Conhecimentos, atitudes e práticas relacionadas aos resíduos eletroeletrônicos: estudo de caso na Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC)..

Abstract

In the context of a globalized and technologically connected society, the growing generation of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has become a relevant socio-environmental challenge, especially in view of planned obsolescence, excessive consumption and the lack of effective public policies for its proper management. This scenario is aggravated in institutional environments such as universities, which, while producing knowledge, also generate a large volume of WEEE, often without proper disposal and control. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the academic community of the UFC campus in Crateús regarding the management of electronic and electronic waste, in addition to proposing an educational product as an awareness-raising tool. The research followed a quantitative approach, applied through a KAP questionnaire with 305 participants, including students, professors, administrative technicians and outsourced employees. The data were organized and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, with the application of the Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman tests. The analyses were performed using the statistical software Jamovi 2.3.28, adopting a significance level of 95%. The KAP scores were categorized according to the methodology of Aluko et al. (2016). The results indicated a high level of knowledge and positive attitude, but inadequate practice for 80.33% (n = 245) of the participants. Only attitude and practice showed a moderate positive correlation (Rho = 0.43; p < 0.001), suggesting that knowledge, in isolation, does not influence environmental practices. It is concluded that the gap between environmental discourse and daily practice reinforces the urgency of permanent educational actions and institutional strategies aimed at the management of WEEE. The comic book proposed as a technical educational product aims to strengthen the socio-environmental commitment of the university and stimulate the engagement of the academic community, contributing to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, the Institutional Development Plan (PDI) and compliance with the National Solid Waste Policy.