A Study of Changing Traditional Urban Solid Waste Management Approaches to Sustainable Practices

Rapid population growth and urbanisation have led to an increase in demand for different products in developing countries and this eventually has resulted into an increase in solid waste such as paper, plastics, bottles, glass and metals. Poor management of solid waste causes air pollution and health problems resulting into respiratory diseases such as asthma and pneumonia. Further, improper organic waste management risks being a breeding ground for disease causing organisms. This paper explores technical challenges faced by the MCC that affect efforts to achieve sustainable solid waste management practices in Mzuzu city, Malawi. The study employed a qualitative case study design. The study was conducted in Mzuzu city and it targeted people involved in solid waste management. Expert and homogeneous purposive sampling techniques were applied to select participants and the sample size was eighteen. Data was generated through semi structured interviews, focus group discussions and observations, and data was analysed thematically. The study found that sustainable solid waste management practices in Mzuzu city face technical challenges which include; breakdown of transportation vehicles, inadequate waste bins and lack of recycling machinery. It was recommended that, Mzuzu city council should ensure that it deals with technical challenges promptly, in order to achieve sustainable solid waste management in the city, so as to prevent harm to the environment and human beings.

South Africa is facing increasing mismanagement of solid waste, such as illegal dumping in open areas. This mismanagement of solid waste in South Africa is an environmental issue that threatens human rights. This study analyses sustainable solid waste management practices in South Africa and draws lessons from England and Kenya focusing on solid waste management, collection and disposal. England is a developed country with advanced waste management systems, while Kenya is a developing country facing similar solid waste management challenges to South Africa’s. While South Africa has its legal framework on solid waste management, the lessons from both England and Kenya are to improve and strengthen waste management practices and enforcement in South Africa. This study deployed and used a qualitative research approach to highlight how England, Kenya, and South Africa’s legal frameworks reflect their socioeconomic conditions, environmental priorities, and governance enforcement. The findings of the study are important for policy development. The study concludes that South Africa’s legal and policy framework needs to be inclusive and enhanced for effective enforcement of sustainable solid waste management.

This study is focusing on Pondok community participation in a sustainable solid waste management programme. Besides that, the factors that influence Pondok community participation, such as knowledge and awareness, were explored. This study adopted a stratified sampling technique with 99 respondents from Pondok Pasir Tumboh, Kota Bharu, Kelantan were participating in this study. The data was processed SPSS software with descriptive and inferential analysis. This study revealed that Pondok community has excellent knowledge and awareness regarding sustainable solid waste management practices. However, the exercise of Pondok community in sustainable solid waste management is still moderate. Besides that, this study also found out that the different groups of age, marital status, and education level significantly influence Pondok community’s participation in sustainable solid waste management practices. The findings of this study are crucial in providing the preliminary data of Pondok community readiness and willingness to practice sustainable solid waste management like recycling and composting.

Sustainable solid waste management practices and perceived cleanliness in a low income city

Artificial intelligence applications for sustainable solid waste management practices in Australia: A systematic review

BackgroundExponential urban growth has led to a significant increase in solid waste production, making solid waste one of the most significant issues faced by urban spaces in developing countries. This rising volume of solid waste has led to pressing public health and environmental concerns, such as water, soil, and air pollution, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and the spread of diseases. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the sustainable solid waste management practices and challenges in Jimma City, southwestern Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study design was employed in this study. Quantitative data and solid waste samples were collected between 01/01/2024 and 01/03/2024 via stratified random sampling from 820 participants in Jimma City, Southwest Ethiopia. The data was analyzed using STATA 18, and a p-value <0.05 was used to determine the level of statistical significance.ResultsThis study revealed a solid waste generation rate of 0.66 Kg/capita/day and the majority of households (84.63%) do not segregate their solid waste at a point of generation; only 38.66% of Households had access to door-to-door solid waste collection services even though about 81.71% of households are willing to pay for solid waste collection services and 69.76% of Households dump waste along rivers or roadsides. Household income, geographic location, level of education, and attitude are the major determinants of sustainable solid waste management, with Average Marginal Effects of (0.0411, 0.1098, 0.0621, 0.0495), respectively.ConclusionThere is a higher rate of solid waste generation and a lack of integrated solid waste management services like door-to-door collection, temporary public solid waste collection containers, and disposal systems. This study indicated that about 2/3 of total solid waste generation is attributed to organic waste, and limited waste-to-resource recovery practices are observed. Thus, systematic provisions of integrated solid waste management services, implementation of solid waste reduction, and waste-to-resource recovery strategies focusing on composting are recommended.

Exponential urban growth has led to a significant increase in solid waste production, making solid waste one of the most significant issues faced by urban spaces in developing countries. This rising volume of solid waste has led to pressing public health and environmental concerns, such as water, soil, and air pollution, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and the spread of diseases. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the sustainable solid waste management practices and challenges in Jimma City, southwestern Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed in this study. Quantitative data and solid waste samples were collected between 01/01/2024 and 01/03/2024 via stratified random sampling from 820 participants in Jimma City, Southwest Ethiopia. The data was analyzed using STATA 18, and a p-value <0.05 was used to determine the level of statistical significance. This study revealed a solid waste generation rate of 0.66 Kg/capita/day and the majority of households (84.63%) do not segregate their solid waste at a point of generation; only 38.66% of Households had access to door-to-door solid waste collection services even though about 81.71% of households are willing to pay for solid waste collection services and 69.76% of Households dump waste along rivers or roadsides. Household income, geographic location, level of education, and attitude are the major determinants of sustainable solid waste management, with Average Marginal Effects of (0.0411, 0.1098, 0.0621, 0.0495), respectively. There is a higher rate of solid waste generation and a lack of integrated solid waste management services like door-to-door collection, temporary public solid waste collection containers, and disposal systems. This study indicated that about 2/3 of total solid waste generation is attributed to organic waste, and limited waste-to-resource recovery practices are observed. Thus, systematic provisions of integrated solid waste management services, implementation of solid waste reduction, and waste-to-resource recovery strategies focusing on composting are recommended.

Solid waste management is a critical aspect of urban sustainability, encompassing the collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of solid waste materials. Effective solid waste management practices are essential to minimize environmental pollution, conserve natural resources, and promote public health. This abstract explores various aspects of solid waste management, including waste reduction, recycling, composting, and landfill management, highlighting the importance of integrated waste management systems. The abstract also discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with solid waste management, such as the need for innovative technologies and policies to improve waste collection and treatment efficiency. It emphasizes the importance of public education and awareness campaigns to promote waste reduction and recycling practices. Overall, the abstract underscores the importance of sustainable solid waste management practices in creating cleaner, healthier, and more resilient communities. Keywords: 1. Solid and liquid waste management 2. Waste water 3. Reuse 4. Recycle.

The contribution of small accommodation enterprises to sustainable solid waste management

Identifying sustainable solid waste management barriers in practice using the fuzzy Delphi method

Solid waste generation is an inevitable outcome of everyday human activities and therefore requires effective management. Rapid urbanization and population growth in Shashemene City have significantly increased the volume of municipal solid waste, creating serious challenges for the municipality in delivering adequate waste management services to residents. In response, this study aimed to assess the current solid waste management practices and the major challenges facing the system in Shashemene City, Ethiopia. Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, field survey, and direct field observations. A total of 156 households were randomly selected and surveyed using both open-ended and closed-ended questionnaires, while key informants were purposively chosen and interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that the average household solid waste generation rate was 0.271 kg per person per day. The composition of solid waste in the study area was predominantly organic, with food waste and vegetable peelings accounting for 43.18%, followed by ash and dust (35.81%), leaves, wood scraps, paper, and cardboard (11.88%), and metal, glass, ceramics, plastics, and textiles (8.52%). The study further revealed that only 18% of household solid waste was collected by the municipality, resulting in large quantities of waste being indiscriminately disposed of in unauthorized locations. Moreover, the results highlighted poor governance in municipal solid waste management, limited financial capacity of the municipality, and low public awareness as major challenges affecting effective solid waste management in Shashemene City. Consequently, the study recommends promoting sustainable solid waste management practices, including reuse, recycling, and composting, alongside community awareness campaigns to enhance understanding of safe waste disposal and its importance for environmental protection and public health.

Globally, households are exposed to various magnitudes of vulnerability within the context of solid waste management. Persistence in unsustainable waste management practices may interfere with climate change impact. This research aims at assessing knowledge and exposure of households due to unsustainable waste practices which may infringe on climate change impacts and adaptation in Ebonyi state. Identified households with varying magnitude of vulnerability provide focus for improving climate change adaptation, knowledge and reduce exposure to related impact of climate in Ebonyi State. Data collected from 439 households through standard data collection protocol was analysed with binary composite model and ANOVA. Result show that vulnerability was high in 73% of studied households while 13% had high vulnerability to climate change impact. The results further show that 14%, 54% and 47% of the households in Ikwo, Abakaliki and Afikpo, respectively had an unsatisfactory knowledge of sustainable solid waste management practices and awareness on policy/law. The study used some ethnographic exposition with ethnographic fact finding as well as philosophical reasoning to document facts on both knowledge and exposure of households. Improving household adoption of sustainable solid waste management practices can strengthen adaptation to climate change if households are adequately informed in the future. Improved resilience, climate change adaptation for all stakeholders and provision of facts for policy makers is sure. It concludes that variations in knowledge within specific geographical region play a role in their adoption of sustainable solid waste practices and recommends improving knowledge of the identified vulnerable households in other to hasten achievement of the sustainable development goal 12, target 3.

Dar es Salaam City in Tanzania has incorporated household stakeholders in managing a vast generation of solid waste. However, the impact of household participation on the sustainability of solid waste management remains unclear. This study examines how households’ participation in solid waste management activities influences the sustainability of solid waste management in Dar es Salaam City. The study applied a cross-sectional research design with a sample of 377 households. It employed a mixed-methods approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of how household participation influences sustainability in solid waste management, thereby enhancing the validity and reliability of the findings. Data collection used surveys, focus group discussions, key informants’ interviews, and documentary review methods. Data were collected from six wards with diverse income levels, including low-income, mixed-income, and high-income areas. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and the Binary Logistic Regression Model. Findings revealed that households' participation in decision-making significantly influences the sustainability of solid waste management (OR 2.300, p = 0.0073). Similarly, households’ skills significantly influence the sustainability of solid waste management (OR 4.017, p = 0.0088). The study concludes that the participation of households in decision-making and households’ skills create a conducive environment through which sustainable practices are merged into solid waste management systems. Although the study could not cover all municipalities in Dar es Salaam due to financial limitations, it recommends that the City Council and its Municipalities enhance community engagement initiatives to promote households' participation in sustainable solid waste management practices.

It is widely accepted that solid waste management is a global problem. This problem is even more pronounced in developing countries such as Nigeria where solid waste management is a major concern. In recent times, however, there has been a concerted effort towards engaging members of the public in solving the waste management crisis. This effort is centred on public participation in sustainable waste management practice across the country. Nevertheless, in Abuja there seems to be low public participation in sustainable wastes and environmental management practice. This paper therefore seeks to investigate the rate of participation in sustainable waste and environmental management activities in Abuja. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the paper relied on a sample of 57 participants to obtain some primary data. The paper employed a mixed method approach with the aid of a questionnaire. The questions were designed to gather data on demographics of the participants, their awareness and attitude to sustainable waste management, the barriers preventing public participation in a sustainable solid waste management and measures that can encourage public participation in sustainable waste management in Abuja. The study revealed that increase funding, provision of recycling collection points, enforcement of laws and policies, the development of effective policies and regulatory framework amongst others are some of the measures that can encourage public participation in sustainable waste management programs in Abuja.

The menace of indiscriminately disposed heaps of refuse in most urban centers in Nigeria is a confirmation of the inability of the government to cope with the ills associated with rapid population growth rate and urbanization. This study assessed the participation of the private sector in the management and recycling of solid wastes as they together with the public sector strive to attain healthy and neat cities. The Actor Network Theory (ANT) was used as a framework to illustrate the interrelationship, interdependence and co-existence of the different participants in the management of solid waste. This co-existence was revealed to generate several challenges especially for the major Actors such as that of the preference of informal private waste collectors to the registered contractors assigned by the government to their residential areas and the hindrances posed by community youth on Private Sector Participant (PSP). However, from the study it was revealed that the introduction of Private Sector Participant was not enough to check the problems associated with solid waste management. Rather, a holistic approach where all actors, whether householders, formal or informal waste collector, scrap collectors, NGOs or CBOs should be considered by the Government in the policy formulation and implementation in sustainable solid waste management practices.