An assessment of solid waste management in a local authority

Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Geography / Earth Science - Miscellaneous, , language: English, abstract: Improper management of solid waste poses many challenges to the stakeholders such as residents, council authorities, business community and other support groups. The general objective of the study is to assess the sustainability of waste management in Glendale. The researcher used case study research design in conjunction with mixed methods research in the study. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to collect data. The target population for the study consisted of residents of Valley, Westville Park and Sisk, council authorities, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) officer, waste collectors, members of community based organizations (CBOs) and the environmental health officer. The total population was 569 and the sample size was 235. Stratified systematic sampling was employed to select 220 households and the rest except CBO members were picked using purposive sampling. CBO members were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire, interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), observations as well as secondary data. Qualitative data was analysed thematically while quantitative data was analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 as well as Pearson Chi square test. The results of the study indicated that solid waste management in Glendale is inefficient. Four and half tonnes of waste is generated per day in Glendale but only 2.0tonnes is collected and 2.5tonnes is left uncollected. It was noted that the waste is mainly decomposable organic. There is widespread illegal dumping of waste, inconsistent collection of waste, insufficient provision of receptacles and the council's official dump site is illegal. The council dumped waste on an illegal dumpsite characterised by open dumping and burning of waste. It was also noted that the waste was not separated according to type at the source. The study recommended an increase in awareness campaigns to ensure a change in the attitudes of the residents especially in connection with managing sanitary waste. In addition, the council should play its part by collecting waste frequently by increasing the size of its fleet for waste collection. The decomposable organic waste should also be used for generation of biogas.