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.

Acknowledgment

The authors are very thankful to the office of the Vice president for Research and Technology Transfer of Dilla University for financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental Material

Supplemental data for this paper can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Vice president for Research and Technology Transfer of Dilla University [DU/018/18].

Notes on contributors

Workineh Mengesha Fereja

Workineh Mengesha Fereja, is currently a staff member of Chemistry Department and Vice Director of Energy and Environment Research Center at Dilla University, Ethiopia. His specialization is in Environmental Sanitation. He worked on environmental analysis, the physical-chemical behavior and partitioning of organic micro-pollutants in/between the different environmental matrices. Mr. Fereja has been working research on the application of the current technologies for the quantification, prevention and remediation of environmental pollution where the focus area is waste/wastewater treatment technology. Part of his research results have been published in international journal, 1. Journal of Applied Chemical Science International K.K.Sivakumer, Workineh M. Fereja, & S.Mohalakshmi (2017). Prosopisnjuliflora carbon and commercial activated carbon in the pollutant reduction technology. 8(1): 1-5. 2. Journal of Cogent Food & Agriculture Workineh Mengesha Fereja, Wondimagegn Tagesse, and Girmaye Benti (2020). Treatment of coffee processing wastewater using Moringa stenopetala seed powder: Removal of turbidity and chemical oxygen demand. 6(1): 1816420, DOI:10.1080/23311932.2020.1816420. The experience of the applicant is ranging from environmental analysis combine preventive and remediation technology. So the manuscript submitted for publication is one of the projects among the research activities in our lab group.

Dereje Diriba Chemeda

Dereje Diriba Chemeda, is currently a staff member of Chemistry Department and coordinator of Energy and Environment Research Center at Dilla University, Ethiopia. His specialization is in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Science. He worked on environmental analysis, water and wastewater treatment. Mr. Chemeda has been working research on the application of the current technologies for the quantification, prevention and remediation of environmental contaminants where the focus area is waste/wastewater characterization and treatment technology.