Formation of Ecological Culture Among Students of General Education Organizations in the Field of Solid Municipal Waste Management

The problem of handling solid municipal waste, which is formed during the life of a modern person, is becoming more and more urgent every day. The growth of consumption in modern society entails an increase in the formation of waste, which must no longer be stored, but subjected to recycling or recycling for further use. The solution of this problem, in addition to the technical and organizational component, is possible by forming a culture of solid municipal waste management (hereinafter MSW) among the population, that is, the formation of an ecological culture. The article describes the implementation of the social project “Organization of environmental education and formation of environmental culture of the younger generation in the field of solid municipal waste management” of the Transbaikal State University. During the implementation of the project, the level of environmental culture of schoolchildren was studied by testing in accordance with age. The developed educational and educational program, which includes a set of measures for training and environmental education of general education organization students, helped to motivate them to properly handle waste and form a responsible attitude to nature. Diagnostics formation level of the ecological culture of the younger generation allowed us to state the presence of a problem, namely, the insufficient (low and average) formation level of the ecological culture of general education organization students. Environmental classes and actions allowed students to form an idea of the problems of waste disposal, as well as their understanding of the need for separate collection and recycling of waste. Environmental education of the younger generation has changed their attitude to the problem of separate waste collection and contributed to the formation of environmental consciousness. Keywords: environmental education, environmental culture, younger generation, municipal solid waste, waste management