Knowledge attitudes and practices of solid waste segregation among junior high school students in Oforikrom municipality Kumasi Ghana

Waste management remains a significant environmental and public health challenge in developing countries and this study examined the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Junior High School students in Oforikrom Municipality to evaluate waste segregation behaviour within institutional settings. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design incorporating descriptive and correlational approaches was employed, surveying 202 students from five schools using structured questionnaires, with data analysed through correlation and regression techniques to determine relationships among knowledge, attitudes and segregation practices. The study applies an integrated conceptual framework combining the Knowledge–Attitude–Practice model with elements of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The results revealed relatively high knowledge levels (62.4%) and generally positive attitudes toward waste segregation, with only modest but statistically significant correlations between knowledge and practice (r = 0.29) and between attitude and practice (r = 0.23), while regression analysis showed that knowledge and attitudes significantly predicted behaviour but explained only 13% of behavioural variance (R 2 = 0.1297). The findings indicate that waste segregation behaviour is structurally constrained by inadequate infrastructure, weak supervision and limited enforcement rather than by lack of awareness. This suggests the need to shift from awareness campaigns to structured behavioural systems and to improve school waste segregation through better infrastructure, practical environmental education, monitoring systems and stakeholder collaboration aligned with national sanitation policies and the SDGs.