Municipal solid waste characteristics and segregation efficiency of in-house direct sampling in Kuwait

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) composition, generation rate, and segregation efficiency were estimated using direct sampling of houses in Kuwait. Additionally, public willingness toward in-house waste segregation was investigated through one-on-one interviews. The study randomly selected 61 houses and 293 respondents. The sampling was conducted for three consecutive weeks. The recyclables were manually sorted into 17 subcategories. The estimated generation rate is 0.77 kg/person/day, of which 13% were recyclables. Paper, plastic, glass, and metal respectively contributed 6%, 3.7%, 2.3%, and 0.9% to the generation rate. The interview results showed that 82% of the respondents were willing to segregate their waste into recyclables and non-recyclables in-house if a recycling bin were placed in front of their house. Half of them were willing to pay a fee of more than 3 KWD/month (~ 10 USD). An additional 10% agreed to segregate if the proceeds would go to charity.