Waste management and sustainable development assessment : Three cases on improving the international students’ attitude on waste sorting in Kokkola

Abstract

Waste management, especially plastic waste is a huge topic nowadays; however, Finland is among the best-applied waste-controlling-system countries in the world. As more foreigners are coming to Finland every year, it is required that enough instruction must be delivered clearly to ensure the highest number of people are doing the sorting. The more people sort, the more effective circular economy transformation is.

The thesis first gives an overview of waste management in Europe, especially in Kokkola, Central Finland. Three suggestions are given to help raise the international students’ awareness on waste sorting: making the sorting instruction readable at the collecting point, proposing a waste management course as elective curricular, and promoting international media campaign on how to sort waste. These three proposals will be evaluated on their sustainability, innovation, and impact on the local community in Kokkola. The author believes the thesis provides useful information for the City of Kokkola – Environmental Services and Centria University of Applied Sciences, where most international students are studying.