Household Solid Waste Management Practice of Women in Woldia Town, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia
Abstract
Solid waste management (SWM) has become a major challenge in urban areas throughout the world. Unless people have an active involvement in SWM, it will result in environmental problems and health hazards. Hence, this study intended to assess women’s practice in effective household SWM at household level in Woldia town, Ethiopia. Mixed methods research with explanatory research design was employed for the study. Questionnaires were administered to 210 women who were selected through systematic sampling technique from three urban kebeles of the town. Interview, observation and FGD were used to collect qualitative data. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data while thematic analysis was employed to interpret the qualitative data. The binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors that determined women’s participation in effective SWM at household level. The results showed that more than half (61%) of the respondents did not participate in effective household SWM, and yet, the majority (60%) of them still did not use alternative solid waste handling methods. The study also noted that lack of support from family members, inadequate support from the town municipality as well as cultural myths and beliefs were the challenges women faced to participate effectively in SWM. The study found that age, marital status, educational level and family size of respondents were the major determinants to participate in effective household SWM. From these results, it can be concluded that the young age group and the unmarried and/or divorced group of women were negligent in effective household SWM. Women’s awareness of SWM was found inadequate, and they were merely involved in managing solid wastes traditionally. The study recommended that supporting women in utilizing alternative and/or sustainable solid waste handling methods should be encouraged by the local government.References
Abiyot, H. (2014). Assessment of demographic and socio economic factors affecting municipal
solid waste management practice: the case of Laga Tafo - Laga Dadi town, Oromia
Regional State, Ethiopia. Unpublished Master Thesis, Haramaya University, Ethiopia.
Ashenafi, H. (2011). Determinants of Effective Household Solid Waste Management Practices:
the Case of Ambo Town – West Showa Zone. Master Thesis. Mekelle University, Ethiopia.
Bizatu, M., & Negga, B. (2010). Community based assessment on household management of
waste and hygiene practices in Kersa. Ethiopian Journal of Health Development,
(2), 103-109.
Cunningham, W. (2009). Solid waste management. Utah Refuse Collection and Disposal
Association (URCDA), University of Minnesota.
Kamar, A. J. (2006). Household participation in domestic waste disposal and recycling in the
Tshwane Metropolitan area: an environmental education perspective. A master’s thesis
presented to the department of environmental education, at the University of South Africa.
Kothari, C.R. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. Jaipur, India:
University of Rajasthan: New Age International.
Medina, M. (2004). Globalization, Development, and Municipal Solid Waste Management in
Third World Cities, El Colegio de la Fronera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.
Mesfin, T. ( 2006). The Socio-Economic and Demographic Description of Solid Waste
Generation; The case of Addis Ketema sub city. MA Thesis Addis Ababa University.
Samuel, S. 2006. Commercial Solid Waste Generation and Composition Analysis: Arada
Sub city, Addis Ababa.
Spies, S., & Wehenpohl, G. (2006). The informal sector in solid waste management – efficient
part of a system or marginal and disturbing way of survival for the poor? Kolkata, India:
Solid Waste, Health and the Millennium Development Goals, CWG-WASH Workshop.
Tewodros, T., & Samson, H. (2009). Demand for Improved Solid Waste Collection
Services: A Survey in Mekelle City. Journal of the Dry lands 2(1), 32-39.
Uchegbu S.N. 2009. Environmental management and protection. Precision publishers, Nigeria.
UNDP. (1996). Conceptual Framework for Municipal Solid Waste Management in Low-Income
Countries.Nairobi: Urban Management and Infrastructure. Working Paper No. 9.
Yitayal, B. (2008). DSW quantity and composition analysis in Addis Ababa. Master Thesis.
Addis Ababa University.
Zhu, P.U., Asnani, C., Zurbrugg, S., & Anapolskyand S. (2008). Improving Solid Waste
Management in India: A Sourcebook for Policy Makers and Practitioners, The World Bank,
Washington, DC.
Zurbrug, C. (2003). Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries. Retrieved from
http://www.eawag.ch/organisation/abteilungen/sandec/publikationens-swm/downloads
swm/basics of SWM.pdf.
Copyright (c) 2021 Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after publication in EJSS.
