Towards zero waste: Chinese school students’ perspective on campus waste

In the past decade, the number of students at high schools in China has risen to over 80 million. School campuses are high-density and administratively independent communities where a vast amount of food waste is produced daily. Although there are studies on the reduction and management of food waste on university campuses, little attention has been paid to high school campuses in this respect. Given the large number of high school students, it is important to study how the recycling attitude and behavior of this group of students towards food waste could help achieve zero waste on school campuses. This paper subjectively examines high school students' environmental awareness and pro-environmental behavior through a questionnaire survey administered in several local high schools in Suzhou and Nanjing, China. The data from the survey was analyzed to identify the factors influencing students’ attitudes towards food use and food waste, thus establishing a possible correlation between the factors and providing evidence for a future food waste reduction plan. The study divided students’ attitudes to food waste on high school campuses into the following categories: socio-psychological factors, individual characteristics, and dining factors. The research findings will help to improve waste management and recycling on school campuses and ultimately achieve the goal of a green and sustainable environment for high school students.