Prosper Chikanyire Final Project Esh 2017 Chapters 1,2,3,4,5
Prosper Chikanyire Final Project Esh 2017 Chapters 1,2,3,4,5
The increase in solid waste generation, poor solid waste services in urban areas of Zimbabwe
and the absence of data on domestic solid waste handling practises in the study area prompted
this research intiative.The cross-sectional survey in Bulawayo involving three residential areas
of different socio-demographic statuses was used to assess solid waste handling practises at
household level. The study seeks to assess spatial distribution of illegal dumpsites in the three
areas, determine solid waste storage and disposal practises and analyse influence of
demographic and socioeconomic factors on solid waste handling. Purposive sampling was used
to select Nguboyenja, Mahatshula South and Queens Park East suburbs where stratified random
sampling was used to select 205 households. Researcher administered questionnaire and an
observation checklist were administered to generate qualitative and quantitative data. Illegal
dumpsites coordinates were captured using a GPS device. 25 illegal dumps in Nguboyenja
which is a high density area, 11 and 7 in Queens Park and Mahatshula low and medium density
areas were mapped using Google Earth Pro. Illegal dumpsites were located in open spaces,
along roadsides and at the peripheries of residential areas. Findings show that 31% of the
respondents portrayed good knowledge, 42% moderate knowledge and 27% portrayed poor
knowledge of proper solid waste handling. Poor waste handling practises that exist include
burning (practised by 39% of the respondents) and open space dumping (practised by 32% of
the respondents). Statistical analysis was done with dependant variables being knowledge on
solid waste handling, waste reuse and separation, waste generation rate and independent
variables being education level, income level, and age among others. The data obtained was
subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS V20 software and Microsoft Excel to determine
relationships between independent and dependant variables through correlation using Chi-
square test α=0.05. Knowledge about solid waste handling, handling practises and generation
showed significant association with factors such as family size, education level, income level
and age of respondents (p<0.05).There are more people who stay in high density residential
areas who are less educated, earn less, have high average number of people per household than
those in low residential areas impacting negatively on their ability to buy standard receptacles
and store waste properly. The residents of Bulawayo need health education, regular supply of
refuse receptacle facilities, and clearance of undesignated dump sites in the areas will
encourage strict adherence to proper and appropriate waste management practices.
i
DEDICATION
This study is dedicated to my parents Mr T and Mrs D Chikanyire for their sacrifice and
support during the whole period of my study.
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My utmost acknowledgement and deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor Mr .O. Dube for all
the exceptional expert counsel and guidance he gave me to see the fruition of this study. Thank
you for your support and encouraging me through toughest moments of my research. The
Department of Environmental Science and Health, NUST for making it possible that I engage
in this research.
Over and above everything my sincere acknowledgement goes to the Almighty God who
granted me the opportunity to gain vast and invaluable knowledge. Much gratitude extends to
my family for it is through their support, love, encouragement and sacrifices that I have
managed to pull through life’s challenges and reached this stage in life. I acknowledge
everyone without whose support this dissertation would have been impossible. Special thanks
to the Bulawayo City Council for allowing me to conduct this research in their town.
My mother, family, siblings and friends, without the moral, financial support and all the
encouragements I would have not managed through this moment of testing. Thank you for your
prayers and everything. To my close friends at NUST, thank you for the great support and
prayers. Special thanks to fellow classmates Tafadzwa, Fortune and Tineyi, guys thank you for
being there.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... i
LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................................vii
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background to the study.............................................................................................. 1
1.2 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Research Objectives .................................................................................................... 4
1.3.1 Main objective ..................................................................................................... 4
1.3.2 Specific Objectives .............................................................................................. 4
1.4 Specific Research Questions ....................................................................................... 5
1.5 Justification of study ................................................................................................... 5
1.6 Limitations and Delimitations of study ....................................................................... 6
1.6.1 Limitations ........................................................................................................... 6
1.6.2 Delimitations ........................................................................................................ 6
1.7 Ethical considerations ................................................................................................. 6
2 CHAPTER 2 ...................................................................................................................... 8
LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 8
2.2 History of solid waste management ............................................................................ 8
2.3 Overview of solid waste management ........................................................................ 8
2.4 Waste management practices in different parts of the world ...................................... 9
2.5 Proportion of household solid waste generated......................................................... 11
2.6 Solid waste handling practises .................................................................................. 12
2.6.1 Waste generation ................................................................................................ 12
2.6.2 Waste storage ..................................................................................................... 13
2.6.3 Collection ........................................................................................................... 14
2.6.4 Disposal.............................................................................................................. 14
2.6.5 Solid waste management options ....................................................................... 14
2.7 Illegal solid waste dumping....................................................................................... 15
2.8 Geographic information systems (GIS) and solid waste management ..................... 16
2.9 Urban councils solid waste management and practises ............................................ 17
2.10 Legislation governing solid waste in Zimbabwe....................................................... 20
2.11 The concept of the household.................................................................................... 21
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2.12 Knowledge, attitudes and practices on waste ............................................................ 22
2.13 Major constraints to proper household solid waste management. ............................ 22
2.13.1 Attitude and behaviour gap ................................................................................ 23
2.13.2 Lack of Education and Awareness ..................................................................... 23
2.14 Conclusion................................................................................................................. 24
3 CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................... 25
3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 25
3.2 Study area .................................................................................................................. 25
3.2.1 Study Area Maps................................................................................................ 27
3.3 Research Design ........................................................................................................ 28
3.4 Target population ...................................................................................................... 28
3.5 Research Method/Strategy ........................................................................................ 29
3.6 Sample size................................................................................................................ 29
3.7 Sampling Technique .................................................................................................. 31
3.7.1 Non-probability sampling .................................................................................. 31
3.7.2 Probability Sampling ......................................................................................... 31
3.8 Research Methodology Flowchart ............................................................................ 33
3.9 Data Capture tools ..................................................................................................... 34
3.10 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 35
3.11 Data Analysis plan .................................................................................................... 35
4 CHAPTER 4 .................................................................................................................... 36
4.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 36
4.1 The sociodemographic characteristics of participants ................................................. 36
4.2 Spatial distribution of illegal dumpsites .................................................................... 38
4.3 Knowledge of the Households towards solid waste handling ................................... 41
4.4 Solid waste storage and disposal practises of households......................................... 44
4.4.1 Residential solid waste streams generation ........................................................... 44
4.4.2 Availability of standard storage receptacles .......................................................... 45
4.4.3 Association between availability of receptacles and residential area .................... 47
4.4.4 Determining solid waste final disposal methods in the residential areas. ............. 47
4.4.5 Proportion of waste generated attributed to illegal dumping ................................. 48
4.4.6 Relationship between income level, ownership of a waste receptacle and amount
of waste not binned. ............................................................................................................. 49
4.4.7 Solid waste reuse and separation done by residents. ............................................. 50
4.4.7 Observation practice of Solid Waste disposal in households ................................ 52
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4.5 Association between Socio-demographic factors (gender, level of education,
occupation, monthly income and size of household) and knowledge towards solid waste
handling ................................................................................................................................ 53
5 CHAPTER 5 .................................................................................................................... 56
5.1 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 56
5.2 Socio-demographic characteristics ............................................................................ 56
5.3 Spatial distribution of illegal dumpsites .................................................................... 58
5.4 Knowledge of households on waste handling ........................................................... 60
5.5 Solid waste handling practises .................................................................................. 62
5.5.1 Solid waste streams generated and the handling thereof. .................................. 62
5.5.2 Common existing Solid Waste handling practice at household levels/Observed
situation of household waste handling in residential areas............................................... 63
5.6 Association between gender, level of education income level, age and waste
handling practises. ................................................................................................................ 64
5.7 Conclusion................................................................................................................. 65
5.8 Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 66
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ 74
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: Population and urbanization growth (1990-2010) Adapted from (World Bank, ... 9
Figure 2.2: Adapted from What a Waste report (World Bank, 2012) ..................................... 11
Figure 2.3: Solid waste management hierarchy ...................................................................... 20
Figure 3.1: Map of Bulawayo City in which study areas are located ..................................... 26
Figure 3.2: Map of Study area 1-Nguboyenja suburb (Sourced from Google earth) ............. 27
Figure 3.3: Map of Study area 2-Mahatshula South suburb (Sourced from Google earth) ... 27
Figure 3.4: Map of Study area 3-Queens Park East Suburb (Sourced from Google earth) ... 28
Figure 3.5 : Research Methodology Flow Chart-A summary of how the research was ......... 33
Figure 4.1: Map showing distribution of illegal dumps in Nguboyenja suburb (Source:
Google Earth, 2017) ................................................................................................................ 39
Figure 4.2: Map showing distribution of illegal dumps in Mahatshula South suburb (Source:
Google Earth, 2017) ................................................................................................................ 39
Figure 4.3: Map showing distribution of illegal dumps in Queens park East suburb (Source:
Google Earth, 2017) ................................................................................................................ 40
Figure 4.4: Showing overall classification for knowledge level of respondents for all suburbs
.................................................................................................................................................. 43
Figure 4.5: Proportion of the population and their practises towards proper solid waste
management practises .............................................................................................................. 44
Figure 4.6: Shows solid waste streams produced more by households in each suburb .......... 45
Figure 4.7: Storage receptacles availability in the three suburbs........................................... 45
Figure 4.8: Proportion of the population using other forms of receptacles. ........................... 46
Figure 4.9: Other ways used by households for final solid waste disposal............................. 48
Figure 4.10: Shows proportion of waste generated per day that is attributed to illegal ........ 49
Figure 4.11: Indicates unavailability of bins in relation to income level and as a result
amount of waste (kg per day per suburb) not binned………………………………51
Figure 4.12: Indicates the population proportions practising reuse and separation of solid
Waste……………………………………………………………………………………..52
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1: Data Analysis plan ................................................................................................. 35
Table 4.1: Sociodemographic characteristics of participants ................................................. 36
Table 4.2: Shows the statistical findings on the number of dump sites relative to households
.................................................................................................................................................. 38
Table 4.3: Shows proportion of respondents whose responses show understanding of solid . 42
Table 4.4: Contingency table showing Association of availability of standard receptacles and
frequency of households with receptacles in residential areas. .............................................. 47
Table 4.5: Proportion of waste generated attributed to illegal dumping……………………...49
Table 4.6: Observation checklist elucidating possession and real practice from households’
in solid waste management………………………………………………………………………….56
Table 4.7: χ2 analysis for Association between sociodemographic factors and knowledge and
practises towards solid waste management………………………………………………………...57
Table 4.8: χ2 analysis for Association between sociodemographic factors and waste reuse
and waste separation…………………………………………………………………………….........58
viii
LIST OF APPENDICES
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
African, Asian and Latin America cities and towns are central to demographic, economic and
environmental challenges of 21st century. More than 3.3 billion people live in towns and cities;
the number being expected to rise to some 5 billion by 2030 (George Martine, 2008) .Virtually
all of the world’s population growth is projected to occur in these cities and towns, and it is
likely that the cities will account for most of the economic growth .This urban transformation
can be viewed as a set of momentous demographic and economic developments that present
policymakers with opportunities as well as challenges (George Martine, 2008). Among other
environmental issues, solid waste management is a basic one on the grounds that as long as
humans live in settled groups, solid waste generation is unavoidable and a critical issue in both
developed and developing countries. Subsequently, solid waste management turned into an
overall plan at United Nations gathering on environment and development in Rio de Janeiro in
1992 with emphasis on lessening waste and boosting naturally environmentally sound waste
reuse and recycling at initial phase in waste management (Hyman & Brandon, 2013)
Solid waste generation has not been matched by capacity of municipalities to manage the waste,
this gave rise to collection and disposal problems (Tchobanoglous & Vigil, 1993) . One of the
important factors in management of solid waste is solid waste handling practises at household
level which is an important factor in solid waste management especially in the low income
countries as compared to the high income countries (Hornwerg & Bhada-Tata, 2012). The
World Bank Global Review of Waste Management report (World Bank, 2012) estimates that
at present almost 1.3 billion tonnes of household solid waste are generated globally every year
environmental and public health problem everywhere in the world as it is not only increasing
in quantity but also changing in composition from less organic to more paper, packing wastes,
plastics, glass, metal wastes among other types, leading to disposal problems (Bartone &
Bernstein, 2005) .Agenda 21 (UNCED, 1992), highlighted waste from domestic sources as a
major barrier to achieving environmental sustainability in the 21st century especially in Africa.
United Nations projections estimate that the urbanization rate will increase from 24% in 2005
to 38% by 2030 (Hornwerg & Bhada-Tata, 2012). Management of solid waste in Sub Saharan
Africa is often weak due to lack of appropriate planning, poor technology, weak enforcement
of existing legislation and the lack of economic incentives to promote environmentally sound
Jerie, (2014) alluded that rapid urban population growth during the last decade, coupled with
hyperinflation, economic decline and a fall in both capital and recurrent real budgets of local
authorities, among other factors, placed strain on local authority resources, resulting in the
failure to provide adequate services to areas under their jurisdiction. In Zimbabwe an average
of 2.5 million tonnes of solid waste produced is per annum (Tsiko & Togarepi, 2012) .On per
capita basis 0.53 kg of trash per household each day. As garbage in cities and towns is rising
quicker, only 52% of the waste is collected and disposed properly by councils the rest is either
burnt, buried underground or dumped anywhere in residential areas (TARSC, 2010). Waste
collection by local authorities was reported in 2007 to have dropped from 80% of total waste
across different local authorities in the mid-1990s to as low as 30% of total waste in some large
2
Previous studies that assessed household solid waste generation and composition observed that
in every human settlement, the microscopic unit of waste generation is the household (Sankoh,
et al., 2012). Households play an important role in environmental problems due to factors such
as family size, societal status and wealth, residential location and community status. The
quantity of waste generated is proportional to the population and the mean living standards,
income levels of people, household sizes hence individual household’s waste generation is
correlated as found by (Bandara, et al., 2007) . Dennison, et al., (1996), statistically analysed
the relationship between socioeconomic factors and waste generation and composition and
concluded that a clear waste difference existed between the more prosperous section in relation
Studies on waste management have focused on the factors influencing waste generation in both
developed and developing countries (Xiao, et al., 2015). Information about relevant influential
and policy measures on future waste generation. Income and family size are highly cited as
major determinants affecting solid waste generation. Other factors such as population density,
education, family structure, lifestyle, geographic features, and policies also inevitably influence
waste generation and handling at household level (Sankoh, et al., 2012). Demographic
dynamics, socio-economic changes and consumption patterns are the main factors that affect
of which exist in the form of domestic waste (Achankeng, 2003). In Zimbabwe, population
growth coupled with urbanization, industrialization and the use of the multi-currency system
3
in the economy has resulted in increased household solid waste generation since the buying
household solid waste has brought disease outbreaks, municipal waste collection and disposal
challenges (Jerie, 2014). The cholera and typhoid outbreaks of 2008 in Harare have been
attributed to poor solid waste management (Chinobva & Mukarati, 2011).Waste generation in
2011). However sporadic and erratic household solid waste handling practises in Bulawayo
suburbs. According to this rate 321,930 tonnes of solid waste are generated, of which most of
threatens health, damages the environment and adversely affects the quality of urban life
(Magadzire & Maseva, 2006). Assessing household waste disposal practices helps introduce
measures to reduce the amount of waste generated, the storage before collection and proper
variables in influencing the waste handling at household level necessitating this study.
4
1.4 Specific Research Questions
The research attempts to provide adequate answers to each of the following key
research questions:
2) What is the distribution of illegal dumpsites in the low, high density and medium
4) What are the solid waste storage and handling practises adopted by households in
Bulawayo?
elimination of illegal dumps. The study on waste management practises at household’s level
that need policy intervention. Study may generate knowledge about how waste handling
practises in the primary phase of solid waste management link with the waste handling
activities of other actors in the secondary phase of solid waste management so as to understand
household roles in solid waste management thereby help to identify factors to be considered
when developing more effective SWM systems .Research may bring out potential health
hazards that may expose Bulawayo residents to health hazards them as a result of poor solid
waste handling practises. The research may contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of
5
1.6 Limitations and Delimitations of study
1.6.1 Limitations
The number of households for study areas used for the study obtained from
Bulawayo city council might not be accurate due to new developments that occur
in the city.
Some residents could not accurately complete the questionnaires on the question
Garmin E-trex 30 has an accuracy of about (+/-) 3 metres which is likely to have
1.6.2 Delimitations
For the purpose of this study the researcher focused on households only, other areas of
the city such as the central business district (CBD) and the industrial areas were not
In the context of this study solid waste handling relates to storage, any forms of solid
The researcher sought authority from Bulawayo City Council to carry out the research
All the participants in this project were asked to sign an ethics consent form. This form
gave them the assurance that the information they provided was to be used for academic
purposes only.
6
The researcher ensured that participants were not involved without their knowledge and
consent.
No participant was coerced to participate and there was no invasion of privacy. In fact
the researcher explained the academic purpose of his research to the participants to give
them confidence.
The researcher did not hold any information from the participants about the true nature
of the research. Participants were given the freedom to decide for themselves when and
where, in what circumstances and to what extent their personal attitudes, opinion,
others.
7
2 CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
The chapter is based on comprehensive literature review concerning solid waste management.
The chapter evaluates the conventional ways of solid waste management which are universally
deemed effective and discusses the current waste handling practises in cities including those in
Zimbabwe. An analysis of what was found by other researchers on effective household solid
waste management practises in other countries and cities was done to ascertain the applicability
of such findings in the Zimbabwean context. This allows identification of research gaps in
existing literature.
effect on public and environmental health. According to (Nathanson, 2015) waste management
occurred in the 4th century A.D with Ancient Greeks who had to deal with multiple challenges
of aligning waste removal systems with a growing population. The plagues that affected Europe
between the 14th and 16th centuries were linked to rudimentary waste handling .In the later part
of the 20th century technological advances included the use of garbage cans and sanitary
landfills, the latter replaced the practise of open dumping .Today, solid waste management
conditions in the developing world are quite dire; indicative of conditions found in past waste
8
services that are discarded by their first owners without expecting to be rewarded for their
inherent value.Tchobanoglous & Vigil,(1993) added that solid waste comprise all wastes
arising from human and animal activities that are normally discarded as useless or unwanted.
This study focuses on household solid waste which includes ordinary garbage, rubbish and all
forms of refuse from household activities. In addition Tchobanoglous et al., (1993) discussed
solid waste management as the activities associated with the control of generation, storage,
collection, transfer and transport, processing and disposal of solid wastes in a manner that is in
accord with the best principles of public health, economics, engineering, conservation,
aesthetics and other environmental considerations and that is also responsive to public attitudes.
Ojeda-Benitez & Vega, (2008) outlined the goals of an appropriate waste management system
efficiency and productivity of the economy and generate employment and income.
The last three decades witnessed development of urban areas through urbanisation. Growth in
urbanisation is coupled with the growth of population living in urban areas (Khatib,
2011).Figure below shows growth of urbanisation is much more in developing countries than
Figure 2.1: Population and urbanization growth (1990-2010) Adapted from (World Bank,
2012)
9
Current global MSW generation levels are approximately 1.3 billion tonnes per year, and are
expected to increase to approximately 2.2 billion tonnes per year by 2025 (Hornwerg & Bhada-
Tata, 2012).This represents a significant increase in per capita waste generation rates,
from 1.2 to 1.42 kg per person per day in the next fifteen years. Solid Waste generation rates
are influenced by economic development and rate of urbanization. Income level and
urbanization are highly correlated and as disposable incomes and living standards increase,
consumption of goods and services correspondingly increases, as does the amount of waste
generated. Waste generation in sub-Saharan Africa is approximately 62 million tonnes per year.
Per capita waste generation is generally low in the region, but spans a wide range, from 0.09
to 3.0 kg per person per day, with an average of 0.65 kg/capita/day (United Nations,
2014).Practical Action Southern Africa (PASA, 2006) indicated that more than 2.5 million
tonnes of household and industrial waste are produced per annum in urban areas across
Zimbabwe. In sub Saharan Africa cities and towns, Achankeng, (2003) revealed that municipal
household solid waste management constitutes one of the most serious service provision
challenges.
Despite progress in solid waste management practices in the last decade since the original What
a Waste Report was published by World Bank (World Bank, 2012) fundamental institutional,
financial, social, and environmental problems still exist. Although each country and city has
their own site-specific situations, general observations can be made across low-, middle-, and
10
Figure 2.2: Adapted from What a Waste report (World Bank, 2012)
half of the solid waste generated by weight in developing world cities. Medina,(2007) estimated
that in the cities of developing countries some 30 to 50 per cent of solid wastes often remain
uncollected, rot, wash away, burn out in the open, and be scavenged at dumps, where the wastes
are piled up uncovered. These dumpsites have become refuges for disease spreading parasites.
The main challenge in the way solid waste is managed is failure to consider the socio-economic
factors and administrative support factors to influence household solid waste management
practices. In a study by Jerie (2014) the researcher identified knowledge gap among residents
investigate people’s perceptions and attitudes on the nature of solid waste, environmental and
health risks associated with solid waste and waste disposal practises among households. The
11
researcher found the factors influencing people’s perceptions and attitudes towards waste
management as gender, marital status, level of education and age. The study revealed low levels
of knowledge on proper solid waste disposal practises among households and the factors
motivating solid waste recycling at household level and recommended that education and
managing wastes until they are placed in the containers used for their storage, before collection
or return to recycling centres or disposal sites. Once waste is generated at household level, it
has to be handled in the primary phase of the waste chain in a manner that facilitates safe
disposal. This involves what householders do with their waste until they are place it in storage
containers for collection or otherwise hand over to formal or informal waste handlers in the
secondary phases of the waste chain (Tchobanoglous & Vigil, 1993).It is important to
understand the flows of waste within the household and in between the households and transfer
points, knowledge about the ways in which waste handling activities in the primary phase of
SWM link with the waste handling activities of other actors in the secondary phase of solid
waste management. Conventionally solid waste handling practises incorporates elements of:
Waste generation encompasses activities in which materials are identified as valueless and
either thrown away or gathered together for disposal (Rafia, et al., 2011).This functional
element is important as an activity that lead to identification and understanding of solid waste
generation rate, volume, composition, area specific variations of waste generation and their
expected changes overtime belong to this component of solid waste management. According
12
to UNEP (2009) the global amount of municipal solid waste generated in 2006 was 2.02 billion
tonnes representing 7% annual increase since 2003.Between 2007 and end of 2011 global
generation of municipal solid waste rose by 37.3% , a figure equivalent to around 8% increase
per year (UNEP, 2009).Generation rate has direct relationship with in-come level when income
level increases generation increase too as was observed in the town of Ethiopia Arada Sub City
The assertion by UNEP, (2009) that at a global scale waste generation is increasing at a faster
rate is confirmed by (Bandara, et al., 2007) in a study of solid waste in Ghana, Monahan (2004)
on his study of solid waste in New Hampshire .Manyanhaire et al (2009) found out that a
number of determinants account for the type of waste generated and these include consumption
patterns and lifestyles. In a study conducted by Bruvoll, (2001) to analyse the factors that
influence waste handling and generation using the variables income and population density, it
was found that income did influence the total solid waste generated in a municipality (Bruvoll,
2007). The generation of household waste was also found to be positively correlated with
average family size, employment status, monthly income, educational level and number of
room(s) occupied (Sankoh, et al., 2012).Waste generation is important for planning purposes,
Solid waste storage facilities is categorised as primary (or individual) and secondary (or
communal) storage facilities. Saeed, et al.,(2009) pointed it is essential that storage facilities
be as far as possible, waste able and robust enough to meet the needs of normal use. The
receptacle must be large enough to store waste until the council collects waste. The choice of
receptacles depends on the generation rate per capita and the method of lifting and empting the
receptacle in the refuse collection vehicle. Since recycling starts at household level, many
13
receptacles must be in place to cater for different types of waste. Local municipalities must
provide residents with receptacles (Saeed, et al., 2009). Sorting of waste can be necessitated by
availability of receptacles.
2.6.3 Collection
Collection can done by refuse trucks or skip bins and containers provided at various points
placed alongside shops or residential areas (Bartone & Bernstein, 2005). In Bulawayo the
simple emptying method is used. Frequency of waste collection varies with income with high
2.6.4 Disposal
Tchobanoglous et al., (1993), cited four major ways of disposal as composting, incineration,
landfilling and recycling. In Bulawayo the most common type of waste disposal is crude
dumping without incineration and uncoordinated waste scavenging common in the high density
Khatib, (2011) noted that the contemporary methods in management of solid waste include,
Source reduction
Includes actions to reduce the volumes and reclaiming reusable products and packages like
returnable bottles (Makoni, et al., 2004). At a consumption level reduction can include reuse
of containers and bags, changing buying habits, reducing the use of disposable products, and
packaging among other ways. Tibet and Marbel, (2004) noted source separation as a very
important factor in achieving source reduction of solid waste. Austria, the Netherlands, and
Denmark, have evolved necessary management processes to efficiently resolve the waste
14
disposal problem by essentially coaxing their citizens to separate their domestic solid waste
into glass, paper, plastic categories; thereby enabling easy collection and consequently reuse.
Involves use of a product more than once in its original form for the same or a new purpose.
This decreases the use of matter and energy resources, cuts pollution, creates local jobs, and
saves money (Hornwerg & Bhada-Tata, 2012).In developed countries, resource recovery is
countries, recycling operations are done by waste pickers or scavengers, with junk dealers,
even without the encouragement and support by the government. The first step towards
improving the collection and disposal of MSW requires finding out what informal activities
around waste already exist and how informal refuse collection and scavenging could be
improved.
where the indiscriminate deposit of solid waste takes place with no, or very limited measures
to control the operation and to protect the surrounding uncovered waste. Illegal dumping is the
intentional and illegal abandonment of household and industrial material on public or private
property (Medina, 2007) and according to UNEP (2009) it poses physical dangers such as fires
and vermin. According to USAID (2009), major cities in Africa produce around 0.5 kg per
person per day compared to 1-2kg produced in developed countries, but most waste in Africa
is not collected by municipal collection systems and ends up being illegally dumped. According
to Cunningham (2008) the traditional way people dispose of waste is to simple drop it
somewhere. This problem of waste disposal has become one of the most difficult
environmental problems facing the world today as among all types of waste, i.e. solid, liquid
or gas, solid waste is the most popular and most difficult to manage locally (Coad (2011).
15
2.8 Geographic information systems (GIS) and solid waste management
GIS is a technology that is used to manage, correlate and analyse the spatial relationship
information, perform sophisticated analysis, visualize trends, project outcomes and strategize
long-term planning goals (Malczewski, 2004 cited by Sumathi et al, 2008). GIS has often been
employed for the siting and placement of solid waste disposal facilities. GIS may also play a
key role in maintaining account data to facilitate collection operation and provide customer
service, analysing optimal locations for transfer stations, planning routes for vehicles
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are one of the most sophisticated modern technologies
to capture, store, manipulate, analyse and display spatial data. The spatial data is organized into
thematic layers in the form of digital maps. The combined use of GIS with advanced related
technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and Remote Sensing (RS) assists in the
recording of spatial data and the direct use of these data for analysis and cartographic
the impact of the spatial distribution of solid waste dumps on infrastructural facilities in
Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State in Nigeria spatial data acquisition was done by the use of a GPS
device which captures coordinates of spatial phenomena. According to Map Action (2009) a
GPS receiver can be used to record the unique coordinates of the places of interest and in the
case of mapping illegal dumpsites, a GPS survey can be carried out to collect the coordinates
of the major waste dumpsites. In a study conducted in Samaru, an area in Nigeria, the
coordinates of the waste dumps collected were imported into Microsoft excel and tables or data
sheets for the points and their attributes were created .The coordinates of each of the identified
dumpsites were then overlaid on the imagery covering the study area using the overlay analysis
16
of the GIS. The map of the spatial distribution of the dumpsites and their proximity to
infrastructural facilities was created (Benedine et al, 2011).From the results of the study carried
out in Samaru, a number of the dumps were adjacent to and even within residential structures
where they not only destroy the aesthetic value of the areas but also constitute breeding grounds
for vectors like mosquitoes and flies which transmit diseases like malaria, typhoid fever and
cholera. Thus, indiscriminate disposal of solid waste in dumpsites located within urban areas
has proved to be a problem to nearby residents in most developing cities of the world (Sankoh
et al, 2013).
seven stages which are refuse generation, storage, transfer, collection, transportation, partly
In Zimbabwe both urban councils and owners of the properties are responsible for ensuring
that receptacles are available for each property (Mangizvo, 2008). For example, Bulawayo City
Council used to supply metal bins to its residents. However, high costs of bins have caused
residents to use plastics bags as temporary waste storage facility. Muzengerere (2012) found
out that 48% of the residents were using plastic bags as receptacles in Bulawayo. The author
estimated the coverage of proper receptacles (metallic bins) to be 44%. Mangizvo (2007)
highlighted the same challenges in Gweru the provincial town of Midlands Province in
Zimbabwe and recommended that the city councils should ensure that refuse bins are readily
Chinhoyi, Gweru and Bulawayo provide enough evidence that there are no recycling strategies
across Zimbabwe as recycling requires more than one receptacle per property for sorting and
17
In a study by Manyanhaire (2009), the coverage of proper receptacles in Sakubva high density
suburb in Mutare, Zimbabwe was 64%. Residents of Sakubva were using other unacceptable
receptacles such as card boxes and sacks .The study also pointed out that the proper receptacle
would take seven days to fill, the time usually between one collection to the next collection.
Sacks and cardboard boxes fill up easily resulting in overspills and this would attract flies,
A study by TARSC and CFH (2010) on assessing solid waste management in Chitungwiza,
Epworth and Mutare revealed that 26% of the households are separating waste at source. The
author did not give the driver for separation of waste at source in these 3 urban areas. The
possible reason could be that residents separate biodegradable waste for composting purposes
in the backyard. In Mutare high density suburb about 41% were doing source sorting and
In developing countries, 30 to 60 percent of all the urban solid wastes remain uncollected and
less than 50 percent of the population is served (UNEP, 2009). Zimbabwe has also not been
spared by the challenges which are affecting other African countries in the collection of solid
waste. For instance, studies by Mudzengerere (2012) in Bulawayo showed that there was an
acute shortage of equipment and the city council was striving to make sure refuse is collected.
The reason was that the city council had only ten functional compactor trucks against an ideal
of 25, two tipper trucks, two front end loaders and one dozer with no landfill compactor
(Mudzengerere, 2012). Bulawayo city council collects refuse once per month for all the
residential areas except for food outlets, shops, hospitals, schools and colleges where collection
was three times per week (BCC Master Plan, 2016). Therefore refuse collection is inconsistent
and waste was being generated daily regardless of the current situation of the city. Gweru city
18
council has been experiencing the same challenges which Bulawayo city council has
experienced. Mangizvo (2010) showed that the collection efficiency was poor in Gweru
because the city council had only one functional refuse truck for the whole city in 2008 to 2009
(Mangizvo, 2010). In another on solid waste disposal and collection efficiency in Victoria
Falls showed that poor collection efficiency across Zimbabwean urban areas implies that the
users might burn the uncollected waste, illegally dumping waste in open spaces and composting
Recycling and recovery of waste includes reuse (e.g., plastic and glass containers), recycling
of materials for industrial production (e.g., paper and iron), converting waste into energy (e.g.
burning tyres in cement kiln to produce heat), and converting waste into a resource (e.g.,
composting and landfill gas). Hence technology can determine the level and sophistication of
recycling and recovery activities (UNEP, 2009). For most developing countries recycling is
not formally done by the council or landfill operators but it is done by informal recyclers or
pickers and scavengers (United Nations, 2014). It has been suggested by (UN-HABITAT,
2008) that recycling sector could save a city of its municipal solid waste management budget
by 20% or more. Recycling can be taken as a business where organizations extract valuable
assets through refuse processing. In addition, waste is considered a source of income for
scavengers. Internationally known principles of waste management are the only noble way to
19
Cradle to cradle
Section 69 of the Environmental Management Act (2002) states that no person or group of
individuals is allowed to dispose waste that will pollute the environment or affect the health of
people (Government of Zimbabwe, 2002). On Section 36 every user should take measures to
reduce waste through waste minimization, reuse and deposit inert waste in engineered landfills.
Section 83 of the EMA (2002) also states that illegal dumping and states that all people or local
authorities responsible for a certain area or premise must provide receptacles or designated
states that every local authority shall designate suitable sites as waste disposal sites and waste
(Mangizvo, 2010).
Section 83 of the Public Health Act of Zimbabwe (1996) states that it shall be the duty of every
local authority to take all lawful, necessary, and reasonably practical measures for maintaining
20
its district, in a clean and sanitary condition by preventing the accumulation of waste, which
Most urban councils in Zimbabwe have by-laws that govern sold waste in their area of
jurisdiction, for example the by-laws of the BCC govern the collection and disposal of wastes
in the city. These mention that it is the responsibility of the owner to maintain the premise free
domestic urban solid wastes (Foday, et al., 2012). Developing waste management programs
such as recycling and reuse systems require the involvement of households as they have to
adapt and change their existing practices .Most of the studies such as (Wertz.K.L, 2010);
(Medina, 2007) looked at solid waste management from the perspective of the community and
municipality rather than the households which is the fundamental unit in the system (Al-
momani, 2010). Studies by, Tchobanoglous et al. (1993), highlight the problems of waste
management in hot climates in general with little focus on households.The involvement of the
end user is seen as a key factor to long term sustainability since it provides a good way of
(Foday, et al., 2012) carried out a study of household solid waste management methods in
Freetown in Sierra Leone. The study assessed and discussed socio-economic characteristics of
households in the low, medium and high density residential areas. The research found that socio
21
remarkably. These differences call for differential perception of refuse disposal problems in
creation will take place .The knowledge possessed by a community refers to their
understanding of any given topic on waste management as in the case of this study. Lack of
knowledge brings about poor waste management practices as evident in Jurczack’s (1990)
study where he observed that generally, generation of total municipal solid waste had
significantly increased in Poland due to poor management of waste which in turn was due to
In a study carried out by Kamara (2006) on household participation in domestic waste disposal
and recycling in Tshwane Metropolitan Area the researcher investigated the relevant factors
Metropolitan Area. The conclusion confirmed that the main factors of household participation
on domestic solid waste management are socio-economic factors (income and educational
level) and institutional factors. The research findings showed that demographic factors have
significant impact on the people’s perception towards solid waste management service in the
study area.
issues. This is the same case when dealing with the mismanagement of solid waste in the
developing world. Many researchers have argued that the waste problem is caused by human
behaviour and therefore the solution lies in changing that behaviour (Sankoh, et al., 2012)
22
2.13.1 Attitude and behaviour gap
The meaning of waste is different to different people (McAllister, 2015).Some people such as
trash pickers of see waste as a resource or a way to make income. On the other hand majority
of people living in developing world see waste as a burden and a problem that needs to be
addressed. However recognising trash as a problem does not prevent littering or other negative
often emerges and can be further affected by a variety of reasons including convenience, social
norms, lack of public participation, and lack of education and awareness of effective waste
management techniques .There are a multitude of causes that can contribute to an increase in
illegal dumping rates, such as a lack of social pressure to prevent littering, absence of realistic
illegal dumping (Khatib, 2011). Convenience of garbage bins has been cited many times in
research as a priority when disposing of trash, and when these are not present or lacking in
Another major constraint seen throughout the developing world is the lack of education and
that even though citizens were aware of recycling and other sustainable waste-management
techniques, this does not necessarily translate into participation in pro-environmental activities
such as recycling initiatives. They appeared to have not embraced waste management reforms
amid their limited knowledge of such activities (Bolaane, 2006). The lack of interest in the
processes.
23
2.14 Conclusion
After looking at the factors that affect solid waste handling many things become clear. Public
awareness and knowledge towards waste impact the entire solid waste management from
household storage, separation of waste, waste reduction, recycling and waste generation per
household then ultimately leads to the success of solid waste management at city level. It is up
to all stakeholders involved in SWM to work together towards common goal of solid waste
management.
24
3 CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this chapter is to explain the study design and its execution. The study was
designed to capture qualitative and quantitative data for the evaluation of solid waste handling
3.1 Introduction
The research methodology or design is the framework within which the study was conducted.
It considers the logic behind the methods used in carrying out the research .This research design
or methodology entails a detailed description of the issues concerning how the research
proceeded.
suburbs of Bulawayo. Bulawayo Metropolitan Province is located in the south west of the
country. It is Zimbabwe’s second largest city and has five districts which are Bulawayo Central,
Imbizo, Khami, Mzilikazi and Reigate. Bulawayo is strategically located and consequently
forms the axis of road and rail network links to the rest of the country and the southern African
region providing important railway linkages to South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. It is also
the manufacturing and industrial centre with a large presence of heavy industries, although over
the years much of the industrial infrastructure has been decrepit and deteriorated owing to the
people of the various ethnic groups in Zimbabwe such as the Ndebele who are a majority,
Shona, Tonga, Kalanga, Venda and Sotho. Its diversity is also in the wide range of leisure and
recreational activities it has to offer from sports facilities, gardens, cultural centres, art and craft
and lodges, nature reserves and its proximity to some of the most sensational national tourist
25
attractions such as Victoria Falls and Hwange national Park. The total population of Bulawayo
The Bulawayo Metropolitan Province is divided into three residential areas stratified as low ,
medium and high density residential areas based on their different socio-economic status as
indicated by their geographical location and dwelling characteristics (Ndiweni , 2011). These
areas include Queens Park East suburb (Low density), Mahatshula South (Medium Density)
and Nguboyenja, (High density).The three areas represent the historical, geographic, socio-
Figure 3.1: Map of Bulawayo City in which study areas are located
The more upmarket housing developments are represented by Queens Park West on the Eastern
part of the city. The Northern part of the city have middle income areas where Mahatshula is
located. Lastly, Nguboyenja is in the Western part of the city where the high density suburbs
26
are located. Different residential areas where selected for this study because of the anticipated
wide range of waste generation rates and handling among different socio-economic groups and
Figure 3.2: Map of Study area 1-Nguboyenja suburb (Sourced from Google earth)
Figure 3.3: Map of Study area 2-Mahatshula South suburb (Sourced from Google earth)
27
Figure 3.4: Map of Study area 3-Queens Park East Suburb (Sourced from Google earth)
In this type of research therefore a subset sample is selected from the entire population from
which data is collected through answering of questions of interest. The design is cross-sectional
because the information about the respondents gathered represents what is going on at only one
point in time. The main disadvantage of a descriptive study design is that the manipulation of
variables is limited, and consequently, there is limited inferential statistical analysis of the
can be defined as the eligible population that is included in this research. The target population
for this study are households or residents residing on formal household stands or properties.
Respondents includes residents whether they are owners or family members or tenants who
resided on the property. The study population was from the Bulawayo register of properties.
There are approximately 21 225 households in low, medium and high density residential areas
28
3.5 Research Method/Strategy
This study employed a descriptive cross sectional study (survey) to capture the variation in
solid waste handling practises of households from residential areas of Bulawayo, to determine
knowledge and attitudes towards waste handling, establish the link between solid waste
handling and illegal dumping, establish household practises on waste handling and determine
the challenges to standard solid waste handling. In this research the existence of the problem
was not apparent and therefore the cross-sectional study was the most suitable for identifying
the problem and its extent among households. The descriptive cross sectional survey simply
looks with accuracy at the phenomenon at the moment and then describes precisely what the
researcher observes (Leedy, 1988). This tool has a strength of investigating present status
phenomena.
time behaviour, event or experience is collected in a uniform manner through asking each
respondent in the same manner to ensure responses are influenced by the respondents’
experience. Rather than using secondary sources such as written records, the cross-sectional
study is a primary source of information where the researcher directly gets responses from
interpretation of data as it indicates the use of techniques such as evaluation, comparisons and
particular concern. This is relevant in that before solutions are found the exact nature and extent
objective of the exercise was to inform the relevant authority, the Environmental Health
Services division and Town planning of Bulawayo City Council about the proposed research
29
iniative.The second and most important step was to investigate the locations and the number
of housing units in each suburb or service area within the jurisdiction of Bulawayo City
Council. Residential areas of Bulawayo City Council fall into three distinct socio-economic
categories: low, middle and high income areas (BCC, EHD, Master list, 2016). Based on this
discovery the study was designed to ensure that the sample was representative.
The study area was divided into 3 strata which were internally homogenous and externally
heterogeneous with regard to their geographical characteristics, living standards and assumed
ability to handle waste. The appropriate sampling technique to draw the sample was quota
sampling technique. The number of household units in each stratum was obtained from
Bulawayo City Health Department (BCC, EHD, Master list of properties, 2016).A sample
frame of 2 051 households from the selected 3 residential areas was used.The sample size was
determined by calculating 10% of the study population of 2051 households as indicated below
to get a sample of 205 households. A study sample of 205 households represented 10% of the
proportional. Since the study population was drawn from three (3) residential areas in
Bulawayo attempt was made to ensure a fair distribution of samples in the different selected
areas in the study area so as to obtain a sample size that would reflect both a representative
sample size and the heterogeneity of the study population due to different socio-demographic
30
Calculations were done as per each study area as follows:
=Total number of households in suburb x Sample size
Study population
= Sample size in the suburb
Suburb name Total number of households in the Selection of sample Sample size in the suburb
suburb size
Total 205
representing high, medium and low density residential areas were purposive and convenient.
One suburb from the three identified strata Nguboyenja, Mahatshula south and Queens Park
West were purposively and conveniently chosen by the researcher based on the assumption of
similar characteristics within all households since they are sources of solid waste and are all
within the same geographical location hence less variation though knowledge and awareness
in handling practises of solid waste can vary across households. Convenient sampling was used
because it was convenient for the researcher as the suburbs were easily accessible (Kerlinger,
1986).
The researcher used probability sampling in choosing the households in each suburb. The
sampling method was systematic sampling as it made use of equal intervals for 205 units of
31
study (Babbey, 1993). Systematic random sampling (interval sampling) was used to get the nth
subject of the population selected from a list so as to give each subject in the population equal
chance to participate. The first household was selected at random followed by a space interval
of choosing every nth household which was determined based on the number of households
relative to the proportional sample size in each suburb. The process involved obtaining a list
of the population size (N), determining the sample size (n) and determining the sample interval
by dividing the size of the population (N) by the sample size (n).
= 10
Therefore for Nguboyenja with 980 households divided by required sample size of 98
households obtain an interval of 10, thus every 10th household starting from any direction the
32
3.8 Research Methodology Flowchart
Figure 3.5 : Research Methodology Flow Chart-A summary of how the research was
Conducted
33
3.9 Data Capture tools
The primary data required for the study was obtained from the sample population through semi-
structured questionnaires to obtain information from the respondents in the sample population.
a) Questionnaire
respondents are asked to answer the question which provides the researcher with data .The
questionnaires were distributed to 205 participants. The questionnaires had both open-ended
b) Observation Checklist
An observation checklist was prepared to describe the existing facilities in the neighbourhood
such as the presence refuse bins, illegal dumps, illegal burning of waste and waste management
strategies in place like presence and use of compost pit outside were observed. The observation
gathered information on what exactly was happening as far as solid waste handling is
concerned in the residential areas, i.e. to avoid not reliance on reported data. The digital camera
was used to take photographs of the existing setting in the field, especially in the housing near
Capturing of coordinates (x, y) of the illegal dumpsites identified during the reconnaissance
survey occurred during subsequent study area investigations. After the illegal dumpsites had
been identified, a Garmin eTrex 30 GPS receiver was used to capture the coordinates of their
location, elevation as well as their areal extent was recorded. The data obtained from this
exercise was recorded on the data capture form. The coordinates were stored as waypoint data
34
3.10 Data Analysis
Data collected during the research was analysed and presented using tabulated and graphical
presentation in the form of bar graphs and pie charts with the use of SPSS Version 20.0 software
and Microsoft Excel 2013. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse some of the data obtained
quantitative data. Data analysis was a hybrid qualitative-quantitative analysis. The study also
Objective Analysis
i)To assess the sociodemographic Sociodemographic factors such as gender, income level, level of
characteristics of residents education were analysed using SPSS software.
The coordinates of the illegal dumpsites were transferred as
ii) To map the distribution of illegal
waypoints from the GPS device onto Google earth software for
dumpsites relative to households used for spatial analysis and map production.
iii) To determine the level of knowledge of Knowledge was gauged using 2 point binary scale from 11
households on solid waste handling questions of the questionnaire with positive and negative
responses that ranged between yes and no. Respondents were
asked to respond to questions on solid waste handling and the
responses were calculated and according to the scores given
answers were rated as poor, moderate and good.
Grading of knowledge
1-3 4-7 8-11
Poor Moderate Good
iii) To determine solid waste storage and Solid waste handling will be gauged using a checklist and 5
disposal practises adopted by households questions from the questionnaire.
35
4 CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
4.0 Introduction
The chapter reports the findings regarding the demographic characteristics, spatial distribution
of illegal dumpsites, knowledge level and solid waste storage and disposal practises of
households. The findings are presented according to the specific objectives of the study. An in-
and demographic profile is presented, knowledge level and current solid waste management
practices. Relationships and associations between the variables of the study are reported,
rate.
36
Professional course 37 19
Tertiary 28 14
Occupation
Business 55 28
Employed 53 27
Unemployed 74 37
Retired 18 9
Respondents for the study were from Nguboyenja (48%, n=200), Mahatshula south (30%,
n=200) and Queens park east (22%, n=200).The study revealed that 82% of the respondents
were females whereas 18% were males. This shows the extent to which traditionally women
dominate in the households in Bulawayo terms of numbers. Respondents with age group
between 25-34 (41%) dominated the age structure of urban households. With respect to marital
status about 73% were married, singles were 21%,divorced 21% and widowed respondents
4%.The proportion of respondents with secondary education and those that claimed to have
professional courses is high ,54% and 19% respectively while a small proportion indicated
never attending school ,2% and a few having attained tertiary education. Based on occupations
of respondents most of the people are not employed, 37% while those formally employed
37
contributed 27% and 28% of the respondents have small businesses. Information on the income
of the household heads was difficult to obtain due to fears of being taxed, inability to keep the
record of their sales and the majority are not fixed and their income is not regular. However
table shows that greater number of people, 49% are living on less than US$500 average
monthly income. Very few, 2% earn more than US$2000 per month. Also study shows that
61% of respondents consist of between 5-8 people per household with very few households,
38
Figure 4.1: Map showing distribution of illegal dumps in Nguboyenja suburb (Source:
Google Earth, 2017)
Figure 4.2: Map showing distribution of illegal dumps in Mahatshula South suburb (Source:
Google Earth, 2017)
39
Figure 4.3: Map showing distribution of illegal dumps in Queens park East suburb (Source:
Google Earth, 2017)
Figure 4.1; 4.2 and 4.3 shows the distribution of illegal dumpsites in Nguboyenja, Mahatshula
south and Queens park east suburbs respectively. The illegal dumps are shown as red icons
within the study area boundaries of the three suburbs. In Nguboyenja, 25 illegal dumpsites
were identified over a total surface area of 0,61km2 approximating to 1 illegal dump in every
0.02km2 in Nguboyenja. For Mahatshula, 7 dumpsites were identified over a total surface area
of 0.49km2 which is approximately 1 illegal dumpsite per every 0.07km2.Queens park ,11
illegal dumpsites identified over a total surface area of 1.01km2 approximately 1 illegal dump
approximately 12m2 giving approximately a total surface area of about 300m2 is covered by all
the 25 illegal dumps in Nguboyenja which is approximately (0.05%) of the total surface area
of Nguboyenja residential suburb (0.61km2). On the other hand, an average illegal dump in
Queens park east measures approximately (6m2) thus totalling 66m2 covered by all 11 illegal
dumps, (which is approximately (0.006%) of (1.01km2). Most of the illegal dumpsites are
40
located at the periphery of residential areas proximal to open spaces, on open spaces and areas
along the storm drainage systems and along residential roads. The maps shows more dumpsites
identified in Nguboyenja suburb which is a high density area and less found in Queens park
east and Mahatshula south suburbs, low and medium residential areas. Also dumpsites in the
high density area, Nguboyenja appear to be located close to each as compared to those in
Mahatshula and Queens Park that occur at widely spaced and irregular intervals as shown in
solid waste handling, 42% portrayed moderate knowledge and 27% portrayed poor knowledge
about solid handling as indicated by responses to solid waste handling questions summarised
41
Frequency Percentage (%)
Nguboyenja Mahatshula Queens All Suburbs
south park
Yes No Yes No Yes No Percentage (%)
Knowledgeable
Understand what happens to waste 54 42 26 34 43 1
after you dispose it
Responsibility to reduce 69 27 54 6 41 3 82
waste
Necessary to separate 32 64 16 44 39 5 44
waste
Know any illegal dumps 48 48 46 14 36 8 65
Is it illegal to dump 37 59 27 33 32 12 48
waste
Laws aware of that deal 7 89 1 59 30 14 19
with waste
Problem if waste is 54 42 60 0 41 3 78
burnt to get rid of it
Health awareness 16 80 13 47 1 43 15
campaigns
Know about the 3 R's 38 58 33 27 32 12 52
Important to participate 75 21 60 0 44 0 90
in recycling
Burn waste when 16 80 13 47 36 8 33
council fail to collect
Table 4.3: Shows proportion of respondents whose responses show understanding of solid
waste handling
The Table 4.3 above shows the proportion of respondents from households whose responses
showed understanding of solid waste handling across the suburbs. In Nguboyenja, Mahatshula
South and Queens park 69(72%), 54(90%) and 41(93%) responded that they have the
responsibility to reduce waste at their homes. Findings also revealed that greater number of
households showed understanding of what happens to waste as soon as it is collected from their
homes, also understanding of problems of burning waste. Also people in all suburbs understood
the meaning of the reduce, reuse and recycle (3 R’s) .Only 19% in overall for all suburbs knew
of the existence of the city’s bylaws and penalty for irresponsible waste handling.
Overly in the study 31% of the respondents’ portrayed good knowledge, 42% portrayed
moderate knowledge and 27% portrayed poor knowledge about solid handling as represented
42
Figure 4.4: Showing overall classification for knowledge level of respondents for all suburbs
43
4.4 Solid waste storage and disposal practises of households
Overall in the study 51% of the households portrayed poor solid handling practises, 29%
showed moderate waste handling practises and lastly 20% showed good solid waste handling
practises.
Figure 4.5: Proportion of the population and their practises towards proper solid waste
management practises
Fig 4.6 below shows solid waste steams generated by each study section respectively where
71% in Nguboyenja responded they generate more food waste,in Mahatshula 83% and in
Queens park 73% responded they produce more food waste.21% respondents in Nguboyenja
indicated producing plastics ,15% Mahatshula and 14% in Queens park east.The least
44
Solid waste streams generated more by households
90 83
80 71 73
70
Population proportion (%)
60
50
40
30 21
20 15 14
8 7 7
10 2
0 0
0
Nguboyenja Mahatshula Queens park east
Suburb
Food remains(Organic waste) Paper Plastics Metals
Figure 4.6: Shows solid waste streams produced more by households in each suburb
45
Figure 4.7 shows the proportions of availability of standard storage receptacles for
Nguboyenja, Mahatshula South and Queens Park East residents. Only 36% households in
Nguboyenja have a standard storage receptacle that is 85litre PVC bin. The remaining 64%
households use various types of storage receptacles like sacks, plastic bags and 20litre metal
as shown in Fig 4.5 tins whilst those who do not have a storage receptacle at all instead dump,
burn or bury. In Mahatshula south 60% of the households have a standard receptacle. Lastly
most of Queens Park residents 93% own a standard receptacle whilst only 7% responded using
other forms of receptacles. Overly plastic buckets are commonly used (30%), plastic bags are
used by 24 % of the residents as other forms of receptacles. Fig 4.8 below shows the
30
30
Percentage population(%)
25
24 23
20
15
10 12
11
5
0
Type of receptacle
46
4.4.3 Association between availability of receptacles and residential area
Table 4.4: Contingency table showing Association of availability of standard receptacles and
frequency of households with receptacles in residential areas.
Nguboyenja 36 64 100
Table 4.4 shows a 2x2 table to establish an association between availability standard receptacle
and the residential area relative to illegal dumping. Using the prevalence ratio, a household in
Queens Park east is 2.58 more likely to have a standard receptacle as compared to that in
Nguboyenja. This means there is a 2.58 likelihood of illegal dumping occurring in Nguboyenja
than in Queens Park east due to unavailability of storage receptacles. Also a household in
Mahatshula south is 1.67 more likely to have a waste storage receptacle as compared to a
household in Nguboyenja.
disposal method was burning, whilst 39% indicated using open pits. The percentage of those
who use open spaces, bury in backyards and composted were 2%, 11% and 16 % respectively.
Photo inserts 1 and 2 show some of the observed final disposal methods being practiced in
Nguboyenja and Mahatshula suburb showing illegal dumping and burning of solid waste.
47
Figure 4.9: Other ways used by households for final solid waste disposal.
2-3kg 49 27 17 3 147 81 51
>5kg 1 1 0 5 5 5 0
48
Nguboyenja a high density suburb has an average of 6 860 people and an average of 980
receptacles of which per day each household approximately produce 2.86kg/household giving
61 households chance of producing 126 kg per day of total waste produced per day which can
100
80
61 59
60
40
24
20 7 6 3 5 5
0
Nguboyenja Mahatshula Queens park
Frequency of household without bins 61 24 3
Waste attributed to dumping kg/day 126 59 5
Average household size 7 6 5
Suburb
Figure 4.10: Shows proportion of waste generated per day that is attributed to illegal
dumping due to unavailability of receptacles.
In Nguboyenja, 69% earn less than US$500 per month. Majority of residents in Mahatshula
(50%) earn between US$501 and US$1000.In Queens park east most people also earn between
501 and 1000(50%).An estimated average monthly income of US$427 for Nguboyenja
residents whereas for Mahatshula south its US$717 and for Queens park east its US$US1006.
49
Figure 4.11: Indicates unavailability of bins in relation to income level and as a result
Amount of waste (kg per day per suburb) not binned.
Fig 4.11 shows Nguboyenja a high density area with residents having low average monthly
income of US$427 having the highest number of respondents not owning a receptacle hence
approximately 126 kg of waste produced per day by 61 households attributed to dumping. More
residents with high monthly income, US$1006 in Queens Park responded owning receptacles
hence less amount of waste attributed to dumping, 5kg produced by 3 households without
standard receptacles.
50
Proper waste handling methods and population proportion for
each suburb
100 93.2
85.4
Population proportion (%)
90 80
80 75
70 63.6
58.3
60
50 41.7
36.4
40
30 25
20
20 14.6
6.8
10
0
Yes No Yes No
Reuse Separation
Waste handling method
Figure 4.12: Indicates the population proportions practising reuse and separation of solid
Waste
Most of the respondents indicated reusing solid waste items they generated as indicated by
41.7%,80% and 93.2% respondents in Nguboyenja ,Mhatshula and Queens park respectively.A
higher proportion of respondents in all suburbs responded not separating solid waste items
before collection as indicated by 85.4%,75% and 36.5%. in the three respective suburbs.The
respondents that reused indicated paper,plastics,bottles and metal cans as reusable items as
51
Waste materials commonly reused in each suburb
60 55.5
Proportion of the population (%)
50
43.2
40
30 27.3
22.7 23.3
17.7
20
12.5 12.5
10 7.3
1.7 0 0
0
Paper plastic bottles metal cans
Items mostly reused
Most of the respondents (n=89, 44%) practiced illegal dumping despite reporting they have
dustbins in their property or take waste to the dumpsites, and many households practiced
indiscriminate burning of SW (n=62, 31%) in their property and beside the street roads.
Table 4.6: Observation checklist elucidating possession and real practice from households’
in solid waste management.
Observation Frequency(n=200) Percentage (%)
Compost pit in backyard
Yes 39 19.5%
No 161 80.5%
Illegal dumping
Yes 134 67%
No 66 33%
Waste bin with lid
Yes 89 79.5%
No 23 20.5%
Evidence of indiscriminate dumping
of waste
Yes 176 88%
No 24 12%
52
4.5 Association between Socio-demographic factors (gender, level of
education, occupation, monthly income and size of household) and
knowledge towards solid waste handling
The Chi-Square (χ2) Significance Test for Independence was conducted in SPSS software
version 20.0, to test for dependence or independence (association) between multiple variables
forming the basis of the study. The p value (χ2 calculated or χ2 calc) for the test was obtained
at a critical 5% level of significance, with degrees of freedom, df, dependent on the type of
contingency table generated. If χ2 calculated (χ2 calc) for each contingency table was less than
Table 4.7: χ2 analysis for Association between sociodemographic factors and knowledge and
practises towards solid waste management.
Knowledge
Independent Variables Poor Moderate Good p-value Conclusion
obtained
Gender
Male 7 13 16 No association
Female 46 73 45 0.128 p>0.05
Level of education
Never 1 1 1
Primary 3 18 3 Association
Secondary 38 50 20 0.001 p>0.05
Professional course 7 16 14
Tertiary 4 1 23
Income
<500 30 45 22
501-1000 22 35 21 Association
1001-1500 1 5 4 0.001 p<0.05
1501-2000 0 1 11
>2000 0 0 3
Age
<24 13 8 5
25-34 21 35 23 0.022 Association
35-44 12 25 17 p<0.05
45-49 4 12 5
>50 3 4 11
Association between household size and estimate amount of waste generated per capita per
day
53
Estimate amount of waste p-value Conclusion
The analysis in table 4.7 showed that there was a significant association, at the 5% level of
significance, between level of education, income status and age on knowledge about waste
handling practices of households. The Pearson chi-square (χ2) tests was used to compare
factors).Findings show that, knowledge about solid waste handling had significant association
with education levels (primary up to tertiary) with p=0.001 , income level at p=0.001 and age
with p=0.022.It is imperative to note that such factors as level of education, age and income
family size are associated with level of knowledge about solid waste handling methods in the
study area as revealed on table 4.7. This means that educational status, average monthly income
and age are significant factors influencing the solid waste handling practises, storage and
disposal practises in Bulawayo. Thus, as people acquire more education, grow, get better job
and experience rise in income level the pattern of knowledge they acquire change thereby
generate handle waste differently. The educated respondents, adults and those with high
income levels are significantly more likely to know better about waste handling methods than
the less educated, youths and low income earners. However there was no association between
gender and level of knowledge about solid waste management with p=128.
Household size showed an association with estimated amount of waste produced per day with
p=0.001. In his research he found out that there was a positive correlation between the waste
generated in the house and the number of individuals living in the house.
54
Table 4.8: χ2 analysis for Association between sociodemographic factors and waste reuse
and waste separation.
Waste separation was also found to show an association with income, age and level of income
with p values 0.001; 0.034 and 0.001. On the other hand association was shown between
education level and income with reusing of waste materials with p=0.05 and p=0.017
respectively. However no association was found between gender and separation of waste with
p=0.722, also no association between education level and waste separation (p=1.171).The
findings show no association between gender and age, p=0.764 and 0.42 with waste reuse
respectively.
55
5 CHAPTER 5
5.1 Discussion
The chapter discusses socio-demographic factors that were analysed and their influence on
knowledge and practises of households towards solid waste management. Also discussion on
the spatial distribution of illegal dumping across the residential areas and the solid waste
storage and disposal practises .The chapter was summarized into four objectives of the study.
analysed giving a response rate of 97%, the remaining 3% were not analysed due to
inappropriately filled responses and missing questionnaires. One hundred and sixty four (164)
82% respondents were females while thirty six (36) 18% .The preponderance of female
respondents in this study is a reflection of the fact that more man would be at work during the
day hence more women participated as reported in a qualitative study of patriarchal societies
where most of the man work whilst women have a preference for house hold tasks (Hewitt, et
al., 2010). Majority of the respondents were aged between 25-34 years (41%), followed by
ages of 35-44 (27%), the age range of <24 years (13%) and above 50 years (9%) recorded the
least occurrence.
Table 4.1 shows the average household size in the study area. It is used as a measure of
crudeness of population and has great implication on generation of solid wastes. The highest
household size was 5-8 (61%) members, 1-4 (23%) and the thirdly 9-11 (16 %) members.
Generally majority of the sample households had large household sizes with an average family
size of the respondents of` 7 people per household. The majority of the households in Bulawayo
attained education up to secondary level as indicated by 54% of the sample respondents. Study
56
revealed that those respondents who never crossed formal education accounts for 2%. Not so
many, 28(14%) attended tertiary education but generally the residents are literate. This is
comparable to the work done by Banga, (2011) on household knowledge of solid waste
segregation in Urban Kampala, Zambia which showed that few people who stay in high density
areas had attained tertiary education but most people in the town are literate. The
unemployment level in the suburbs outweigh the employed by about 10% and the employment
ratio against unemployment was 1 : 1.3, this indicates that there is always a large group of
people that stay at home especially of ages 25-34.These implies that they tend to generate
proportionally more waste that eventually is disposed within the suburbs thereby increasing the
likelihood of illegal dumping as compared to those of ages 35-44 who might be spending more
time away from home and might have more exposure to waste management issues. Tadesse et
al, (2008), states that ages of 30 to 45 which comprise of majority working class, hold views
on waste management that are generally progressive in comparison to the younger generations
who may not have internalised values from sanitation programmes. In view of the 36-50 age
groups was also observed that they are bound to spend less time at their residence as a result
determining the group likely to generate and dump waste locally as this is associated to the
maturity and awareness on environmental health and sanitation factor which seems to increase
with age. Education level plays a role in the waste handling of individuals for instance 54%
who attained secondary education and are unemployed in the suburbs are bound to staying at
home hence chances of them dumping refuse which they produce. Over and above Mattos, et
al (2012) observes that formal education for women is a pre-requisite for change in sanitation
behaviour. Income is another socioeconomic factor that leads the increasing volume of solid
the income of the household heads was difficult to obtain due to different reasons such as fears
57
of being taxed, inability to keep the records and the majority are not fixed and their income is
not regular. However study revealed that in Nguboyenja 69% earn less than US$500 per month.
From the study more people who earn less income, have the lowest levels of education, larger
household sizes reside in high density areas as compared to low density areas. Also based on
the analysis high income level enable people to manage their waste more responsibly as this
gives them ability to purchase receptacles on their own indicated as by 97% of respondents in
Queens park owning standard receptacles as compared to 36% in Nguboyenja able to own a
bin hence therefore likely to bin their waste increasing chances of the waste being collected by
council than being dumped. This is in accordance with what was found by Monavari, et al
increase in socioeconomic status of the residential locations in Bulawayo. Twenty five (25
dumps) were identified in Nguboyenja which is a high density residential area then those in
medium and low residential area. This is in line with UNEP report (2013) findings which
illustrated that illegal dumping is a constant and highly visible problem in local government
areas with a high residential density. Also the illegal dumpsites were identified and located at
the periphery and on open spaces in all the suburbs. The results of the study is in line with what
Danbuzu et al, (2014) who observed in the study conducted on spatial distribution of solid
waste collection points using GIS approach in Urban Katsina State, Nigeria that the preferred
area for illegal dumping were open spaces (75.1%), and road sides (15.6%) as well as
58
peripherals of residential areas.Onifade and Nwabotu (2005), found that illegal waste dumping
generally occurs on closest vacant or unused spaces ,along roadsides, in bushes, open spaces
and this frequently occurs at night or early in the morning and in poorly lit areas. However the
forty three identified dumpsites in the suburbs might not be the only one as identified by the
researcher but there could be more dumpsites in all locations nevertheless the researcher
The average number of people per household in Nguboyenja high residential area (8) is 1.6
times higher as that which reside in low residential areas (5).Findings of ZimStat 2012 showed
the average household size is 4.4 persons whereby 55% of the households had a household size
of more than 5 persons and 10.8% with 9 or more however Mutsvangwa et al., (2006), revealed
that the average number of people per house could reach 17 as in Chitungwiza Harare. The
high residential density is related to high generation rates of solid waste and hence decline in
solid waste storage and consecutive increase in illegal dumping. As postulated by Kayode and
Omole (2011) the generation of waste is influenced by household size, and the quantity of
waste generated by a country at any given place is directly proportional to its population mean.
Therefore this confirms the high number of illegal dumps in Nguboyenja residential area
against the low number of illegal dumpsites in Queens Park and Mahatshula.
An average illegal dump in Nguboyenja measures approximately 12m2. A total surface area of
about 300m2 is covered by all the 25 illegal dumps in Nguboyenja which is approximately
(0.05%) of the total surface area of Nguboyenja residential suburb (0.61km2). This translates
to 1 dumpsite in every 0.02km2 (20 000m2) meaning this is the potential area exposed to
dangers of illegal dumps such as proliferation of diseases, injuries and venom. Although most
of the illegal dumpsites are concentrated at the margins of residential areas, households
proximal to open spaces areas covered with grass, along the storm drainage systems and roads
exposed to dangers associated with illegal dumps as found by Abel (2014) on a study on the
59
perceptions of on illegal dumping in the EThekwini municipality in South Africa that illegal
knowledge and awareness regarding waste (Foday, et al., 2012). In overall in the study 31% of
the respondents’ portrayed good knowledge, 42% portrayed moderate knowledge and 27%
portrayed poor knowledge about solid handling. In Nguboyenja, Mahatshula South and Queens
park 69(72%), 54(90%) and 41(93%) households responded that they have the responsibility
to reduce waste at their homes. To test the household knowledge and awareness about waste,
the household respondent were asked closed ended questions such as do they think waste as a
problem in general? Does it harms our environment? Knowledge about segregation of waste,
and did they have any additional knowledge about waste which they gained after attending
some awareness campaigns or workshops? And plainly asked whether waste recycling and
waste separation is important or not. The respondents who were more concerned about the
environment and had awareness would have solid waste receptacles , separate their waste ,
would not resort to dumping and recognised the importance recycling as compared to the ones
who had poor knowledge and awareness about waste and environment (ibid, 2012).
As can be seen in the Table 4.3 very few, 44 % of households said that waste separation in
necessary and rest 56% did not see its importance. On the other hand, 33% of the total
household said they resort to burning waste and 48% did know that it is illegal to dump waste.
Findings indicate that waste is considered seriously by residents in the high income areas of
the city as shown by 82% respondents in Queens park portraying good knowledge, and only
28% in Nguboyenja, a high residential suburb. This is in line with what was found by Haider
et al (2015) in their study on knowledge, perception and attitude of common people towards
60
solid waste management-A case study of Lahore, Pakistan where they observed that in high
income areas, people had greater concern about waste characterization and on source
segregation.
The study also found that the income status of household with (p=0.00), level of education of
households (p=0.00), age of respondents (p=0.022) were demographic factors associated with
the level of knowledge of waste handling among Bulawayo residents. Age did statistically
influence the participant’s knowledge or perceptions about solid waste handling. Studies done
(Xiao, et al., 2015) reported similar findings where level of education and level of income has
been shown to influence participant’s knowledge. Analysis of the level of education of the
participants in this study indicate that almost half of participants had attained secondary
education (54%). The results of this study reveal that there is a significant relationship between
the participants’ education level and their knowledge on solid waste handling. Indeed,
Olorunfemi (2009) reports that high level of literacy is considered advantageous for the fact
that knowledge plays a significant role in impact studies. A notable trend is higher proportion
of households with no education to secondary level of education and far fewer persons with
tertiary education (5%) in Nguboyenja as compared to other two areas (Mahatshula (15%) and
Queens park (32%) in the study area. This is interpreted thus that the more the people get
educated and gain understanding of the side effects of unmanaged solid waste the more they
appreciate effective waste handling thereby seeing the importance of having the waste
receptacles that will keep waste secure encouraging collection by city council. Those who are
well off can have access to and pay for services and receptacles necessary for waste disposal
available in their homes and are therefore able to manage their waste. Whereby the poorer
cannot practice better handling of solid waste due to lack of resources particularly standard
receptacles. Moreover, the level of income determines the ability to purchase own storage
receptacles that encourage waste separation and collection. Findings are compared to a study
61
by Haile A (2011) in Ethiopia that households earning higher monthly income separated and
disposed of their wastes in better ways than lower income earner households. The study found
females to be more aware and knowledgeable about waste management than males .A study
by Mattos et at, 2012 in Togo on the intersection of gender, education and health, recognizes
in which the commonest type of waste generated was garbage (100%).Plastics were the second
largest amount produced as a result of increased use of plastic packaging for packaging makes
easy handling, safeguard against breakages and contamination Action Plan, (2006). However
plastic waste easily accumulate since it take 50 to 80 years to degrade and these pose a danger
to the ecosystem since they are manufactured from hazardous chemicals such as benzene and
vinyl chloride. This is in sharp contrast to the concept of cradle to cradle that promotes eco-
A good number of respondents indicated reusing solid waste items they generated as indicated
cans.However a higher proportion of respondents in all suburbs responded not separating solid
waste items before collection as indicated by 85.4%,75% and 36.5%. in the three respective
suburbs. This is in line with outcome of study done by Modebe et al., which reported that 85%
of households in Awka reused waste materials but majority of the respondents (87.8) did not
sort their waste prior to disposal. A study in South Africa recorded a similar finding that waste
62
collected is not sorted into recyclables or non-recyclables and is all disposed of for collection
The selected sample household heads were also asked whether they had waste collection
material (temporary storage) at home, 143 (72. %) respondents replied as having temporary
storage. With regard to the kind of storage they used, 48 (24%) of the respondents said they
used plastic buckets/bins for disposing their domestic solid waste, 24(12%) use sacks. Despite
the respondents’ reporting having the waste bins, observation data show only 89 (79.5%) of
the observed households (n=112, 5%) had waste bins with a lid and used them.
The most popular methods of immediate waste disposal known and practiced by the
respondents were use of open pits (33%) followed by burning (39%) while the least used
method was composting (16%). Also observation data from field showed most household
practice illegal dumping of waste (n=134, 67%) this could be explained by behaviours and
habits of most high density residents, and lack of waste storage equipment. Open dumping
remains the simplest and the most commonly preferred method for disposing MSW in most
low to middle income communities in line with what was found in Nigeria by Adogu et al
63
5.6 Association between gender, level of education income level, age and
waste handling practises.
Through chi-square analysis at 95% confidence interval (p=0.05), waste recycling and
separation were cross tabulated against gender, level of education, income level and age.
Findings show that there was positive association between waste separation and income level
(p=0.001) also with age (p=0.034). Well educated people were more aware of the 3R’s (reuse,
recycle and reduce therefore as such well-educated public have the highest probability of
The household monthly income has an impact on the ability of people to buy storage receptacle
which explains the low number of available standard receptacles in Nguboyenja residential
areas. As shown in Table 4.2 the household in Queens Park East is 2.43 times more likely to
have a standard storage receptacle in Nguboyenja. This may means that Queens Park residents
may be 2.58 times able to buy bins than those Nguboyenja hence resulting in a 2.58 likelihood
of illegal dumpsites occurring in Nguboyenja than in Queens Park due to lack of standard
storage receptacles. Moreover in high residential areas, residents in Nguboyenja suburbs may
be generating less waste per person however the amount of waste increases due to the
household total population per unit area contributing to more waste being generated per unit
area. This is in line with what Wilson et al, (2011) stated in his report that as household
members increase so does the waste generation rates. With less standard storage receptacles
the generation rates overwhelms the capacity of storage receptacles as the storage receptacles
quickly fill up before the collection date and hence leads to people opting for illegal dumping.
64
5.7 Conclusion
The study considered the waste management practices among households in Bulawayo by
assessing socio demographics of respondents, and their knowledge and practices towards waste
handling. In the study area knowledge about solid waste handling in general and waste handling
in particular is very poor, there is a problem of solid waste storage and disposal, little reuse
The study discovered that sociodemographic factors viz level of education, monthly earnings,
residential unit location and household sizes were potential factors influencing household solid
waste handling. Therefore, socio-economic factors (educational level, income and household
size), behavioural factors (attitudes and method of household solid waste disposal) and
institutional support factors (receptacles used to store solid waste, dumping site of solid waste
and policies) were potential factors to be considered to improve household solid waste handling
practises.
Study revealed more people who stay in high residential areas are less educated, earn less,
have high average number of people per household than those in low residential areas
impacting negatively on their ability to buy standard receptacles and store waste properly
as such are better candidates for waste organising solid waste Community Based
Organisations.
The study also indicates that people dump waste as a way of disposing solid waste because
Study identified more illegal dumpsites are in high residential density suburbs than in low
density residential suburbs a situation attributed to lack of proper storage receptacles. The
spatial distribution of illegal dumpsites in Nguboyenja shows that the dumps are located
The study also revealed that there is a link between the, distribution of income,
65
Study indicated that the lower income households were more likely to stay in residential
Household educational background was another variable that has a direct influence in the
process of municipal solid waste management. Education improves the awareness and
The study shows that the people’s socio-economic characteristics explain the variations in
the solid waste generation, storage and disposal in Bulawayo. Health is wealth therefore it
can be concluded that the management solid waste at household level is a pre-requisite for
good and health of communities. Therefore health policies that would guarantee
5.8 Recommendations
Considering the findings and discussion of the study, the following recommendations are made
to help households, community and the city council to solve the issue of household solid waste
management practices.
Council should put efforts to clear all illegal dumpsites in residential locations focusing
on peripherals of suburbs. This can be made easier through use technology like
Geographical Information Systems to develop maps of all illegal dumps locations first
and target efforts towards removing all the identified waste to landfills.
Placement of temporary storage facilities in the form of skip bins in locations accessible
Organic waste in form of food waste constituting the most produced waste in all suburbs
as indicated by 85%, 71% and 73% respondents gives opportunity for Municipality for
66
compositing. Municipality can provide storage points where the households can dump
there organic waste so that later it can be converted to compost. By doing that they are
solving problem of organic waste being dumped which will have a larger impact on the
Bulawayo City Council, could improve waste management practices and population
health and safety by ensuring waste receptacles are easily available and accessible for
every household in the community. This would include providing means of waste
collection (serviced trucks, collection bags, bulldozers) from collection points and skips
to the final dumpsite. This would help to reduce the common practices of open
dumping, road and drain dumping by individuals that causes environmental pollution
of neighbourhoods.
educating people regarding the waste and its impact on the environment will greatly
reduce the level of waste being generated. Municipal people will have to take the
Household size is having a positive relation with the total waste generation. The
municipality instead of focusing on the collection of waste only can focus on the
handling of the waste. Like in source they can teach separation of waste so that waste
could be properly managed by the municipal people. When the waste are separated then
management behaviour, with an emphasis on waste handling practices and the waste
67
information on the effect and health dangers of poor WM practices, both to human
Further studies on more spatial and distance analysis of illegal dumpsites and
households should be carried to determine the potential health hazards posed on those
Study to determine the relationship between waste management practice and some
health indices among residents of other urban communities can be carried out in future.
The current study findings will serve as pilot, baseline and springboard for the proposed
larger and more advanced research. The results may add to the evidence and
68
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1
RESEARCH QUESTIONAIRE
If you agree to the requirements of the study and are willing to contribute, show your consent
by signing off in the space provided below:
74
Please tick (√) in the appropriate box or fill in the spaces provided
Questionnaire Number___________________Date____/___/2017
SECTION A: SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
4. Level of education
Never have been to Completed primary Secondary Professional Tertiary
school course
5. Occupation/Economic activity
PRACTIES
Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statement by ticking YES or No
9. Do you understand what happens to your solid waste after you dispose it?
No
Yes
10. If Yes briefly explain what solid waste management is
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………………………………………………………………………………………………….
11. Residents has the responsibility to reduce solid waste they produce every day to help City
No
Council manage waste Yes
12. It is necessary that we separate solid waste materials the different types we generate before
No
it is taken for disposal Yes
No
Yes
b) If YES which areas are mostly used as illegal dumpsites more often
………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. Who do you think might be responsible for dumping solid wastes at such sites?
No
Yes
16. From what you see, what do you think is causing concerned individuals to dump waste?
………………………………………………………………………………………………......
17. What do you think can be done to prevent or stop illegal dumping?
………………………………………………………………………………………………......
18. Are there any laws you are aware of which deal with illegal dumping of waste?
No
Yes
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19. a) Do you think it is a problem when waste is stored poorly or burnt to get rid of it?
No
Yes
………………………………... ……………………………………………………
20. a) Are there public health awareness campaigns carried out in this location?
No
Yes
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
YES NO
21.Do know anything about the 3R’s (waste reduction , reuse and recycling)
22.If YES indicate source of Tv
information EMA
Newspaper
Environmental Health Officers
Community Based Organisations
Internet
School
No
established Yes
24. Do you think it is absolutely not good to burn waste sometimes when BCC fails to collect
No
the refuse bins? Yes
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25. Who do you think is has the most appropriate responsibility for enforcing laws that has to
do with solid waste?
No
Yes
a) If yes what type of receptacle do you use for your daily domestic solid waste?
28. Estimate the amount of solid waste you produce per day
Less than 1.5 kg 2kg-3.5kg 4kg-5kg More than 5kg
29. Please indicate how your household get rid of the following types of waste from your
household when your storage container fills or Bulawayo City Council fails to collect. Tick
in the corresponding box how you handle your waste.
Type of Waste Burn Bury Dump Compost Wait till Flush in Put in refuse
collection the toilet bag
Food waste
Garden
trimmings
Paper/cardboard
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Plastic
Metals
Sanitary pads
and disposable
diapers
30. Do you separate your daily generated waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable?
No
Yes
No
Yes
33. Of the following items which one do you reuse after their primary function is through?
34. Are there any waste pickers who collect materials from your bags/bins or surrounding
dumps? (E.g. metal scraps, plastic bottles, food cans etc.)
No
Yes
35. If YES, which types of materials do you think they prefer? (E.g. metal scraps, plastic
bottles, food cans etc.)
36. How often does Bulawayo City Council collects waste in your area
37. Are you concerned about the aesthetic view of your residential area?
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No
Yes Does not matter to me
38. Is this waste collection frequency sufficient in your own point of view?
No
Yes
39. If NO suggest the number of times the collection should be done e.g. number of times per
week or month________________
40. Do you have any suggestions for the City Council to make waste handling at homes
better?
………………………………………………………………………………………………
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APPENDIX 2
SPATIAL DATA CAPTURE FORM
Dumpsite X-Coordinate Y-Coordinate Elevation Areal extent
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APPENDIX 3
Bulawayo City list of properties
High Mediu Low
Densit m Densit
y Density y Commercia Industria Institutiona
Name of area Stands Stands Stands l Stands l Stands l Stands Total
Queens Park
West 352 4 356
Khumalo
North 169 3 172
Mahatshula
south 620
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APPENDIX 4 : Approval letter from Bulawayo City Council
83