Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Meslek Yüksek Okulları, Mühendislik ve Teknoloji Fakülteleri Akademisyenlerinin Elektronik Atıklar ve Bu Atıkların İnsan ve Çevre Sağlığına Etkileri Hakkındaki Bilgi Düzeyleri ve Düşünceleri

Urbanization and industrialization cause an increase in electrical and electronic devices. These devices have become an indispensable part of our lives with the development of technology and a new type of waste called electronic waste (e-waste) is formed. The study aims to examine the knowledge levels and thoughts of academicians about e-waste also, the effects of e-waste on human and environmental health. We reached 331 academics working at Karadeniz Technical University through an online questionnaire. 4.9% of the 267 academics participating in the study received training on e-waste. 45.3% stated that they are inattention to recycling of e-waste, and 90.1% of those don’t know the practices about it. Mean knowledge score about the e-waste regulations in our country and the effects of e-waste on human and environmental health of the academicians who received training on e-waste compared to those who didn’t; who explain about e-waste in the lessons which they are responsible for compared to those who don’t; who pay attention to e-waste recycling compared to those who don’t are statistically significantly higher. It’s noteworthy that few of the participants are educated about e-waste, about half of them don’t pay attention to recycling, and most of those who don’t pay attention to e-waste recycling don’t know the practices. However, the high score average of knowledge of those who pay attention to e-waste and those who contribute to recycling reveals the importance of policies, training programs and interventions to be implemented in order to increase individual awareness and create desired behaviors.