Analysis of Attitudes of the Citizens in the Osječko-baranjska County Regarding the Waste Management System

Otpad je jedan od najvećih ekoloških problema današnjice u čijem rješavanju, osim državnih i lokalnih institucija i poduzeća, važnu ulogu ima svaki građanin. Cilj ovoga rada bio je ispitati stavove građana Osječko-baranjske županije vezanih uz problem gospodarenja otpadom. Istraživanjem se htjelo otkriti koliko se ekološki stavovi građana reflektiraju na njihovo svakodnevno postupanje otpadom. Istraživanje je provedeno anketom na uzorku od 203 građanina. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da postoji nerazmjer između percepcije građana o otpadu kao najvećem ekološkom problemu i njihovog svakodnevnog postupanja otpadom. Rješenje problema, stoga, treba tražiti u boljoj edukaciji i informiranju građana, boljoj organizaciji i unapređenju sustava gospodarenja otpadom te promjeni i provedbi propisa kojima bi se financijski kažnjavalo one koji neadekvatno postupaju otpadom, odnosno financijski motiviralo one koji to čine.Waste is one of the biggest ecological problems we are facing today and, besides state and local institutions and companies, every citizen has an important role to play. The aim of this paper was to examine the attitudes of the citizens in Osječko-baranjska County regarding waste management problem. The research sought to find out how much citizen\u27s environmental attitudes are reflected on their day-to-day waste management. The survey was conducted on a sample of 203 citizens. Research findings have shown that there is a disproportion between the citizens’ perception of waste as the biggest ecological problem and their daily waste management. The solutions to the problem are therefore better education of citizens, better organization and improvement of the waste management system, as well as the change and implementation of regulations that would financially penalize those who treated waste inadequately and would financially motivate those who do it appropriately