survey was used as an instrument of information collection. The population included the personnel responsible for the handling and segregation of the hazardous chemical residues of the chemistry, biology and microbiology laboratories, being the sample composed by 17 teachers, 8 laboratory assistants and 283 students. The results show that the strategies used by the University to promote the protection of the environment as an institutional culture as well as the use of the Integral Waste Management Plan (PGIR), have generated a culture of environmental care and responsibility in the actors involved in the handling of hazardous chemical residues. In agreement, it was identified that these actors use minimization, reuse and recycling practices inside and outside the academic space, in order to contribute to the protection of the environment. The research findings present a basis for other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in order to establish the impact of their policies and strategies in the promotion of an environmental protection culture among not only students, teachers and laboratory assistants but also institutions of similar characteristics.