Assessing Community Participation in Solid Waste Management in Rubaga Division;

Abstract

Community participation in management of solid waste is one of the challenges facing many urban areas in the world. In Uganda, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is fully convinced with the fact that successful implementation of the solid waste management strategy depends to great extent on the positive participation of the community. Therefore, this study established the socio-economic factors that affect community participation in solid waste management, the solid waste management practices and, problems encountered solid waste management in Rubaga Division. The study used a cross sectional design with both qualitative and quantitative methodologies of data collection. The primary data were collected using structured questionnaires and interview guides supplemented by field observations and secondary data. A total sample of 352 respondents was consulted. Data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis. The results showed that community participation in solid waste management was minimal. This was attributed to the relatively long distance that had to be walked to the skip and the culture of leaving children to dispose garbage, poor sensitization of the community about solid waste management and, the common thought that it was the responsibility of KCCA to collect and dispose off wastes, among others. Land filling at Kiteezi was the major solid waste management approach used by households in Nakulabye parish followed by incineration/burning, compositing, recycling and re-use and source reduction. Storage problems, stench from overstayed garbage, careless dumping and, lack of space for the skips were some of the challenges of community participation in solid waste management. Consequently, the living conditions of the local people had deteriorated through disease outbreak like cholera and diarrhea. In order to improve solid waste management in the study area, the study recommended provision of adequate dustbins and skips by KCCA to residents for waste storage, undertaking community sensitization and capacity building on proper solid waste management, regularity of waste collection by KCCA and private collectors in all parts of Nakulabye parish and, encouraging the local people to use compositing as a disposal method in order to reduce on the volume of waste generated and, waste differentiation before compositing or disposal.