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Rabat – To address the challenge Morocco faces in teaching communities to recycle, it seems helpful to consider American psychologist B.F. Skinner’s Theory of Operant Conditioning, also known as “habit-formation” or “stimulus-response” theory. Skinner argues that human responses and reactions to particular behaviors play a key role in learning.
He goes on to explain how positive reinforcement is an effective tool in the learning process, and how repetition reinforces the skills we develop. Skinner uses the term “active” to refer to any “behavior that acts on the environment to generate consequences.” The psychologist’s theory explains how we acquire a set of learned behaviors, and how these behaviors in themselves may become a real skill through repetition and reinforcement.
Another researcher, Ivan Pavlov, who had already linked learning and the development of skills to repeated behavior prior to Skinner, defines this learning process as the formation of a habit. Building on Pavlov’s work, learning theory asserts that habit formation is a mechanical process, sustained by repeated reinforcement of the stimulus-response sequence.
With this in mind, could we introduce and develop a culture of recycling through different educational channels, and reinforce positive behavior into habit? This question requires us to think about various aspects of the learning process itself, and reflect on the roles of the family, the school, and the street in instilling and strengthening a recycling culture and related skills, for the benefit of individuals and society alike.
Role of the family in reinforcing acquired Skills
As I have explained before in other articles, the learning process occurs in three interconnected spheres – within the family, at school, and on the street. If learning in one area is flawed, progress in other areas suffers too. For example, if school education is mediocre, this will inevitably affect behavior within the family and on the street.
Or if the family fails to fulfill its role as the first educator of the child, this will negatively affect behavior on the street and learning at school. Even if the school is excellent and the family performs its duty, but the street teaches crime, disrespect, and moral decline, there is no doubt that the school and the family’s efforts will be in vain, and we will not be able to build a strong, fortified, and solid society.
Culture of recycling starts at home
An effective recycling culture starts at home, is reinforced at school, and is maintained by the street. Since the family is the first educator of the child, the first micro-community a child encounters in his or her life, it has a great responsibility to teach the necessary skills and positive values that will help a child hone and develop their skills further at school and on the street, through actual practice, communication, and positive reinforcement.
Based on Skinner’s theory, children can acquire several positive behaviors at home provided that the family reinforces them and protects children from developing negative or dangerous habits. There is no doubt that families have the power to instill many cultural values in their children, including behaviors linked to the culture of recycling, such as sorting waste from the kitchen. The family’s role is to raise young people who respect positive rituals and principles from an early age.
Does the street reflect what we learn at school and at home?
We can talk about civilization, sophistication, and development, but the street remains the mirror that reflects the reality of our progress in terms of behavior, communication, and human interaction. In other words, our behavior in the street is the true measure by which we can test the effectiveness of learning at home and the extent of the school’s success in instilling positive values and virtuous morals in our generations.
Recycling is only a small part of our diverse culture, which, unfortunately, is manifested only in the sorting of bread from the rest of our waste for religious reasons. It is really sad to see people throwing garbage bags everywhere, discarding them in front of houses, or tossing them from a car window – not to mention cigarette butts in the street, and people spitting or urinating in public without shame!
These acts are indeed disgusting, and we regularly hear obscene speech on streets and roads, along with motorbikes blaring late at night for no reason (speaking of which, we salute the security men carrying out campaigns against this strange phenomenon in our society). These actions are relatively new habits, contrary to the principles and education of Islam.
Unfortunately, we are still lagging behind at the national level when it comes to recycling – other countries started teaching and acquiring recycling as a skill more than a decade ago. Therefore, in order to preserve the cleanliness of the environment and the climate in general, the state should promote this culture through multiple actions, starting by providing different colored or shaped containers specific to each category of waste, including unwanted bread, fruits, and vegetables, paper, glass, metals, electrical waste, and electronic devices, plastics, clothing, textiles, and so on.
Read also: In Defense of Morocco’s Everyday Sustainability
Recycling these materials is vital for ensuring that our environmental footprint is reduced and water consumption minimized. In parallel, the government can provide special refuse bags at subsidized and cheap prices and conduct awareness-raising campaigns through television and radio programs, social media, mosques, schools, and various civil society associations.
Without a doubt, the presence of an awareness-raising momentum of this magnitude, supported by real-world tools and resources, would implement and promote a culture of recycling, and reinforce positive habits. Perhaps it may even motivate and encourage people across the country to take pride in their societies and improve behavior on the streets, helping to spread civilized habits, maintain a clean ecological environment, and reflect our cultural level.
It is a test of genuine interest in preserving our neighborhoods and public domain, a test of our commitment to positive values and principles. We all, as a nation, need to strive for a clean society in every sense and teach our children that recycling is the responsibility and concern of every individual.
