HOUSEHOLD SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: THE CASE OF BAKE KELATE TOWN, WEST SHEWA, OROMIA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Solid waste, which is a consequence of day to day activity of human kind, needs to be managed properly. Bake kelate town faces problems associated with poor household solid waste management practices. This study provides an assessment of Household solid waste management practices in Bake kelate town. The study had also specific objectives such as current status of solid waste management practices at household level, stakeholders’ contribution in Household solid waste management and factors constraining Household solid waste management in the town .To achieve these objectives mixed method research design typically explanatory design was used whereas combination of probability and nonprobability sampling techniques were employed for the selection of respondents. Questionnaire, interview, field observation and document review were used to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The study discovered that, there is low performance of household solid waste management in Bake kelate town. Ineffective households’ solid waste management practices; untrustworthy solid waste storage materials, low level of solid waste separation (40.3 percent), insignificant recovery activities (6.7 percent reuse solid waste, 3.6 percent undertake composting and none of them have recycled at the source), unauthorized solid waste dumping (64.2percent), undesirable perception against solid waste management workers and externalizing their responsibilities were manifestation of low performance of household solid waste management. Limited participation of stakeholders; unsatisfactory participation of communities, absence of community based organizations involvement, very limited contribution of Non-Governmental Organizations and informal solid waste collector sector was another prevailing problem. Institutional related problems; poor institutional capacity and coordination to fulfill equipment and man power, lack of properly designed collection system and time schedule, less awareness creation among the society, absence of formulating and enforcing the implication of rule and regulation in context of the town aggravated the problem too. On the basis of the said findings, it was recommended that, execution of sustainable solid waste management systems (reuse, composting and recycling) through training of community, improvement of institutional capacity and structure, and implementation of participatory solid waste management approach which comprises all stakeholders has to be accomplished.