A comparison of the attitudes of nurses towards solid waste and recycling and their awareness of their ecological footprint

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare nurses' attitudes towards waste and recycling and their awareness of ecological footprint. Materials and Methods: The study was descriptive and correlational in nature. The population of the study was nurses working in Manisa Merkezefendi State Hospital (N=288). The sample consisted of 206 nurses who fully completed the data collection tools between July 2023 and November 2023, which is the minimum number (N=202) that can be reached with 50% unknown prevalence, 0.04 deviation and 99% confidence interval in EpiInfo 2000 program. Data collection tools were a personal information form, Attitude Towards Solid Waste and Recycling Scale (ASWRS), Ecological Footprint Awareness Scale (EAFAS). The data were analysed using the SPSS 25 package. Results: In the study, 94.2% of the nurses stated that they recognised the form of recycling, 97.1% stated that recycling is beneficial for the environment and 93.7% stated that recycling is beneficial for the national economy. It was found that 89.3% of the nurses had knowledge about waste recycling. The mean score of the Attitude towards Waste and Recycling Scale was 121.27±16.37 and the mean score of the Ecological Footprint Awareness Scale was 199.34±15.78. There was a weak positive correlation (r:0.357, p=0.000; r:0.203, p=0.003) between the nurses' recycling knowledge score and the mean scores of the Attitude Towards Solid Waste and Recycling Scale and the mean scores of the Ecological Footprint Awareness Scale: 0.357, p=0.000; r: 0.203, p=0.003), and a moderate positive correlation was found between the mean scores of the Attitude Towards Solid Waste and Recycling Scale and the Ecological Footprint Awareness Scale (r: 0.523, p=0.000). Conclusion: It can be said that there is a positive relationship between nurses' attitudes towards solid waste and recycling and their ecological footprint awareness. It is believed that by increasing nurses' attitudes towards solid waste and recycling and their awareness of their ecological footprint, nurses who are role models for society will be leaders in bringing about change in society.