Programa piloto de reciclaje en colegios del estado Anzoátegui, Venezuela | Schools pilot recycling program in Anzoátegui state, Venezuela

Between october 2013 and june 2015, a solid waste pilot recycling program was applied in six educational units located in Juan Antonio Sotillo and Diego Bautista Urbaneja counties, Anzoátegui state, Venezuela. The program was designed for its implementation in schools with educational levels from kinder garden to high school, with the purpose of contributing to environmental education for developing awareness on preservation of the environment and natural resources. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the program. For developing the program, undergraduate students participated as a human resource along with the authors, schools personnel and schools students. During two consecutives phases, a series of activities were performed to achieve the proposed goals. Some of the most significant were environmental education for recycling and its practice. Data were collected by direct observation, structured interviews, questionnaire and on-site measuring techniques. Results reflected that students had a better response during the first phase of the program, with respect to participation and materials recovering. In addition, it was observed that preschool and elementary school students had the best response to the program application. Motivation was one of the main factors that influenced on the results. The lack of a municipal recycling program could also have influenced over the results