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DISCLOSING THE DILEMMA OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ROBE TOWN [Abstract ID: 0610-02]
The purpose of this study is to assess the existing municipal solid waste management service in Robe town. Its specific objectives are to estimate the quantity of solid waste generated per household, determine the amount of solid waste disposed of properly from individual households, identify the determinants of household solid waste production, identify the stakeholders involved in the management of municipal solid waste, describe the organizational arrangements for municipal solid waste management, and describe current solid waste management practices in Robe town. The researchers used systematic sampling techniques to select sample households, resulting in the selection of 372 respondents and 10 key informants. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers used both primary and secondary data sources. The primary data were gathered through questionnaires, interviews and field observations, while secondary data were extracted from different published and unpublished documents and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The findings of this study indicate that Robe municipality provides solid waste management services such as collection, transportation and disposal. These services are provided by Robe town and MSE (micro and small enterprises). However the solid waste management service is not sufficient and handles no more than 30% of the waste. As a result, solid waste management in the town is inadequate, with some 70.7% of households reporting dissatisfaction with current practice. The study reveals that the solid waste generation rate is 0.261kg/person/day making a daily total of approximately 20,000 kg per person generated from households in Robe town. Of the solid waste generated, only 57.5% is properly disposed of at the landfill site while 42.5% is illegally dumped around the town. This is because household education and awareness of municipal solid waste management is lacking. Community participation is poor, there is limited involvement by MSE, poor waste handling by households, lack of standardized landfill sites, weak municipal supervision, lack of stakeholder participation in municipal planning. The absence of public skips and bins, together with the lack of vehicles to transport solid waste, add to the problem. In addition, the failure to separate biodegradable and nonbiodegradable waste, the absence of reuse and recycling, or compost preparation from solid waste, contribute to the problem in Robe town.