ASSESSMENT OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: IN THE CASE OF BEKUR SUB-CITY, WOLKITE TOWN, GURAGE ZONE, SNNPs

Abstract

Solid waste refers to the range of garbage arising from animal and human activities that are discarded as unwanted and useless which is generated from industrial, residential and commercial activities in a given area, and may be handled in a variety of ways. The research has focused on examining current status, the performance of municipal solid waste management practice of the Bekur sub city wolkite town. Both quantitative and qualitative sampling methods were employed through primary and secondary sources. A survey was conducted on 96 householders and interviews with the head of environmental protection sector office. The collected data was analyzed by using Microsoft office excel and presented in the form of table, graphs, and percentage. The findings of this study revealed that the present system of solid waste disposal management in Bekur-sub-city, Wolkite town entirely relied on the municipality which provided the full range of waste collection, transportation and disposal. Nevertheless, the provision of this service is not kept in pace with the town solid waste generation rate. Based on the findings of this research, the compositions of the households’ solid wastes were khat litter (66.66%), plastic bags (30.00%, and others (3.44%). Therefore, the best ways that used to tackle the aforementioned problems are: execution of sustainable solid waste management systems (reuse, recycle, composting, and incineration) through awareness creation and training, improvement of institutional structure and capacity, and implementation of integrated municipal solid waste management approach which recognizes and comprises all stakeholders.