Solid waste, landscape heritage and public awareness in Chetumal, Mexico

Abstract

Solid waste generation is linked to productive activities in cities. Historically, Chetumal has suffered from a lack of consistency between the need of clean services and the absence of public policies with citizens’ participation in the handling of solid waste. This has led to problems of contamination in the ecosystem and compromises the scenic and landscape heritage that serves as one of its main tourist strengths. In this study, we establish the citizens’ perceptions regarding urban solid waste management, through an analysis of the level of awareness, attitudes and environmental values of the citizens. A survey was applied to a sample of 383 citizens to determine a binary logistic regression model of public opinion. We observe the existence of potentialities related to citizens’ awareness and responsibility to carry out sustainable activities as a sine qua non condition to define policies for the conservation of the scenic and tourist heritage that covers the city in question.