Municipal solid waste generation and disposal in Robe town, Ethiopia

Abstract

The amount of solid waste generated in developing countries is rising over time due to economic growth, change inconsumer behavior, and lifestyles of people. But it is hard to manage and handle the increase of solid waste with existing waste management infrastructure. Thus, the management system of solid waste is very poor and has become a serious problem. The main purpose of this study is to quantify the volume of solid waste generated and investigate factors affecting generation and disposal of wastes in the study area. The result of this study indicated that total waste generated from households was about 97.092 kg/day. Furthermore, the study reveals that the solid waste generation rate of the town is 0.261 kg/person/day. About 57.5% of solid waste is properly disposed of to a landfill site, whereas the remaining 42.5% is illegally dumped at the roadsides and open fields. Implications: Nowadays, in developing countries there is a high concentration of people in urban areas, causing the generation of an enormous concentration of municipal waste in urban areas. Therefore this study’s findings will be important for various policymakers and town planners. This may also serve as a benchmark for the municipal authorities of the town for whom the problem is still invisible and negligible and can push environmental protection authorities to reexamine the implementation of their policies and strategies with regard to the broader issues of human and environmental health conditions of town dwellers.