Solid Waste Management Practices Research Articles

Hawker’s Community Awareness and Knowledge towards Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Solid waste management practice is one of the crucial components in developing a sustainable city. The practice of sustainable solid waste management among the community is reflecting one of the sustainable community features. However, developing a sustainable community is not an easy task where it requires commitment from multiple stakeholders. Hawker's community is essential in urban areas where it plays a vital role in economic development and environmental sustainability. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine hawker's community's knowledge, awareness, and practices in solid waste management. This study used a questionnaire as the primary research instrument. A total of 105 respondents participated in this study, where they are hawkers in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. Descriptive analysis was applied to examine the hawker's community's awareness, knowledge, and practice on sustainable solid waste management, which focuses on recycling and composting. This study found out that the awareness of respondents on sustainable solid waste management is high. However, the knowledge of respondents is at a moderate level. This study also reveals that the respondent is reluctant to practice sustainable solid waste management because of time constraints and inconvenient facilities. This finding is significant to local authority and government agencies to develop sustainable community framework in an urban area.

Risk factors for occurrence and abundance of Aedes aegypti and Aedes bromeliae at hotel compounds in Zanzibar

BackgroundA field survey was performed to investigate local environmental factors promoting occurrence and abundance of Aedes aegypti and Ae. bromeliae mosquitoes at hotel compounds in the south-east coastal region of Zanzibar Island.MethodsThe potential risk factors were determined using generalized linear mixed models. Aedes (Stegomyia) spp. indices such as container index (CI) and pupae per container (PPC) index were also estimated.ResultsAedes aegypti and Ae. bromeliae were the most abundant vector species, accounting for 70.8% of all Aedes mosquitoes collected. The highest CI was observed for plastic containers irrespective of the season, whereas the highest PPC was observed for coconut shells and aluminium containers in the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. The risk of Aedes mosquito occurrence and abundance were significantly associated with presence of plastic containers, coconut shells, used tyres and steel containers. These were discarded in shaded places, in the open and gardens, or found in plant nurseries.ConclusionThis study shows that Aedes species of global health significance occur at hotel compounds on this part of Zanzibar Island. The occurrence and abundance are sustained by the presence of abundant and poorly managed solid wastes and containers used for gardening tasks. This highlights an urgent need for the adoption of area-wide environmentally sustainable Aedes mosquito management interventions that also integrate solid waste management and ornamental plant production practices for reducing the risk of arboviral disease epidemics.Graphical

Rising incidence and risks of floods in urban Ghana: Is climate change to blame?

The current policy and stakeholder debates suggest that climate change remains a risk factor for the rising urban floods situation in Ghana. However, there is a dearth of empirical works to explain the link between flood incidence and climatic-related factors. Using a long-term secondary climatic data, this paper analyses the extent to which climate change influences the incidence of floods in urban Ghana. In-depth qualitative analysis of the perspectives of households and key informants was carried out to complement the initial quantitative analysis in order to broaden the understanding of the risk factors of the worsening floods situation. The results have shown that the rising flood situation in Kumasi is largely independent of climate-induced increase in rainfall and current temperature patterns but strongly linked with anthropogenic factors, including unregulated urban expansion, inadequate drainage infrastructure, poor solid waste management practices, and weak institutional and regulatory regimes. Strengthening institutions, law enforcement and public education are important interventions to control the flood menace in Ghana.

Assessing the Potential for an Improved Solid Waste Collection in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka: An Analysis of Willingness to Pay

Rapid population growth and increase of economic activities combined with a lack of training in modern solid waste management practices complicate the efforts to improve the solid waste services. Poor waste management has led to indiscrimin ate dumping of solid waste into open spaces and drainages, blocking drains and causing flooding, environment pollution and public health issues. Collecting fees from the public can support finance for improving waste management service. This study intended to evaluate willingness to pay (WTP) of households for improved solid waste collection service in two selected zones of Kalmunai municipal council area. The survey covered 140 households using a stratified simple random sampling method from two selected zones. This study used a contingent valuation method to elicit households’ WTP and multiple linear regression models to determine factors influencing WTP. The household willingness to pay was significantly affected by gender, education, average income, householder’s concern about environment and cost of collecting 1 kg of waste. Gender and education were statistically significant at p<0.05, average income and cost of collecting 1kg of waste were statistically significant at p<0.1 and householder’s concern about environment was statistically significant at p<0.01. The results of this study show that the mean willingness to pay of households to organic/kitchen waste and plastic/paper waste was LKR 2.8/kg and LKR 2.63/kg, respectively.

Energy possibilities and future strategies for municipal solid waste in Himachal Pradesh

At present municipal solid waste (MSW) has become one of the biggest national concerns because mismanagement of MSW deteriorates the purity and cleanliness of the environment. In this direction, this manuscript discusses the details of generation, characterization of MSW, and current practice of municipal solid waste management in Himachal Pradesh (HP), a state in the northern region of India. Himachal Pradesh generates approximately 342.35 tons per day (TPD). Thus, it is a massive challenge for the municipalities of HP to manage it in a hilly region. Hilly regions of HP are prone to rapid climate change i.e., rainfall and snowfall in winter and hence found to be one of the important factors that affect the collection and treatment process of waste management. Indeed, the generation of waste decisively depends upon the tourism business. Further, the tourism business also depends upon seasonal variation. Difficult terrain and socio-economic condition of local people make waste disposal and transportation more difficult for the appropriate planning of the management of municipal solid waste. The characterization studies show that the biodegradable fraction in MSW is more than 50% which indicates a significant energy potential. The manuscript covers issues and challenges in waste management due to climatic conditions in the hilly regions of HP and also recommends the best suitable remedial measures for the proper management of the existing MSW system and its appropriate treatment alternatives. Hence this manuscript provides a wholesome glimpse of the possibilities of energy, global warming potential, and the economic aspects of MSW in the regions of HP. The findings will help the stakeholders and policymakers in better decision-making.

Solid Waste Management in Local Governments in Sri Lanka with reference to the Boralesgamuwa Urban Council

Local authorities are responsible for the provision of an extensive range of public services for the citizens in that residential area which encompassing different fields including the social, economic, environmental, recreational, and community development. This study has been narrowed down to examine the difficulties facing by local government when providing Environmental and sanitation services. When it refers to the environmental services provided by local governments, Solid-waste management can be regarded as a burning problem especially in Colombo district. Based on this situation, this research has been conducted to study about the Solid-waste management in local governments in Sri Lanka with special reference to Boralesgamuwa Urban Council. Main purpose of this study is to identify the challenges of local government institutions in solid waste management and to provide recommendations to enhance the solid waste management practices in local government institutions in Sri Lanka. This study is mainly based on the primary data which has been collected through in-depth interviews followed a semi structured questionnaire. Sample size is 50 including ten officers, ten waste collecting servants and twenty citizens in Boralesgamuwa area. Data has been collected using random sampling methods and analyzed descriptively. As the main findings of the study it was recognized the problem of proper implementation of the waste collecting plan of Boralesagmuwa urban council. There were several servant related problems such as servants’ demotivation, deficiency of labors, lack of facilities, lack of attendance, health problems and bad behaviors of labors etc. Deficiency of vehicles and maintenance problems identified under the category of transport relater problems. The matter of not collecting the waste properly by waste collecting servants was the main problem identified related to the people. Further, recommendations for solid waste management problems in local authorities, have also been provided in this study.
 Keywords: local government, solid waste, management

Understanding the Effect of Internal and External Factors on Households' Willingness to Sort Waste in Dammam City, Saudi Arabia.

The acceleration of growth in the population in Saudi Arabia and the increase in municipal solid waste generation have caused a problem in Dammam city: an increase in solid waste production. Therefore, solid waste sorting is an important practice of municipal solid waste management. The main objectives in this research are understanding the effect of internal and external factors on household willingness in sorting waste in Dammam city and studying the attempts to construct a theoretical research model by adding market incentives, government facilitators, and awareness into the popular planned behaviour theory to explain residents’ waste sorting intentions. The data collection and analysis are based on the questionnaire study, which is based on the questionnaire survey data from 450 households in Dammam. This study revealed that social influence significantly predicts households’ willingness to sort and recycle, that is, to promote recycling. Additionally, the variable social influence has a significant but low influence on households’ willingness to sort and recycle. The result of the structural equation model shows that perceived behavioural control significantly predicts households’ willingness to sort and recycle waste. This finding is consistent with the theoretical expectation. Therefore, this research shows that attitude, social influence, perceived behavioural control, market incentives, government facilitators and awareness positively and significantly affect residents’ waste sorting intentions. Additionally, this research corroborates the discrepancy between internal and external variables.

Biomedical Solid Waste Management System in Jimma Medical Center, Jimma Town, South Western Ethiopia.

IntroductionBiomedical waste is a hazardous waste material that is generated during the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings. Hence, it needs special attention and appropriate management before disposal.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the biomedical solid waste management system in Jimma Medical Center, Jimma town, southwestern Ethiopia, 2020.MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional study design was used to assess the biomedical solid waste management system from May 12 to 25, 2020. The quantity of biomedical solid waste generated was measured by using a calibrated weight balance. An observational checklist and a semi-structured interview guide were used to assess the current practice of biomedical solid waste management. In addition, during combustion, the concentration of pollutants emitted from the incinerator was measured at a different distance from the source. Analysis of variance was used to compare the mean waste generation rates among wards and the contribution of incinerator emissions at different distances was analyzed by regression.ResultThe average daily biomedical waste generation rate was determined to be 0.92kg/bed/day and/or 0.75kg/patient/day. There was limited segregation of biomedical waste by type at the point of generation. Mixed biomedical waste was collected and transported using substandard open plastic bins. Moreover, the incinerator was operated at a low temperature and high peak average concentrations of PM2.5 (21.7–999.9 μg/m3) and PM10 (31–1999.9 μg/m3), total VOC (736–4754mg/m3), NO2 (0.00–600 μg/m3) and SO2 (0.00–300 μg/m3) were recorded at different distances downwind from the incinerator.ConclusionThe average biomedical waste generation rate was above the threshold value set by the World Health Organization in low-income countries. Its management was also limited. The high concentrations of pollutants released from the incinerator affect the nearby air quality and hence interferes with the health of the local community.

Best Practices of Solid Waste Management at Institute of Business Management, Karachi, Pakistan

Recently we conducted a study to evaluate the existing solid waste management practices at Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi which shows that the institute possesses best management practices related to solid waste collection, transport, segregation, recycling/reuse, and final disposal. Adequate number of color-coded bins have been laid at appropriate locations throughout the university campus. Institute has enough staff for waste management including waste collection, transportation, and disposal. Results of our study indicate that about 2,033 kg of solid waste/month (24.5 tons/annum) is generated from the IoBM campus. Out of the total, about 67.8 % is the recyclable and reusable plastic, paper, and metal waste while, the remaining (about 32%) is mostly organic waste generated from various facilities of the university. Economic analysis indicates that about 252,012 Pak rupees annually are earned from selling the recyclable and reusable inorganic solid waste. Study also indicate that about 500 kg of good quality compost per month can be prepared from the organic waste including food and yard waste that can be used for existing horticultural activities at the university. Moving towards a sustainable integrated solid waste management system necessitates improved system of waste collection, segregation, reselling, and composting

Nexus between perceptions of urban environmental planning and solid waste management practices in Debre Markos Town, Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia

Lack of integration between urban environmental planning and solid waste management is a challenge for cities in developing countries. The aim of the research was to analyze the nexus between local communities’ perceptions of urban environmental planning and solid waste management practices in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia. The study applied a binary logistic regression approach to identify the factors that influence local communities’ perceptions about urban environmental planning and solid waste management practices. Results show that education level, family size, income and availability of safe disposal sites are statistically significant (either at P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) predictors of local communities’ perceptions. The challenges and prospects of urban environmental management were varied and rated from least to very big by respondents. Lack of commitment is reported at 41% as a very big challenge and at 43% as a big challenge of urban environmental management. The paper concludes by proposing proper implementation of the integration of solid waste management and urban environmental planning for sustainable urban development.

Pondok community participation in sustainable solid waste management practices

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.

Dhaka landfill waste practices: addressing urban pollution and health hazards.

Two Dhaka, Bangladesh, landfills are explored to understand how management practices impact environmental quality and public health in the surrounding areas. A combination of research methods is used, such as geospatial buffer zone analysis, semi-structured observation checklist and qualitative interviews, to gain an understanding of the waste transportation, leachate percolation, and adverse health and environmental effects. A multi-ring buffer zone and ground truth method were applied through ArcMap for the spatial distribution of landfill-adjacent environmental features. Qualitative interviews were conducted with landfill officials and nearby residents. Findings reveal that landfills are situated very close to residential areas, water bodies and agricultural lands, exposing them to various health and environmental hazards. Improper solid waste management practices of the landfills cause adverse environmental effects by leachate percolation, waste incineration and vector breeding. Adjacent dwellers suffer from bronchial diseases, pneumonia, diarrhoea, itching problems, headache and appetite loss. The existing solid waste management system requires managerial and technical modifications to reduce the associated environmental pollution and health hazards.

Municipal Solid Waste Management Practices for Achieving Green Architecture Concepts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Solid waste is one of the social and environmental challenges that urban areas are facing. The study assesses the state of solid waste in Addis Ababa during 2016–2020 to provide implications for achieving green architecture concepts through better management of solid waste and its economic contribution. The study uses secondary and primary data. Quantitative and qualitative data are analyzed through descriptive statistics and context analysis, respectively. The result reveals that most solid waste is generated from households, followed by commercial centers, street sweeping, industries/factories, hotels, and hospitals, respectively. From 2016 to 2020, an average of 80.28% of solid waste is collected, whereas 19.72% of the waste is not collected. There are little or no efforts made to segregate solid waste at the source. The generated waste is disposed of in the Reppi open landfill. Together with Ethiopian electric power (EEP) and the City Government of Addis Ababa, waste has been converted to energy since 2019. The study suggests minimizing waste from its source by reducing generation, composting, reusing, recycling, waste-to-energy strategy, and well-designed buildings to achieve the concept of green architecture in Addis Ababa through better solid waste management.

Solid waste management in India: a review

In India, rate of waste generation varies from 0.12-0.60 kg/capita/day. This paper lists established solid waste management practices in India by providing the latest factual data from various reports and surveys being conducted in India in the period 2016 and beyond. This paper also gives an insight into some of the recent studies that have been in India related to solid waste and waste to energy technologies by describing their study area along with mentioning their critical observations.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN BIKANER CITY, RAJASTHAN (INDIA)

Waste as one of the major environmental issues in the current world can be seen scattered ubiquitously. There is a dire need to properly manage the waste due to the negative effects on public and environmental health. The present study aims to do analysis of the solid waste management practices in Bikaner municipal area (Rajasthan). Solid waste samples were collected from 10 selected locations of the study area. Physical composition and physicochemical parameters of solid waste were determined. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, moisture content and organic matter of solid waste were analyzed by using the standard methods. Organic matter made the highest content (27% to 76%) in the composition of all solid wastes. However, glass, metal and wood comprised the lowest content (1%). The pH range of samples was 5.1 to 7.5. Water holding capacity (%) was below 100 in all the samples though organic carbon ranged from 15.4 % to 19.6 %. Goga gate dumping site showed the highest solid waste content. It was found that waste management practices in Bikaner municipal area are not sustainable yet due to improper waste collection, waste dumping and lack of awareness among people. Solid waste need to be segregated at the source and segregation of recyclable waste should also be done for effective waste management. The organic fractions of solid waste could be utilized in composting.

Solid waste management practices and challenges in seven cities of Nepal before and during lockdown against COVID-19 pandemic

The nationwide lockdown imposed to control the spread of novel coronavirus induced dramatic alterations in different sectors of the Nepalese governance, including Solid Waste Management (SWM) practices. The study identifies SW collection gaps in seven major cities of Nepal and highlights the municipal and public households on SW management practices before and during the lockdown to emphasize the linkage between COVID-19 and SWM. It includes information on solid waste status, collection frequency and coverage, workers' safety practices, types of vehicles operated for collection and alternative methods adopted by households to manage SW during the lockdown. For this, 1329 households survey and key informant interviews were conducted in seven cities of Nepal during the lockdown. It was found that although the coverage of the collection service was similar during the pandemic in surveyed households, there was a drastic decrease in the collection frequency leading to a collection gap of around 570 tons/day. More than 50% of the surveyed households adopted no proper alternative measures as they claimed that they stored solid waste with proper management so that municipal authorities can take it. While other 50% adopted practices such as open burning, throwing in streets or composting. The study reveals poor occupational health and safety practices among solid waste workers due to the unavailability of safety gear and equipment despite being aware of the modes of transmission of the virus. The pandemic exacerbated the challenges of smooth SWM as it is an essential and needy service. This study highlights the need for a timely strategic management framework to be developed by the government to continue the smooth SWM practices during the lockdown.

Status, characterization, and quantification of municipal solid waste as a measure towards effective solid waste management: The case of Dilla Town, Southern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This study aims to assess the status of solid waste management (SWM) practice and to characterize and quantify the municipal solid waste as a measure toward effective management in Dilla town Southern Ethiopia. Formal surveys of household residents and SWM operators using a structured questionnaire were conducted to gather data on the current waste management practices of the inhabitants. Repeated field investigations, on-site waste segregation, characterizations, and quantification were conducted. The average per-capita waste generation rate of residential households was found to be 0.475 kg/capita.day. The majority of the waste was organic (68.40% by weight). The recyclable waste accounts 1.90% plastics and 1.50% paper by weight. Whereas, other wastes account 0.30% metals, 0.30% glass, 0.50% leather and rubber, 19.60% inert, 0.96% textiles, and 6.90% miscellaneous by weight. The awareness of inhabitants on solid waste management, poor household waste segregation practice, and disposing of an unsanitary landfill are revealing the main solid waste management problems faced. Other SWM barriers include ineffective solid waste fee system, lack of trained manpower, inappropriate collection routes; unavailability of collection vehicles, illegal solid waste disposal, and inappropriate setting of community containers. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that organic waste constituted a lion share of the solid wastes generated in the town. Hence, the municipality can recover this waste by introducing integrated urban agriculture that might convert this waste to organic fertilizer through composting. To boost SWM, creating public awareness, providing equipment, provision of incentives and other financial policies, and other supplies currently lacking and inappropriate must be provided. The municipal authorities of the town may use this work as a benchmark and might push environmental protection authorities to reexamine the implementation of their policies and strategies with relation to the human and environmental health of the town. Implications: Nowadays, urban population is increasing in developing countries; led to generate an enormous amount of municipal waste in the areas which make more complicate its management pose environmental pollution and threat public health. Thus, to curve these problems this study finding will be important for various policymakers and town municipality. This study may also serve as a benchmark for the municipal authorities of Dilla town for whom the problem is still unseen and negligible, and can push environmental protection authorities to re-examine the implementation of their policies and strategies with regard to the wider issues of human and environmental health conditions of town inhabitants.

Solid Waste Management Awareness and Practices of Saint Michael College of Caraga

Solid Waste Management is the discipline associated with control of generations, storage, collection, transport, or transfer, processing, and disposal of solid waste materials in a way that best addresses the range of public health, conservation, economics, aesthetics, engineering, and other environmental considerations (Rick Leblanc, 2018). The researchers sought to answer the level of awareness and practices of students, teachers, and administrators. The study used a descriptive correlation research design. Based on the result, the researchers found that the awareness and practices towards Solid Waste Management as perceived by the students, teachers, and administrators have significantly not differed. Teachers and School Administrators had no significant differences, and only the students had a difference in their SWM Practices. According to the study findings, both academics, instructors, and administrators have a lack of understanding about solid waste management. The researchers highly recommended that all the respondents should have undergone a seminar that talks about the Solid Waste Management policies, discipline, proper disposal, and segregation of waste, and even the three r's (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle).

Practices and Challenges of Household Solid Waste Management in Woldia Town, Northeastern Ethiopia.

Background.The rapid growth of urban populations has led to a dramatic increase in urban waste generation with environmental and public health problems associated with water contamination, emission of toxic and noxious fumes, soil contamination and introduction of disease vector populations.Objectives.The aim of the present study was to assess solid waste disposal practices and challenges of solid waste management in Woldia town, northeastern Ethiopia.Methods.A descriptive research design was employed, using a survey method and naturalistic observational methods. A total of 236 households were surveyed, including waste collectors and cleaners, waste pickers, and 20 students and ten teachers from Woldia secondary and preparatory schools. A purposive sampling technique (made up of municipal officers, scavengers (waste pickers), waste collectors and cleaners and a simple random sampling technique (of teachers, students and kebeles of the study area) was employed, then proportional allocation was made for each randomly selected kebeles based on population size to determine the sample. Finally, survey questionnaire, interview, focus group discussion and observation were used as data collecting tools. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were also employed.Results.The current study revealed that educational status (AOR = 10.92, 95% CI = (3.12–38.27)), occupational status (AOR = 8.08, 95% CI = (2.08–31.31)), monthly income (AOR = 5.72, 95% CI = (1.55–21.13)), and age (AOR = 2.53, 95% CI = (1.04–6.19)) were found to be the major factors associated with solid waste management practices. Additionally, shortage of storage materials, lack of alternative waste disposal options, household attitudes, and lack of awareness were the major challenges for low performance of solid waste management practices of the local government and households. The focus group individuals and interviewed participants indicated that solid waste management practices were poor.Conclusions.The present study revealed that solid waste management practices in Woldia town remain inadequate. Therefore, efforts by the municipality and other stakeholders are needed to mitigate the problem of waste management and disposal practices.Participant Consent.ObtainedEthics Approval.The study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Review committee (IRERC) of Woldia UniversityCompeting Interests.The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Methodology to Investigate Indigenous Solid Waste Systems and Practices in the Rural Areas Surrounding Maseru (Kingdom of Lesotho).

Solid waste management (SWM) is the greatest challenge facing environmental protection and human wellbeing in the rural communities of Maseru (Kingsom of Lesotho). A lack of formal waste management (WM) systems in rural areas of Maseru have resulted in different indigenous systems and practices of SWM. Direct observation and descriptive designs will be employed. This is a mixed methods study of qualitative, quantitative and, non-experimental. We obtained data sets from existing official census and statistics of Maseru. We sampled 693 participants from total population of 6917. We received ethical clearance from Research Ethics committee of Health Sciences at the University of Johannesburg, we recruited six field workers. We have preventive equipment (sanitizers, masks, and sterile latex gloves) for COVID-19 infections in place; we have specific design on caps, masks and bags that will identify field workers as they collect data. We will train field workers, administer questionnaires, interview, and observe participants. STATKON will analyse data. The research will share the results with the Ministry of Environment and the community in Lesotho. The results will also be used to educate the rural communities on improved WM. Where weaknesses are identified, mitigation measures can be evaluated and implemented to rectify the negative aspects and improve the systems and practices. The rural communities face challenges such as waste collection services and sanitation facilities and this fact points out that there is a gap in SWM, which favours the existence of indigenous systems and practice of SWM.