University Students’ Behaviours on Single-Use Plastic and Their Ideas on Promoting Sustainable Practices

As concerns about environmental degradation and plastic pollution continue to grow, understanding university students' perceptions toward single-use plastics is crucial. As the young generation, it is important to study what they think about future sustainability practices. The study examines university students’ ideas on promoting sustainable practices of single-use plastic. The specific aspects studied are their current behaviours on managing single-use plastic waste, their exposure to information on sustainable practices, and their suggestions on how to enculturate sustainable practices of single-use plastic. The study involved questionnaire data from 386 participants who filled in an online Google form. The results indicated frequent use of single-use plastic, up to three times a day or more, despite having a good awareness of the importance of reducing the use of plastic. Their behaviours are driven by the need for convenience as they have busy class schedules. They perceive the troubles of having to carry with them reusable containers and do not wish to wash the food containers after use. Some are willing to pay up to RM2 per takeaway container for convenience. Their suggestions to reduce single-use plastic include vendors giving them a discount for customers who bring their containers and institutions providing functional facilities for them to wash their containers and refill their water bottles. The study suggests that infrastructure should be put in place to facilitate the enculturation of minimal plastic consumption.