Waste management education: Chinese perspective and experiences

This chapter examines education for waste management practices in China. The chapter first entails the introductory section, which outlines the kinds of waste followed by the discussion of waste management policies in some developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. Then the current situation of waste management in China is described. Three case studies of ecological schools with practices of waste reduction from various parts of China are analyzed. Overall speaking, waste management and education are strongly supported by international trends of sustainable development, education for sustainable development, sustainable consumption, and education for sustainable consumption. China’s waste education is currently subject to the level and needs of waste management, with a focus on waste reduction and classification. The pilot project Waste Reduction Schools as a part of Eco-school project in China shows successful practices on promoting reducing, recycling, and harmlessness of domestic wastes. But in terms of waste education, there is much room for improvement and more measures are suggested for implementation in the future. With the development of Chinese society, waste education can be further promoted to building citizenry behavioral norms and environmental ethics. Copyright © 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.