This article discusses human culture as a way of life that has rapidly changed over the past century. The change affects human beings and the environment. Environmental degradation is becoming a global issue. Environmental pollution in Malaysia is generally threatened. Even more worrying is that most Malaysians need to be made aware of environmental preservation and protection. The study's main objective was to examine the interrelationship between environmental consciousness and perceived face mask disposal behavior via the mediating role of culture. The final data of 404 Malaysian public were analyzed using the SEM-AMOS application to define the hypothesis of inter-variable relationships. The results found that culture mediates the relationship between environmental consciousness and perceived face mask disposal behavior. The study highlights the role of holistic culture and provides a roadmap for policymakers to implant ecological values in the next generation.
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The problem of solid waste disposal has increased dramatically due to the pandemic, with a massive increase in medical waste due to the use of face masks, gloves, personal protective equipment (PPE), and swab tests, which are indeed necessary to fight infection. Technically, improper treatment and disposal of medical waste is hazardous and can cause the spread of other diseases. In fact, mandating face masks in crowded areas and public gatherings makes it a threat to the population because a few are seen throwing away face masks carelessly. In addition to threatening health, this leads to pollution, which harms ecosystems and aquatic species. Therefore, to overcome the rapid pollution explosion, society needs to have a higher level of environmental consciousness. Environmental consciousness refers to interests related to the environment or human living (Kautish & Sharma, 2020). The environment includes everything from air, water, soil, plants, and animals. The environment is vital to human life (Humaida, 2020; Yerbury & Weiler, 2020). Environmental balance refers to a state in which all elements of the environment work well and are balanced. If the balance of the environment is disturbed, it can cause problems such as floods and loss of animal habitat (Uralovich et al., 2023). The environment provides a significant source of food for humans. Humans must care for the environment to ensure this food source continues for future generations (Adedoyin et al., 2020).
Today's development agenda is centered on sustainable development. The environment is a critical component of sustainable development besides economic and social aspects (Halkos & Aslanidis, 2024). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an essential axis in all planning and policies to address the issue of unsustainable development that damages the environment. Lately, many efforts have been implemented to increase progress in the field economy, thus affecting efforts to achieve sustainability. As a result, the environment continues to deteriorate due to human attitudes (Han, 2020) and economic development activities (Yuhuan et al., 2023). Significant climate change, garbage, toxic waste illegally dumped into the river, and air pollution result from increased industrialization activities and the number of vehicles (Li et al., 2021). Realizing the importance of the environment to human well-being, the Malaysian government has taken various initiatives to preserve and conserve nature. This includes drafting related policies such as the National Environmental Policy 2002, National Policy on Climate Change 2009, and National Policy on Biological Diversity 2016-2025. This was followed by the publication of various laws to protect nature from being continuously polluted. These include the Environmental Quality Act of 1974, the National Forestry Act of 1984, and the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2010 (Mustafa, 2022).
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, and the pandemic has hurt the environment. Although air and water pollution levels have decreased during the curfew, the issue of increasing domestic and clinical waste is a problem and challenge for the government (Rupani et al., 2020). The quarantine policy implemented has driven consumer demand to shop and purchase food online. Purchasing excess food or needs such as hand sanitizer, face masks, and others in supermarkets or online soared in height (Singh et al., 2022). Panic buying by Malaysians has been added to invite environmental pollution when solid waste is increasing dramatically in landfills worldwide compared to industrial waste. In addition, disposal of clinical waste, especially personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, clothing, and masks, has increased since the contagion of the pandemic (Vanapalli et al., 2021). The waste has also contributed to new pollution, especially in the ocean (Dharmaraj et al., 2021).