*Article* **The Impact of Education and Residential Environment on Long-Term Waste Management Behavior in the Context of Sustainability**

**Andreea Simona Saseanu 1, Rodica-Manuela Gogonea 2,\*, Simona Ioana Ghita 2,3 and Radu ¸Serban Zaharia 4,\***


Received: 13 June 2019; Accepted: 8 July 2019; Published: 10 July 2019

**Abstract:** Currently, the problem of waste reduction is a permanent concern for all countries of the world, given the need to ensure the sustainability development. In this context, the research aims to highlight the impact of education and demographic factors by residence areas on the long-term behavior of the amount of waste generated in 29 European countries during 2013–2017. The study is based on statistical and econometric modeling aimed at identifying, testing and analyzing the existence of long-term correlation between the amount of waste per capita recorded in each country and four factors of influence considered significant for waste reduction: *Pupils and students by education level* and *Classroom teachers and academic staff by education level*, representing exogenous variables which quantify the educational outcomes, as well as *The population by degree of urbanization* (cities, rural areas), as demographic factors. As a result of an analysis based on correlation and regression method, a cointegration relationship between the analyzed variables was identified. Considering the amount of waste as an important component of the environmental pressure, the obtained results show the significant long-term effect that education and the demographic factor can have on its long-lasting behavior, as well as the ways through which these factors can act to strengthen sustainability.

**Keywords:** sustainability; waste; education; degree of urbanization; cointegration model; Vector Error Correction models; autoregressive vector patterns
