Publication:

Solid waste management: a case study of a slum area within the UHTC field practice area

Background Rapid urbanization and population growth have led to a substantial increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, posing significant environmental and public health challenges, particularly in developing countries. Evaluating community awareness and practices related to household waste management is crucial for devising effective interventions.

Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was performed in a slum area. Data were gathered via a door-to-door survey employing a standardized questionnaire amongst 482 households. We got information about socio-demographic characteristics, household waste generated, segregation practices, disposal methods, municipal waste collection.

Results Most households generated common domestic waste, including kitchen waste, vegetable waste, paper, and plastic. (99.4%) people knew that throwing away trash in the wrong way hurts the environment. About 54.4% of families threw away their trash in trash cans, and 5.4% in open areas near their homes. 37.6% of homes said that municipal services picked up their trash every day, while 20.5% said that it was picked up at random times. Only 36.3% of those who answered were happy with the current system for picking up trash in the city.

Conclusions To improve sustainable household waste management in urban slum areas, it is important to strengthen the infrastructure for municipal trash management, make sure that waste is picked up on a regular basis, encourage source-level segregation, and get more people involved.