Stephanie Crawford

My MasterPlan/Thesis in a nutshell.

The generation of waste is an ever growing concern, especially in urban communities. A disconnect is apparent between consumers and the waste they generate. Walking through one’s own community, one can see trash in the bushes or on walkways, green waste and recyclables are mixed in with household waste, even bags of waste crows have ripped open to access the contents. Using quantitative and qualitative questions, a waste questionnaire was presented to a small housing community in Fallbrook, CA, along with the Facebook group of Fallbrook, and the evaluator’s personal social media account with the request of snowball sampling. Upon completion of the questionnaire, some participants were requested to conduct a one day trash log and follow-up questionnaire regarding their experience. The study found that many of the participants were somewhat satisfied or neutral on the success of the waste management in their area, The areas the participants felt could improve were a composting option and trash guide. Barriers preventing people from properly managing their waste include different household opinions of waste disposal, time, and space availability. Guides have been provided throughout the county of San Diego, along with waste events annually within cities, however the barriers are still present. Additional studies need to be conducted to analyze the cause of people not using the guide provided and how waste could be easily mitigated.