importance of waste segregation research paper

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• Published: 19 August 2023

Household practices and determinants of solid waste segregation in Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia

• Worku Adefris 1 ,
• Shimeles Damene   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9690-7111 1 &
• Poshendra Satyal 2  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  10 , Article number:  516 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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• Development studies
• Environmental studies
• Health humanities

Solid waste segregation plays a critical role in effective waste management; however, the practice remains at a low level in developing countries like Ethiopia. Despite the persistent nature of the problem, there are limited studies to date that can provide sufficient empirical evidence to support appropriate efforts by policy makers and practitioners, particularly in the context of the developing world. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to analyze household practices and determinants of solid waste segregation in the urban areas of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. To achieve this objective, data were generated through a household survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and field observations. The collected quantitative data were cleaned, encoded, and statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS, while thematic analysis was undertaken to evaluate and describe the qualitative data. The data analysis revealed that only 21.3% of respondents reported frequent solid waste segregation, while about half (45.5%) segregated solid waste rarely. Conversely, a considerable proportion (28.7%) of the respondents reported not segregating solid waste, and the remaining 4.5% of respondents were unsure about the practice. This implies that only one-fifth of the total sampled respondents actually implement solid waste segregation practices at the household level. The chi-square test showed that respondents’ awareness/training ( P  = 0.000) and use of social organizations to discuss waste management ( P  = 0.001) are significantly associated with the practice of solid waste segregation. This highlights the need to focus on awareness-raising efforts among the general public in order to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of individual households and residents toward solid waste segregation practices. Additionally, enabling policies, sufficient infrastructure, and incentive mechanisms can also help enhance wider adoption of the practices.

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Introduction.

Solid waste management is a critical issue in various countries around the world (Nyampundu et al., 2020 ). Factors such as rising population density, urbanization, economic growth, and industrialization often contribute to an increasing volume of solid waste generated (Xiao et al., 2020 ). Globally, the average annual volume of solid waste generated by cities is estimated to be 1.9 billion tons (Kasozi and Von Blottnitz, 2010 ). In sub-Saharan cities, the volume reaches approximately 62 million tons per year (Hoornweg and Bhada-Tata, 2012 ). Effective solid waste management is crucial in minimizing health and environmental risks associated with waste in urban areas, particularly in the developing world (Hoornweg and Bhada-Tata, 2012 ; Amuda et al., 2014 ; Xiao et al., 2020 ). However, local authorities, especially in the urban settings of sub-Saharan Africa, face significant challenges in implementing effective and well-organized solid waste management (Firdaus and Ahmad, 2010 ). Rapid urbanization leading to increasing consumption and waste generation (both in terms of quantity and diversity) can deplete resources, cause environmental problems, and have significant social and economic impacts (Rousta and Ekström, 2013 ).

Developed countries have recognized the importance of waste segregation and recycling in improving solid waste management, leading them to implement various approaches such as the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) policies, legislations, and strategies (Falk and McKeever, 2004 ; Kang and Schoenung, 2005 ; Kumar et al., 2017 ). However, developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, have made limited progress and effort in this regard. A study by Kihila et al. ( 2021 ) highlighted the weak legal reinforcement of waste segregation practices in Tanzania at all stages, including household, collection, and disposal. This is primarily due to a lack of attention, inefficient coordination among various actors, financial constraints, capacity deficiencies, poor infrastructure, and governance issues.

Ethiopia, like many other developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, has experienced rapid urbanization in recent years. This has resulted in overcrowding and the emergence of informal settlements with poor waste management practices, leading to public health and environmental problems (Nebiyou, 2020 ). Among developing cities, Addis Ababa has faced significant challenges related to poorly managed solid waste operations. The city’s waste generation has increased, but effective solid waste collection and management practices have been lacking (Gelan, 2021 ). These problems are influenced by various factors, including institutional, social, and contextual aspects of waste segregation (Zemena, 2016 ). Despite the persisting issues of solid waste collection and management, particularly regarding the practice of solid waste segregation, there is a limited empirical research in this area for Addis Ababa. This study aims to fill this research gap by assessing the determinants of solid waste segregation practices in Addis Ababa city. In so doing, the study seeks to provide an evidence-based understanding of the issue, support waste management implementation activities, facilitate policy-making, and contribute additional knowledge on the subject. The findings from this study may also offer valuable insights for other developing cities facing similar challenges.

Literature review

Theoretical background.

The evolving concept of waste management is centered around the principles of waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, with the aim of preventing harm to human health and the environment (Pongrácz et al., 2004 ). In addition, effective waste management plays a crucial role in achieving a circular economy, which has become a priority in many developed regions, especially in Europe. The circular economy aims to conserve resources and promote their circularity, leading to a more sustainable and economically viable future.

There is no single universal theory of waste management that can be directly applied as a practical tool for controlling waste-related activities (Pongrácz et al., 2004 ; Pongrácz, 2002 ). According to Pongrácz et al. ( 2004 ), a comprehensive waste management theory should involve a conceptual description of waste management that provides clear definitions of all waste-related concepts. Therefore, the achievement of sustainable waste management relies heavily on defining it properly and proposing an appropriate methodology that organizes the various variables of waste management systems. Pongrácz et al. ( 2004 ) emphasized four fundamental notions that should form the basis of waste management theory: (i) prevention of waste causing harm to human health and the environment; (ii) conservation of resources; (iii) reduction of waste creation by producing useful objects; and (iv) transformation of waste into non-waste materials.

In the context of waste management practices at the city or municipal level, it is important to apply and contextualize these core notions. Municipal solid waste management encompasses a range of tasks and activities, including waste generation control, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing, and disposal (Rada et al., 2013 ). The overarching objective of these activities is to minimize the negative impacts of waste on human health and the environment, while simultaneously promoting economic development and improving quality of life (USEPA, 2020 ). Effective municipal solid waste management plays a crucial role in achieving efficient resource utilization, enhancing environmental quality and human health, and delivering socioeconomic benefits to local residents.

Solid waste management practices

The total urban waste generation is approximately 2 billion tons per year globally, with a projected per-capita increase of around 20% by the year 2100 (World Bank, 2018 ). As a result, municipal solid waste is considered a significant issue worldwide, as reflected in its inclusion within the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and 12 (responsible consumption and production). Effective waste management also plays a role in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 10–20% (Wilson, 2015 ; Hondo et al., 2020 ) and protecting the environment (Izvercian and Ivascu, 2015 ).

The generation rate and composition of solid waste vary across countries and regions due to socio-economic and cultural factors that influence consumption and production patterns. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the waste generation patterns within national and local contexts, taking into account socio-economic factors. This understanding helps inform waste management planning and actions (Ngoc and Schnitzer, 2009 ). Accurate data on solid waste generation and waste management practices are also essential for estimating the necessary human resources, equipment, and materials. Such data helps determine the size and location of waste collection and segregation facilities, design waste disposal systems, and develop overall waste management policies and plans (Ezeah and Roberts, 2012 ).

Solid waste production, particularly in developing countries, is experiencing a significant increase that exceeds the capacities of cities and municipalities in terms of removal and recycling. In these countries, the waste collection rates are 70% lower than the generation rates, and over 50% of the collected waste is disposed of in uncontrolled landfills or open dumpsites, often without adequate recycling measures (UNDESA, 2012 ). Ethiopia serves as an example of the consequences of inadequate solid waste management, with approximately 20–30% of the waste generated in its capital city, Addis Ababa, remaining uncollected (Tilaye and Dijk 2014 ).

Waste segregation practices

In the developed world, solid waste management methods have undergone progressive changes over the years. For instance, in Japan, separate waste collection was introduced in the 1970s and gradually became a common practice among citizens (Africa Data Book, 2019 ). However, in developing countries, waste segregation is not widely practiced (Hoornweg and Bhada-Tata, 2012 ). Source segregation of waste ensures that it is less contaminated and can be collected and transported for further processing. It also optimizes waste processing and treatment technologies, resulting in a higher quantity of segregated materials that can be recycled and reused, thus reducing the need for virgin materials (Ministry of Indian Urban Development, 2016 ). Similarly, waste segregation during or before collection improves efficiency and reduces costs by minimizing the labor and infrastructure required for segregating mixed wastes. However, in many developing countries, regular solid waste segregation is not practiced by users at the source, making the collection of segregated waste challenging in urban areas (Saja et al., 2021 ). This may be attributed to factors such as a lack of public awareness, limited investment in recycling facilities, and slow adoption of solid waste segregation practices (Abdel-Shafy and Mansour, 2018 ).

According to Kihila et al. ( 2021 ), there is still inadequate implementation of recycling practices in sub-Saharan Africa, primarily due to slow and limited behavioral change, as well as insufficient technologies for reuse, recycling, and recovery. In Ethiopia, the amount of generated waste varies (ranging between 0.25 and 0.49 kilogram per capita per day) by source in urban areas, including households, health institutions, commercial centers, industries, hotels, and street sweepings. Among these sources, households account for 70% of the total volume of solid waste generated in Addis Ababa municipality, with the remaining contributions coming from commercial centers (9%), industries (6%), hotels (3%), health institutions (1%), street sweepings (10%), and other sources (1%). The physical composition of the waste is estimated to include fruit and vegetables (4.2%), paper (2.5%), rubber/plastics (2.9%), woody materials (2.3%), bone (1.1%), textiles (2.4%), metals (0.9%), glass (0.5%), combustibles leaves (15.1%), non-combustible stones (2.5%), and 65.6% different fine materials such as sand, ash, and dust (Gelan, 2021 ). Moreover, solid waste management strategies such as prevention (reduction), reuse, and recycling, along with appropriate solid waste collection, segregation, transportation, and disposal, have been rarely adopted in Ethiopian cities. Source separation of solid waste can promote reuse and recycling practices and encourage informal private sector involvement in these activities (Hirpe and Yeom, 2021 ).

Ethiopia has established a legal framework (Negarit Gazeta Proclamation No. 513/ 2007 ) for solid waste management. Article 11:1 of the proclamation mandates households to segregate non-decomposable solid waste at the source for proper disposal at designated collection sites. However, despite these legal provisions, solid waste segregation has not been widely adopted (Abebe, 2017 ). Therefore, it is crucial to understand the factors influencing and the barriers to the practice of solid waste segregation. This study aimed to address the knowledge gap regarding this issue by analyzing the determinants of solid waste segregation in Addis Ababa city. The findings of the study can offer empirical insights and evidence-based recommendations for practitioners, policy makers, and the research community in improving solid waste management practices.

Methodology

Description of the study area.

Addis Ababa, the political capital of Ethiopia and its primary commercial and cultural center, is situated geographically between 8°50’ and 9°06’N latitude and 38°39’ to 38°55’E longitude (Fig. 1 ). The city is located at an average altitude of 2400 meters above sea level (a.s.l.), with the highest elevations reaching approximately 3200 meters a.s.l. at mount Entoto in the north. As a result, Addis Ababa is classified as a high-altitude global city. The city spans a total land area of 540 square kilometers and is surrounded by hilly and mountainous terrain to the north and west. Drainage in Addis Ababa is facilitated by small rivers known as Akaki, including small and big Akaki, which originate from different locations and converge near the city’s outskirts. These rivers, namely small and big Akaki, have influenced the city’s landform (Abnet et al., 2017 ) and are vulnerable to pollution from solid and liquid waste.

Map of the study districts showing the location of sample woredas (Pinkish) and sub-cities (Indicolite Green) of Addis Ababa City (Topaz Sand) the capital of Ethiopia (Sodalite Blue) in Africa (Yucca Yellow) (Source of the data/(shape file: Ethiopian Central Statistical Authority, 2007). Source: Developed by the researcher using Ethio-GIS database (2007).

In recent years, waste generation in Addis Ababa has experienced a significant increase, with no signs of reduction, while waste management practices have remained largely traditional. The city has an estimated daily per capita solid waste generation capacity of approximately 0.45 kg (Gelan, 2021 ). Considering the city’s geographical area and population, the average waste generation is estimated to be around 330 kg/m 3 , resulting in a daily solid waste generation of approximately 6019 m 3 . Currently, the municipal solid waste produced in the city is directed to an uncontrolled landfill site called Koshe ( Reppi ). This landfill site has been associated with serious health and environmental risks, including foul odor and the discharge of contaminated leachates into surrounding areas and communities.

The population of Addis Ababa engages in various economic activities, with different sectors contributing to the city’s livelihoods. The major occupations include trade and commerce, which accounts for 22.6% of the population, followed by manufacturing (21.6%), the construction industry (15.3%), public service (13.5%), transport and communication (9.6%), social services—including health, education and other (8.1%), hotel and similar services (6.2%), and 3.1% urban agriculture (3.1%) (Abebe, 2017 ). The city has a considerable capacity of delivering economies of scale due to its concentrated demand, specialization, diversity, innovation, and technology transfer, enabling a broader range of operations (Hoornweg and Bhada-Tata, 2012 ). However, as consumption and production patterns continue to rise, Addis Ababa faces a significant challenge of generating a high volume of solid waste (Gelan, 2021 ). Despite this, solid waste management, particularly waste segregation practices, lags behind considerably in the city.

Sampling and data collection

In this study, Addis Ababa city was divided into three clusters based on economic activities, and waste generation capacity. The clusters were determined based on dominant activities such as business, residence, office, and other services one sub-city was purposefully selected from each cluster in consultation with the city’s solid waste management office. Out of the 11 sub-cities, the selected sub-cities were Addis Ketema (representing low waste generation capacity), Yeka (representing medium waste generation capacity), and Bole (representing high waste generation capacity). Subsequently, one woreda (district) was randomly chosen from each selected sub-city using a lottery method. The selected woredas were woreda 07, woreda 09, and woreda 01, representing Addis Ketema, Yeka, and Bole sub-cities, respectively. Based on the city administration data for the year 2022, the total number of households in the sampled woredas were as follows: 3576 in woreda 07; 4573 in woreda 09; and 3523 households in woreda 01.

The study utilized a descriptive research approach to examine the pattern of solid waste segregation practices in Addis Ababa. Both primary and secondary data were collected to achieve the research objectives. The primary data was collected from households through a questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and field observations. The survey questions had varying properties, with some being dichotomous (requiring a single response) and others allowing for multiple responses. As a result, certain variables in the analysis do not add up to the total sample size (i.e. n  = 245).

Focus group discussions were conducted in each woreda , involving groups of 8–12 participants. The participants mainly consisted of members of waste collection enterprises who were engaged in door-to-door waste collection and segregation at the source (temporary collection site). It is important to note that the segregation at the source primarily focused on separating non-decomposable materials such as plastic bags, bottles, metal scraps, and glass from decomposable materials.

Fifteen interviews were conducted with woreda leaders of waste collectors, officials from the Addis Ababa City Solid Waste Management Agency, and staff from the solid waste cleansing office in the sampled woredas . Before the actual household survey and data collection, a pilot test was conducted to ensure the effectiveness of the questionnaire. Field observations were also conducted, with a specific focus on door-to-door waste collection, segregation, and management practices. These observations were guided by a checklist and documented in a research diary, which served as an important resource for data interpretation and analysis.

In the study, the sample size was determined by Cochran’s formula (Cochran, 1977 ): ( \({{{n}}} = {\textstyle{{{{{Z}}}^2{{{pq}}}} \over {{{{e}}}^2}}}\) ). In this formula, n represents the sample size, z is the selected critical value corresponding to the desired confidence level, p is the estimated proportion of an attribute in the population, q  = 1− p , and e is the desired level of precision, with a 95% confidence level and a maximum variability in a population of 0.5. Accordingly, the survey questionnaire was administered to 245 respondents by a trained enumerator in May 2022 from the three sampled woredas with a total household population of 11,762.

Using the Cochran ( 1977 ) formula with a 95% confidence level and a precision of 0.05, and assuming a variability of 20% due to time constraints, the sample size was calculated as follows:

Therefore, the sample size was determined to be 245.

The sampled proportion was then distributed in each woreda (Table 1 ) based on the number of households, using the formula: \(nh = \left( {{\textstyle{{Nh} \over N}}} \right){{{n}}}\) where Nh represents the population on each woreda , N is the total household population, nh is the total sampled population.

It is worth noting that one questionnaire had missing values, resulting in a total of 244 questionnaires being used for the analysis. The survey questionnaire also included a section on the socio-demographic profile of the households. In this study, a chi-square model was employed to test the relationship between categorical data.

Results and discussion

Solid waste segregation practices.

Table 2 presents the findings of the solid waste segregation practices based on the analysis of data from 244 respondents. The analysis revealed that the majority of survey households (63.5%) recognized the importance of solid waste segregation practices. This indicates that the community has a significant understanding of solid waste segregation, which can encourage the actual implementation of segregation practices.

According to the input from focus group discussions and key informant interviews, mass media, health extension services, and waste collectors have played a major role in disseminating information (although it has been limited thus far) on the importance of solid waste segregation. A study conducted by Otitoju and Seng ( 2014 ) in Malaysia also indicated that a large proportion (86.3%) of respondents had heard about waste segregation through mass media or community discussions. However, the authors emphasized that simply providing information does not guarantee people’s active involvement in implementing waste segregation practices. Similarly, Abdel-Shafy and Mansour ( 2018 ) reported that the success of any solid waste segregation practice heavily relies on the level of public awareness and active participation of different communities. It is essential for the community to undergo a radical attitudinal change that allows the acquired knowledge to be translated into practical implementation.

The study also examined the willingness of respondents to engage in solid waste segregation practices, revealing that the majority (84%) expressed their willingness to implement the practice. This indicates a significant potential to translate this willingness into action through further efforts in public awareness campaigns, capacity-building initiatives, and policy support.

A similar study conducted in Suzhou, China demonstrated that residents’ positive attitudes and willingness to engage in solid waste separation played a crucial role in the rapid adoption of the practice (Zhang and Wen, 2014 ). This suggests that by leveraging the positive attitudes and willingness of individuals, combined with educational initiatives, the implementation of solid waste segregation practices can be accelerated.

The study found that slightly more than half of the respondents (54.1%) reported a lack of sufficient space to segregate waste in their residence areas. Focus group discussants further highlighted the challenges faced by waste collectors in segregating waste in congested living conditions. This indicates that the absence of adequate space to segregate collected waste in situ in residential areas is a barrier to achieving the required level of segregation for different communities.

This finding aligns with a study conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency ( 2020 ), which emphasized that a well-designed storage system will not be effective if the locations or containers for waste segregation are inconvenient for residents or waste collectors. Therefore, addressing the issue of limited space and ensuring convenient and accessible segregation points are crucial factors for promoting effective waste segregation practices.

The study found that 54.5% of the respondents do not prepare different containers for solid waste segregation, while 45.9% of respondents reported not having the necessary materials for segregating waste or keeping different kinds of waste separately. This indicates that overall, the practice of solid waste segregation at the source (household) is poor in the community.

A study conducted by Tassie et al. ( 2019 ) supports these findings, highlighting the importance of good awareness and appropriate facilities for the proper implementation of segregation practices. When the community has sufficient awareness and motivation, individual households can use materials available at home such as baskets, cardboard boxes, bamboo containers, cans, plastic bags, barrels, etc., to prepare temporary storage containers for waste segregation. Similarly, Otitoju and Seng ( 2014 ) found that providing more facilities such as bins and containers in housing areas, in addition to creating awareness, can enhance community participation in waste segregation.

Among the survey households, 45.5% reported segregating waste sometimes, while 21.3% reported segregating waste regularly. On the other hand, 28.7% of respondents did not segregate waste before disposing of it from their homes or compounds, and 4.5% were unsure about the practice. This indicates that only one-fifth of sampled respondents correctly implement solid waste segregation at the household level, while the majority (79%) either practice segregation rarely or not at all. For those households not practicing segregation or uncertain about it, targeted interventions such as education, public awareness campaigns, enabling policies, sufficient infrastructure, and incentive mechanisms need to be implemented by the relevant authorities to promote the adoption and scaling up of segregation practices. A study by Yoada et al. ( 2014 ) in Accra, Ghana, reported that only 17.3% of respondents indicated that the households sort waste by category at home before delivering it to collectors, which reflects the broader trend observed in many African cities.

Table 2 provides insights into the reasons for the non-segregation of waste at the household or outdoor level. According to the table, 50.4% of the respondents thought that they generate a very small amount of waste, leading them to consider waste separation as pointless. Additionally, 25.6% of respondents reported a lack of facilities for waste segregation, 10.5% mentioned the inability to afford dust bins due to cost, and another 10.5% were not aware of the practice of segregation.

During the focus group discussions, participants expressed the view that segregation could be more feasible if they generated larger volumes of solid waste. Some participants expressed the need for external support to provide facilities such as dust bins, while others showed a lack of concern and awareness about the importance of solid waste segregation. These findings suggest a lack of awareness and limited motivation among the community to engage in segregation practices. In line with these findings, Kihila et al. ( 2021 ) also reported that people often disregard segregating waste at the source due to poor awareness, lack of facilities and equipment like containers, or the low volumes of recyclable materials generated.

The study found that in terms of separating waste at temporary solid waste disposal places, 36.9% of the respondents do not separate the waste at all, and 12.3% are unsure about whether they separate solid waste. On the other hand, 29.9% of the respondents always separate waste, and 20.9% sometimes separate waste. These findings suggest that, in general, the community has a low inclination toward practicing solid waste segregation outside their homes. There seems to be a common attitude of “I don’t care after I’ve used it”.

These findings align with the study conducted by Otitoju and Seng ( 2014 ), which revealed that communities do not have a promising attitude towards solid waste segregation as long as the waste is collected. The research conducted in Accra by Yoada et al. ( 2014 ) also highlighted that citizens do not take responsibility for proper waste disposal, including segregation, as they rely on the government to remove household-generated waste. This can be attributed, in part, to a poor attitude and lack of concern about the environment and public health.

These attitudes and behaviors reflect a need for increased awareness, education, and a shift in mindset toward the importance of proper waste segregation and disposal. Efforts to promote community engagement, responsible waste management practices, and environmental consciousness can help address these challenges and encourage greater participation in waste segregation.

According to Fig. 2 , the majority (76.2%) of respondents associate the 3Rs (Reuse, Recycling, and Recovery) primarily with the segregation of waste. A portion of respondents (12.3%) reported not knowing about the 3Rs, and 11.5% were unsure. Overall, the majority of participants demonstrated a good understanding of the 3Rs, particularly in relation to solid waste segregation. They recognized the economic value of waste and provided examples such as using animal dung or other decomposable waste for composting and selling plastic bottles to generate income.

Source: Questionnaire survey (2022).

Kihila et al. ( 2021 ) reported that waste segregation is a crucial element in the waste management chain for effective implementation of the 3Rs. Segregation at the source simplifies handling and processing, thereby facilitating resource recovery, promoting reuse and recycling, and reducing operational costs. Similarly, Otitoju and Seng ( 2014 ) suggested that discarded products and waste materials possess economic value when they are reused or reintroduced into the technological cycle. Therefore, source segregation is fundamental for successful and economically viable recycling activities.

According to Fig. 3 , when asked about the importance of solid waste segregation at the source for waste reduction, over 73% of the respondents believed that the practice is effective in reducing waste. Only 3.2% perceived that it does not contribute to waste reduction, and the remaining respondents were unsure. This indicates that a significant number of community members understand that segregating waste at the source can lead to a reduction in the volume of generated solid waste at various levels.

Source: Questionnaire survey, 2022.

This finding is consistent with the study conducted by Otitoju and Seng ( 2014 ), which emphasizes that practicing segregation at the source can significantly reduce the amount of solid waste that ends up in landfills. Similarly, the study by Kihila et al. ( 2021 ) suggests that waste segregation at the source can lead to a significant reduction in waste volumes, ultimately improving the efficiency of collection and disposal processes. These findings highlight the importance of promoting and implementing solid waste segregation practices as an effective means of waste reduction, contributing to more efficient waste management systems.

Figure 4 illustrates the type of materials used for waste collection among the survey respondents. The majority (65.2%) reported using sacks, 12.3% use plastic bags, 7.7% use both plastic and glass containers, 2.5% use metallic materials, and 12.3% do not use any fixed type of material. The predominant use of sacks for sorting solid waste indicates a potential for reusing or recycling them. However, it is important to note that the use of sacks can lead to the escape of leachate materials, which poses a risk of environmental pollution (e.g., water or soil contamination) and may require frequent replacement (Abebe, 2017 ).

Overall, the key informant interviewees and focus group discussants confirmed the low level of understanding and awareness among households regarding solid waste segregation in Addis Ababa, despite some recent improvements. They attributed the limited progress to sporadic door-to-door awareness activities conducted by the health extension workers and informal communication from the waste collectors. However, in most residential areas of the city, proper practices of solid waste segregation have been lagging at all levels.

Determinants of solid waste segregation practices

In the study, Chi-square and t -test analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between various variables and the willingness of solid waste segregation. The p -value was used to assess the statistical significance of the observed results. A p -value of <0.005 indicates a higher level of statistical significance, suggesting a significant correlation between the variables.

The variables of gender, educational level, monthly income, willingness, awareness/training, and use of social organizations were specifically analyzed to determine their potential association with solid waste segregation practices. The results of these analyses can provide insights into the factors that influence the willingness of individuals to engage in solid waste segregation.

Gender and solid waste segregation practice

According to the results presented in Table 3 , the calculated value of Chi-square is 1.565 with a p -value of 0.211. This indicates that there is no significant association between the gender of the respondents and their practice of solid waste segregation at the gate/door.

Traditionally, domestic chores and household management, including activities related to house cleaning, have been culturally associated with women’s roles in many developing countries (Banga, 2011 ). However, our analysis did not find a significant difference between male and female respondents in terms of segregating solid waste before disposal. It is worth noting that female members generally have knowledge and decision-making authority regarding what is considered useful and non-waste, although male members also cooperate in waste management practices.

Educational level of the respondents

According to Table 3 , the p -value obtained for the association between educational level and solid waste segregation practice at the gate/door is 0.446, indicating an insignificant difference. The analysis suggests that the educational level of the respondents is not significantly associated with their practice of solid waste segregation.

This finding is consistent with previous studies conducted by Abebe ( 2017 ) and Otitoju and Seng ( 2014 ), which also reported a lack of significant relationship between the educational level of households and their participation in solid waste segregation at the source. It implies that people’s attitude towards waste segregation, rather than their education or knowledge, plays a more significant role in determining their household-level waste segregation practices.

Monthly income of the respondents

As indicated in Table 3 , the calculated t -test value for the association between monthly income (with a mean monthly income of 5141.4 Birr and 4618.4 Birr std. deviation) and solid waste segregation practice at the gate is −0.185, assuming equal variances, with a p -value of 0.220. This suggests that there is an insignificant association between the monthly income of respondents and their practice of solid waste segregation practice at the gate.

The focus group discussions also supported this finding, as they did not observe any substantial difference in waste segregation practices among households with different income levels. This implies that income level does not play a significant role in determining the extent to which households segregate their solid waste at the source. Other factors, such as awareness, motivation, and access to facilities, may have a stronger influence on waste segregation practices than income alone.

Awareness and training

As presented in Table 3 , the Chi-square test value for the association between respondents’ awareness/training and practice of solid waste segregation at the gate is 50.920, with a p -value of 0.000. This indicates a highly significant ( p  < 001) association between respondent’s awareness or training and their practice of solid waste segregation at the gate.

The analysis demonstrates that an increase in public awareness and the provision of relevant training can have a significant impact on promoting and encouraging solid waste segregation practices at the household or gate/door level. When individuals are aware of the importance of waste segregation and have received appropriate training on how to implement it effectively, they are more likely to actively engage in segregating their waste at the source.

These findings emphasize the importance of targeted awareness campaigns and training programs to improve waste management practices, particularly in promoting solid waste segregation. By increasing the knowledge and understanding of the community, it becomes more feasible to enhance the adoption and implementation of waste segregation practices, leading to more effective waste management and environmental sustainability.

Role of social organizations (e.g. Idir , Ikub )

As indicated in Table 3 , the Chi-square test value for the relationship between the use of social organizations (such as Idir and Iqub ) and the practice of solid waste segregation at the gate is 10.878, with a p -value of 0.001. This suggests a significant association between the use of social organizations and the practice of solid waste segregation.

The findings highlight that individuals who actively participate in social organizations, such as Idir and Iqub , are more likely to engage in solid waste segregation practices at the household or gate/door level. While Idir is aimed at helping each other, especially in funerals or burials, Iqub is a traditional mutual saving and credit association. These social organizations can serve as platforms for disseminating information, promoting awareness, and encouraging community members to adopt sustainable waste management practices. The collective nature of these associations can foster a sense of social responsibility and cooperation, leading to increased participation in waste segregation activities.

Other studies have also shown that active participation in social groups or associations can positively influence individuals’ attitudes and behaviors, including waste management practices. The sense of belonging, shared values, and mutual support within these organizations can contribute to the adoption of group decisions and actions, such as the implementation of waste segregation practices (Begashaw, 1978 ; Aredo, 1993 ).

Therefore, leveraging the existing social organizations in the community and engaging them in waste management initiatives can be an effective strategy to promote and enhance solid waste segregation practices at the household level. By working together through these organizations, communities can create a collective impact and contribute to the improvement of waste management and environmental sustainability.

This study focused on exploring household practices and determinants of solid waste segregation in Addis Ababa city. The findings reveal that solid waste segregation practices at the household level are very low in the city, with significant variations in awareness, understanding, and willingness among the community to adequately implement these practices effectively. Only one-fifth of sampled respondents reported implementing solid waste segregation, while the majority (79%) of the respondents either rarely practiced the segregation or did not at all. Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data from this study indicates that awareness and attitude regarding solid waste segregation in Addis Ababa city are still poor, despite some recent progress. Consequently, the actual implementation of solid waste segregation practices is generally weak. The analysis demonstrates that household awareness/training and the use of social organizations have a positive and significant impact on solid waste segregation practices. However, other household factors such as gender, income, and education level do not seem to influence households’ willingness to segregate solid waste at home or at the gate. Based on these findings, efforts should be focused on raising broad public awareness and providing training to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of individual households and residents regarding solid waste segregation practices. This should be complemented by necessary policy interventions, such as additional regulatory measures, and support for recycling facilities. Therefore, targeted interventions, including intensive awareness campaigns, the facilitation of relevant infrastructure, and other incentive mechanisms, should be considered by the government and local authorities to promote the adoption and scaling up of waste segregation practices. Although this study had limitations in fully understanding the barriers and opportunities in waste management practices, it provides useful insights for other rapidly urbanizing cities in the developing world. A more detailed study focusing on people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors could further explore the underlying causes of poor waste segregation practices.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere gratitude to all the respondents who participated in the survey, focus group discussion, and key informant interviews. The valuable time and willingness of the participants to share their insights and information were essential for the success of this study. Their contributions have greatly contributed to the generation of meaningful data and the overall quality of the research. The authors appreciate their cooperation and willingness to engage in the research process.

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Adefris, W., Damene, S. & Satyal, P. Household practices and determinants of solid waste segregation in Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 10 , 516 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01982-7

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Waste Segregation at Source: A Strategy to Reduce Waterlogging in Sylhet

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Poor solid waste-management systems in cities in developing countries make them vulnerable to climate-induced risks. It has been pointed out in the literature that the waste management process needs to be holistic and inclusive from waste generation to disposal in order to make it efficient and sustainable. While women in their day-to-day activities at home play a critical role in waste management, they are often excluded in the public waste-management systems which are mainly managed by men. This research used women-centric approaches for motivating citizens using social and moral persuasion, economic incentives and social recognition to participate in municipal solid waste management. The findings indicate that the awareness campaign using motivational approaches eventually worked and that the women-centric approaches used are important for promoting home-based waste segregation at source. The study also revealed that a simple payment mechanism for waste disposal services at the household level is not enough to convert littered cities into clean cities. A women-centric approach also contributes to developing community-based solutions to adapt to climate-induced flooding and makes a city more resilient, addressing sustainable development goals.

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• Waste segregation
• Climate-induced risk
• Gender engagement
• Sylhet city corporation

Cities around the world have higher risk of waterlogging due to climate change

Managing city wastes can help against the threat of waterlogging which would help to build resilience for cities in developing countries

Increasing awareness by targeting women is the best strategy for ensuring at-home segregation to reduce the volume of solid waste

There is a need to consider motivational approaches in campaigning that would work for women.

1 Introduction

Waste matters not only for its volume—generated due to urbanization, population pressure and economic development—but also for the fact that the rate of generation outstrips the ability of city authorities to manage and recycle (Banerjee & Mitra, 2013 ; Kien, 2018 ). The poor waste-management process in urban areas has a harmful impact on all elements of environment and human health (Bhalla et al., 2011 ; Rathi, 2006 ). If the waste is not managed properly, then it may contaminate the groundwater aquifer (Vasanthi et al., 2008 ). Failure to remove waste appropriately may lead to waterlogging and increased climate-induced urban flooding (Brand & Spencer, 2020 ; Lamond et al., 2012 ; Pervin et al., 2020 ). For example, un-segregated hazardous waste may cause contamination; medical waste may cause various infections; unattended waste may create health hazards such as water-borne diseases; indiscriminate throwing of waste may cause drainage clogging and increase the intensity of floods and waterlogging (Kalina, 2020 ; Lamond et al., 2012 ). On top of this, if a city is vulnerable to climate-induced increased precipitation, it might lead to the failure of the adaptation strategy taken against urban flooding. Adaptation and resilience in urban waste management are recommended to reduce the risk of climate-induced flood and other disasters (Greenwalt et al., 2018 ; Kalina, 2020 ; Pervin et al., 2020 ; Phonphoton & Pharino, 2019 ). Nepal et al. ( 2022 , Chap. 21 of this volume) have shown households’ willingness to pay for better waste management practices. Sharma et al., ( 2022 , Chap. 22 of this volume) have shown possibilities of engaging community-based organizations to make people aware of climate change-related issues in urban areas. Given this, it is important to integrate the waste management process as a part of the adaptation policy.

It is widely acknowledged that public participation inclusive of all major stakeholders is a key prerequisite for efficient waste management (Buckingham et al., 2005 ; Adebo and Ajewole, 2012 ; Plavsic, 2013 ; Vineeshiya & Mahees, 2016 ; Kien, 2018 ; Buckingham, 2020 ). The bulk of municipal solid waste (MSW) in developing countries is kitchen waste from households. Many households dispose of all waste without separating hazardous waste such as, broken glass, electric wastes, cleaning chemicals, batteries, which may be harmful to human health and the environment. Women play the primary role in waste management as part of their daily household chores. However, city managers are mostly men and women, despite being major stakeholders in generating and managing wastes in their homes, are often not consulted, resulting in inefficiency in waste management. Research findings suggest that household waste disposal is seen as a women’s responsibility. Studies also find that waste segregation and disposal systems can be made efficient by mainstreaming gender within the system (Al-Khatib et al., 2009 ; Buckingham, 2020 ).

Men and women often put different precedence on solid waste management; they also probably conceptualize and produce waste differently within their household (Buckingham, 2020 ; Plavsic, 2013 ). Their allocation of time on waste management also varies, and they have different choices of waste disposal and different priorities on waste-management strategies. Moreover, men and women attach different values to the environment (Adebo and Ajewole, 2012 ). Research has also shown that gender mainstreaming positively affects household recycling behaviour (Babaei et al., 2015 ). Sustainable city waste management requires involvement and participation of women throughout the decision-making process, inclusion of gender-specific design and approaches in the information, education and awareness materials (dos Muchangos & Vaughter, 2019 ).

Waste is also a resource if there is a market for recycling or reusing waste. Once it is known, women might be interested in contributing to the family income, and this could be a game-changer in waste management.

Since the waste disposal system requires collection, segregation and disposal at a dumpsite, it is often expensive for city corporations. For example, in Kolkata, one of the largest Indian cities, the Municipal Corporation usually spends 70–75% of its budget on collection, 25–30% on transportation, and 5% on disposal of municipal waste (Chattopadhyay et al., 2009 ). Most communities in South Asian cities do not have sanitary landfill sites, and so, there is a high risk of groundwater contamination. Improving efficiency in waste management might release financial resources to be used for developing better dumpsites.

An efficient waste-management system requires reusing, recycling and reducing the volume of waste at the source (Otitoju and Seng, 2014 ; Al-Khateeb et al., 2017 ). This reduces the burden of carrying the waste to the dumpsites. Cities in developing countries rarely segregate wastes at source. In many developing countries, however, dry waste such as paper, metal, bottles and plastic materials can be sold in the recycling markets. Composting might also allow city corporations to spend more resources on proper disposal of hazardous wastes which are detrimental to the environment. To implement any composting scheme, there is a need to engage the stakeholders who generate waste, and the first strategy is to segregate waste at source (Otitoju and Seng, 2014 ) into recyclable, reusable and the refuse and segregating hazardous wastes. At each step, women and men have distinct roles to play (Scheinberg et al., 1999 ).

There are various methods of composting including several mechanisms to initiate a process for recycling and reuse of non-biodegradable waste. The challenge is to create an innovative mechanism to ensure that communities are engaged in the process and come forward to make a change in their usual practices for disposal of waste at home. There is a need to investigate the current practice of waste management to learn about the attitude towards it and the level of awareness. This will help to design a community-engaged and efficient waste management for the city.

In this research, we worked with the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) to find a solution to urban solid waste management by engaging with women and encouraging them to sort, separate and dispose of their daily household waste in an orderly manner to promote recycling, reuse and composting. The experience we narrate here helped the city corporation learn about a more efficient system of waste management. It also demonstrated that engaging women in the overall architecture of managing waste matters.

Section  24.2 shows the current state of city waste management, the role of women, and their attitude towards waste disposal. Section  24.3 shows how we have designed a strategy of engaging women to segregate waste at source and how it was implemented. Section  24.4 shows the results.

2 Waste-Management System in Sylhet City Corporation

Sylhet City with a population of more than half a million has 27 Wards (smaller administrative sub-units of a municipality) which generate between 250 and 300 tonnes of solid waste a day. The Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) is responsible for managing solid waste in the city. Management of solid waste is done in two steps. The door-to-door collection or the primary collection is organized by the local Clubs who are elected by a community of 100–200 houses. Clubs are community-based voluntary organizations, not connected to the city corporation, but the councillors recognize them as an integral part of the community. Households pay a monthly fee for the daily collection of waste, and the waste collectors take the waste to a designated secondary collection centre. The city dump trucks carry the household waste from the secondary collection centre to the dumpsite. This is shown in Fig.  24.1 . The dumpsite is located on the outskirts of the city from where rag-pickers collect recyclable or reusable objects. While the process is very similar in other cities in Bangladesh, the difference is that this in Sylhet the collection is organized by local clubs, whereas non-government organizations (NGOs) or civil society organizations (CSOs) manage the door-to-door collection system in other cities.

Source Author’s conceptualisation

Garbage management system in Sylhet.

2.1 Role of the Clubs

Homeowners in a lane or several by lanes form a local voluntary association by organizing a committee for two years. The Club provides a manually operated three-wheeler rickshaw van and appoints the waste-collector. Households do not perform any segregation of wastes. However, metal, plastic, glass and paper wastes are bought and sold in the market through feriwala (street vendors) who come to the locality to buy these disposable wastes often on a weekly basis. Waste collectors often segregate the recyclable items from the wastes and sell this to the feriwala while transporting it to the secondary collection point. In many cases, the waste collector takes the waste to a nearby open place beside a canal/drain, takes out the valuables, and then throws the rest into the canal causing a long-term problem for the municipality. The canals get filled up and the clogged drains cause waterlogging during the rainy season.

Estimates show that because of waste mismanagement and improper dumping, and the depth of the canals decreases by between 10 and 20 cm every year. This reduces the drainage flow and during heavy rains nearly 22% of the city area is flooded causing significant damage to properties and assets (Pervin et al., 2020 ). Clearly, providing un-segregated garbage to the waste collector created the problem as the valuables were the incentive for the collector to deviate from their daily activities. Considering this, researchers assumed that the risk of flooding would greatly reduce if households segregate at source.

2.2 A Women-Centric Approach

Significant improvement towards reducing the waterlogging in the city is possible if the current system of waste management in the Sylhet City Corporation—which follows the sequential course of production, collection and segregation and disposal—can be changed to production and segregation followed by collection and disposal. To do so, the role of women or a women-centric approach to waste management needs to be recognized and institutionalized. It is like shuffling the second card from the middle to the front of the deck as shown in Fig.  24.2 implying that the production points (household) also become the segregation points and are connected to the recycling markets, while the collectors are involved in composting the organic wastes.

Alternative waste-management systems.

The general solid waste-management system of Sylhet city is illustrated in A of Fig.  24.2 , and the proposed alternative system is shown in B of Fig.  24.2 . The process, if implemented properly, connects the production and collection stages of household wastes in the city with the recycling and the organic fertilizer markets. It adds value and significantly reduces transportation needs for solid wastes to the dumpsites. The key for success in such transformation is to make the production point at the household into the sorting and segregation point as well.

3 Research Design

The research was organized into two phases. Phase I consisted of understanding the current state of waste management in the city including information on current practice and volume of waste generated at the household level. Phase II involved designing several awareness campaigns to influence women to segregate waste before disposal.

While planning solid waste management for cities, the average daily waste per person per day is assumed to be between 0.32 and 0.48 kg (Alamgir & Ahsan, 2007 ). This was verified using physical measurement of wastes generated per household per day. A small survey of 150 households was conducted for 21 days to measure (a) the composition and (b) volume of daily waste. It shows that daily waste is around 2.24 kg per day per household in traditional homes (one-storey buildings) which is around 0.45 kg per person per day. For multi-storied houses (between 2 and 6 floors), it is around 0.57 kg. However, the result of our study was surprising for the high-rise buildings (above 6 floors) where we observed that per day an apartment generates nearly 4.9 kg of solid waste which is equivalent to 0.98 kg per person per day, nearly double the estimate. Figure  24.3 shows the distribution of waste by different types of houses.

Source Asian Center for Development Survey 2017

Daily waste per household per day in Sylhet.

The survey, therefore, provides evidence on the volume of solid waste generated daily in the city and shows that the volume is going to rise rapidly as many of the newly constructed houses are high-rise apartments. As such, it also illustrates the fact that managing solid waste in urban areas will be an important strategy in developing countries where the disposal is haphazard and public littering is common leading to clogging of the drainage system and increasing the risk of disasters during any climate-induced event.

The waste from these households was screened and weighed in two parts—(a) compostable and (b) non-compostable. It was found that nearly 92% of the waste is compostable and is mostly organic kitchen waste. As such, the research team decided to study the following strategies for in-house waste management.

How to promote the idea of the ready market for recyclable waste.

How to engage household members, especially women to separate kitchen waste which can be composted.

How to provide community awareness particularly to clubs about segregation and composting including the fact that local composting is a much better option than to transport the solid waste to the dumpsite which is costly and has been ineffective so far.

4 The Awareness Programme

To design an effective awareness programme involving women, the research team decided to survey households to understand their current waste disposal behaviour in 2017 and in 2018. Three city wards were selected for the door-to-door campaign on solid waste management. Based on the baseline survey, each household was given two doses of awareness using a door-to-door campaign. The awareness programme is divided into three steps and is presented in Fig.  24.4 .

Source Author’s conceptualization

The flowchart of the awareness programme.

In part I, workshops and seminars with city councillors and club representatives of all 27 wards in the SCC were arranged. The workshop was on the benefits of improved solid waste management to build resilience against flash floods and waterlogging.

In part II, the waste collectors in the three selected wards were trained on composting the waste and on the benefits to the city and their own health. They were trained on how to make compost out of kitchen waste after segregation. Composts produced from the waste were for them to sell in the market as organic fertilizer.

In part III, a door-to-door campaign was conducted for 14 days, in two phases of 7 days each in three blocks of the three wards to motivate women in the house to separate their kitchen waste. During the campaign, volunteers went to every house and explained the motivation for segregation to the household heads and the most prominent women in the house, distributed campaign materials and also showed a small video on diseases caused by mosquitoes due to waterlogging and clogged drainage systems (campaign materials are illustrated in Picture 2). Figure  24.5 shows a few photos from workshops, training and a door-to-door campaign targeted at women.

Photo credits The Asian Center for Development Research Team

a Various workshops and seminars with city councillors and clubs. b Training on compost to garbage collectors. c Door-to-door awareness campaign to women.

Figure  24.6 a shows health benefits of separating kitchen waste for the city and its potential impact on reducing waterlogging. It also shows two ways of separating household wastes: degradable and non-degradable, and finally gives a pictorial illustration of making composts to motivate the household to separate kitchen waste. Figure  24.6 b gives a list of kitchen waste materials which can be easily composted if separated at source. It also explains the benefits of using composts as a substitute for chemical fertilizer.

Photo credit Posters produced by the authors for the Asian Center for Development

Awareness materials.

Furthermore, it also gives a link to a mobile app (produced as part of the campaign) to report littering in the community for the City Corporation to monitor and remove. Figure  24.6 c is a sticker distributed to every house for them to stick on their doors to motivate other members in the house to participate in segregation tasks including the link to the app to report littering in the community and to register “Clean Sylhet” campaign in their mind. Figure  24.6 d is a sticker for kitchen doors to define segregation of wastes for them. This is to ensure that every member of the house who is in the kitchen remembers how to dispose of their wastes separately. In addition, the volunteers showed a short video on how people are separating household waste in other countries to members present in the house at the time of their visits.

4.1 Campaign Game Plan

The campaign designed to promote separation of household wastes at home was targetted at the women of the household and based on four motivational factors: (i) social persuasion; (ii) moral persuasion; (iii) economic incentives and (iv) social recognition.

4.2 Mechanism of Social Persuasion

In order to persuade the households to segregate their wastes, we not only sensitized them to separate their kitchen waste, sanitary/medical waste and hazardous waste but also distributed blue coloured W-shaped poly bags of a pack of 60 for two months (each bag was of 12″ × 9″ in. in dimension with an average weight carrying capacity of 5 kg). A set of households were also given black-coloured poly bags for separating hazardous wastes (broken glass, battery, electrical and electronic gadget and light bulb).

Since Sylhet is a densely populated urban area, household-based composting seemed to be unfeasible, so we provided community-based compost bins for segregated kitchen wastes and involved local garbage collectors and the club to organize composting.

4.3 Mechanism for Moral Persuasion

To motivate households to properly dispose their wastes and to separate kitchen wastes, we (a) developed the “Clean Sylhet” mobile app which can be used by any person in the community to report littering in the community to the City Council; (b) showed them a motivational video on how other communities around the world participate in such activities and separate their wastes and how it benefits the community in terms of reduced health hazards.

4.4 Mechanism for Economic Incentives

The research team introduced two mechanisms to develop economic incentives for households and for the garbage collectors. First, by selling the non-degradable wastes in the waste-recycling market households can earn extra income. Garbage collectors could also earn additional income by selling the compost. Our experiment shows that each waste bin can produce nearly 51 kg of good quality compost a month providing the garbage collector with an earning of nearly 15 USD or 1275 taka a month.

4.5 Mechanism for Social Recognition

The campaign introduced a process of social recognition by announcing Green Award for different stakeholders in the community. The categories are: “Green Home Award” for three best households, “Green Club Award” for three best clubs and “Clean Sylhet Award” for three waste collectors who actively participated in the activities to make the city clean. The award winners were nominated based on specific criteria that they had to fulfil.

5 Lessons Learned

5.1 did the women-centric approach work.

Our objectives were to understand whether our campaign was effective; whether households became socially responsible and separated their hazardous wastes; and whether they were motivated by the incentives and increased their participation to sell their waste.

Based on the four mechanisms of the campaign to motivate the women in the households, we find the following results (shown in Table 24.1 ). Comparing the before campaign and immediately after campaign scenarios among the households, Table 24.1 shows that our women-centric approach to pursue households to separate their wastes yielded positive outcomes. First, there has been a 484% increase among participating households in separating kitchen wastes. 60 days long daily monitoring of garbage collection data shows that 72.8% of the households participated regularly and separated their kitchen waste for community-based composting and 6.9% participated in home-based composting. Second, separation of hazardous waste increased by 33% and that of sanitary wastes by 51%. There was no direct benefit to the households for doing this, but it was one of the objectives of the campaign and also used as a criterion for the Green Award declared by the City Mayor. Third, the baseline survey revealed that nearly 59% households used to sell their paper waste, 57% sell their plastic waste, 62% separate and sell their glass waste, 38% sell their metal waste and 58% sell their polybag waste. However, they do so over a long period of time. In our survey, we further asked whether they sold their recyclable wastes in the past two months before and after the campaign. Table 24.1 shows that during the past two months before and after the campaign there was no significant change in their behaviour implying that economic incentives did not change their behaviour significantly. In terms of home composting, the increase was also not significant.

5.2 Was There Any Change in the In-House Participation in Garbage Disposal?

All members of the household were present at the time of the campaign by our volunteers. Our base-line survey results show that it is mostly women in the house who participate in the garbage management activities. Table 24.2 shows the role of women within the household in terms of waste management, disposal and compost making before and after the campaign. It shows that as a result of our campaign in the house, it was women who became more motivated than men, and so, there has been a 21% rise in the role of women to manage their waste properly. Women also took more interest in the disposal activities, and there has been a 14% rise in waste disposal activities by women. These are all statistically significant. However, as previously mentioned at-home, composting did not increase significantly.

6 Conclusions

Cities around the world have higher risk of waterlogging due to climate change. Previous research has shown that without developing a proper waste-management policy, investment in drainage infrastructure is likely to fail. There is a need to develop a mechanism to reduce the risk of clogging of the city drainage system. This research was a follow-up to find strategies to increase household-level participation. Based on previous surveys, it was also observed that women are at the centre of waste management in a typical urban house in Bangladesh. Consequently, this research has used motivational approaches to motivate households to participate and dispose of their garbage in an orderly fashion. The team ran a campaign in selected localities for 14 days, two periods of 7 days each, in order to (a) pursue households to separate their kitchen wastes for community level composting, (b) make the city clean and smart given the climate risks.

Four motivational approaches were used: (a) social persuasion, (b) moral persuasion, (c) economic incentives and d) social recognition to motivate the city dwellers to separate their kitchen wastes. All household members present at the time in the household were motivated to participate in the activities, but the campaign also ensured that the main women in the house were present at the time of the campaign. Our results show that social and moral persuasion and the strategy of social recognition worked well, and it is the women members in the house who were more motivated by such campaigns. Women are not particularly attracted by the economic incentives shown in our campaign, maybe because the economic benefit is small compared to the income of the household. In terms of participation in managing household wastes, the campaign resulted in greater motivation in women to manage their wastes responsibly. Finally, in terms of social recognition, it was also evident that all the prize winners were women.

The study draws several conclusions. First, providing awareness by targeting women in the house to manage wastes and to at-home segregation is the best strategy for cities in developing countries to manage city wastes which would help build resilience against the threat of waterlogging. Second, while developing campaigns there is a need to consider motivational approaches that would work for women—these are—motivation to build a better society, motivation to create a safer locality and recognition of their work.

Finally, there is a social dividend to develop such resilience. Nearly, half of the global population lives in cities. Cities in developing countries are generally more vulnerable to climate change, and thus have greater adaptation needs. The study reveals that encouraging women to manage solid waste using community-based composting not only helps the cities to reduce their risks it also reduces the burden on cities to dispose of a huge volume of municipal solid wastes to garbage disposal sites. It makes the cities climate resilient and promotes the concept of sustainable and resilient cities which is one of the sustainable development goals.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support is gratefully acknowledged from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada (Grant #08283-001). The Research is jointly collaborated with South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE), Asian Center for Development (ACD), Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) and Sylhet City Corporation (SCC). The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions and cooperation of The City Mayor, Chief officials of SCC, Ward Councillors, Club members and all the respondents and enumerators.

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Rakib, M., Hye, N., Haque, A.K.E. (2022). Waste Segregation at Source: A Strategy to Reduce Waterlogging in Sylhet. In: Haque, A.K.E., Mukhopadhyay, P., Nepal, M., Shammin, M.R. (eds) Climate Change and Community Resilience. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0680-9_24

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Household waste separation intention and the importance of public policy

International Trade, Politics and Development

ISSN : 2586-3932

Article publication date: 2 July 2020

Issue publication date: 5 August 2020

The key challenge that urban cities in most developing and transitional economies is confronting is municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Waste separation is a critical component to successful recycling management in terms of enhancing the quality of recyclables, reducing MSW and optimizing incineration. The urge to actualizing sustained waste separation behavior has been hindered by potential barriers. This study aims to examine the influences of external and internal stimuli of targeted households' waste separation intention in parts of China.

Design/methodology/approach

A multifactor framework predicting the process that leads to waste separation attitude and behavioral intention is proposed. SEM analysis is conducted in SmartPLS based on 371 survey questionnaires collected in Nanning city in China.

Policy regulation is the biggest determinant of attitude among external stimuli, while awareness of consequence has the strongest relationship with an attitude among internal stimuli. Facilitating conditions, subjective norms and moral norms are all significant predictors of attitude. As a result, increasing positive attitude leads to enhance waste separation lifestyle.

Research limitations/implications

This study adopts a cross-sectional design to investigate the waste separation intention of local households. Data collection is restricted to one point in time for every individual. A mixed method is recommended. Quantitative research can examine variables provided in existing literature with numerical analysis. Qualitative research might be helpful to identify other unknown factors. Also, the survey questionnaires employ a self-reported manner, and respondents might be overrating to avoid embarrassment.

Practical implications

Future research is recommended to engage observation at houses or at the waste-collecting points for actual waste separation behavior. Moreover, this study measures intention toward household waste separation, but whether this intention will eventually lead to waste separation behavior is not a guarantee. Future study is recommended to examine whether intention translates into actual waste separation behavior.

Originality/value

Emphasizing the importance of policy element as a direct influence toward attitude, this paper focuses on the waste separation attitude accumulated from external and internal stimuli, and, concurrently, waste separation behavioral intention is influenced by accumulated attitudes. The study provides relevant policy development information of three Asian countries to enhance their present and future policy directions for a sustainable household waste separation management process

• Municipal solid waste
• Household waste separation intention
• External stimuli
• Internal stimuli
• Municipal governments

Chen, B. and Lee, J. (2020), "Household waste separation intention and the importance of public policy", International Trade, Politics and Development , Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 61-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITPD-03-2020-0008

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Copyright © 2020, Bing Chen and Jiwon Lee

Published in International Trade, Politics and Development . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the life-threatening issues. The key challenge of MSW management confronting urban cities in most developing and transitional economies has become a priority for governments all over the world ( Sukholthaman and Sharp, 2016 ). Currently, the world generates approximately 1.3 billion tons of MSW a year and is expected to increase to 2.2 billion tons by 2025 ( World Bank, 2012 ). We need to predict the pollution output levels and at the same time have the abilities to manage waste in countries.

One of the key solutions is recycling. It will reduce MSW, as waste separation is a critical component to a successful recycling management in terms of enhancing the quality of recyclables, and will optimize incineration ( Zhuang et al. , 2008 ). The government has promoted the importance of recycling to the general public, and some developed countries have already achieved success in recycling. For instance, MSW recycling rate in Singapore was 61%, South Korea 58%, Iceland 55.8%, Australia 42.1%, Germany 47.8%, Belgium 34.3% and the USA 34.6% ( Kaza et al. , 2018 ). However, developing countries still produce a million ton of MSW. Governments from developing countries have tried implementing waste separation policy, but these policies cannot be a success without the keen participation of households in a continuous act of waste separation processes.

To dwell deeper into the understanding the participation of households in waste separation schemes, previous studies have been conducted various analyses. Researchers found that demographic factors such as socio-economic background or dwelling types ( Berglund, 2006 ; Vicente and Reis, 2008 ), or influence of personal characteristics such as education, awareness of consequence or moral norm ( Williams and Taylor, 2004 ; Shirahada and Fisk, 2014 ) result in waste separation behavioral patterns, where the majority of them directly connect internal stimuli to their waste separation behavioral decision.

On the other hand, behavioral decision can be better explained as a result caused by external stimuli such as punishment, economic incentives (i.e. cash, vouchers, discount coupons and goods) ( Bernstad, 2014 ; Shirahada and Fisk, 2014 ) or society influences ( Xu et al. , 2017 ).

Although several studies suggested a strong direct relationship between such factors and waste separation behavior, practitioners or public policy-makers knew there would be difference between their expectation and the reality about household's attitude and their behavioral intention toward waste separation management. According to the ABC theory (attitude, behavior and conditions), closer facilitating condition will result in high participation rates, independent of attitudes, while inadequate accessibility will result in low participation rate despite the positive attitude toward waste separation ( Hage et al. , 2008 ). Behavioral attitude and intention toward waste separation are different, and hence this study will focus on the waste separation attitude accumulated from external and internal stimuli and on waste separation behavioral intention which is influenced by accumulated attitudes.

Among external stimuli, the interesting stimulus is the extent an individual accepts the policy and the perceived effectiveness of policies designed to promote such pro-environmental behaviors, which, in turn, would also influence the intention to engage in waste separation behavior. Especially, China is a country with strong centralized power, and the top-down authority has issued a series of public policies which are meant to guarantee the success of sustainable waste separation management. Public policy is a very important driving force to trigger people's environmental behavioral change. However, even with a strong authority like China trying to enforce waste separation policies, the separation of waste is not happening at the ground level.

In this context, this study examines the possibility of active participation in waste separation through the investigation of the external and internal stimuli of targeted household in parts of China where 190 million tons of MSW is produced, which accounts for 29% of the world's MSW (The World Bank, 2012 ). China is supported with an authoritarian central government, which might guarantee the success of a sustainable waste separation management. The issue here is bringing MSW to ground-level acceptance and immersion. The results of this study will provide relevant authorities in China and other developing countries with information to enhance their present and future policy directions for a sustainable household waste separation management process.

2. Literature review

2.1 waste management policies in asia.

Waste management is a life-threatening issue, and waste management needs to become more sustainable; it needs to be environmentally effective, economically affordable and socially acceptable (McDougall, 2005). Source separation for recycling is one of the most crucial methods to achieving sustainable household waste management. Most countries especially in Asia, despite intense efforts to cultivate waste separation behavior, continue to grapple with the low level of source separation practice. Under current situation, separating waste at source requires a behavioral change, and regulative element is essential so that government authorities aim to achieve an increase in correctly sorted recyclables and a decrease in missed-sorted waste through their public policy ( Sukholthaman and Sharp, 2016 ).

2.1.1 Waste management policy in Malaysia

The ABC Plan (Action Plan for a Beautiful and Clean Malaysia) in 1987 was a notion of the beginning of national waste management plan in Malaysia ( Moh, 2017 ). This plan attempts to decrease waste generation but has no specific legal instrument to actualize it. With the lead of ABC Plan, two more recycling programs were introduced in 1993 and 2000 ( Moh, 2017 ). But these recycling programs did not transfer into sustained waste separation or recycling behavior. With the introduction of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007(also known as ACT 672), municipal solid waste (MSW) management is now standardized and obligatory waste separation and recycling is officially promoted in Peninsular Malaysia since 2011 ( Fauziah et al. , 2012 ; Moh, 2017 ).

In order to carry out the mandatory waste separation by households, the SWCorp Strategic Plan 2014–2020 is introduced ( Moh, 2017 ). This comprehensive plan develops eight core strategies to realize and consolidate waste management step by step. These steps are to be executed by order (1) to change public's mindset toward building a cleaner environment, (2) to establish sustainable 3R behavior and culture, (3) to improve solid waste management services and public cleansing, (4) to actualize policy enforcement and regulation, (5) to ensure financial resources stability, (6) strengthen waste management technology system and facilities, (7) to strengthen law enforcement and (8) to strengthen delivery system ( SWCorp Malaysia, 2014 ; Moh, 2017 ). However, without appropriate supporting system, facilities and equipment, this comprehensive strategic plan cannot be properly implemented. Thus, the promotion of citizen's source separation of household waste in Malaysia is still an unfilled plan.

2.1.2 Waste management policy in Korea

With persistent efforts for the last three decades, Korea’s overall recycling rate for all wastes is as high as 80%, and the total generation of household waste per person is as little 1 kg/day. ( Yang et al. , 2015 ). The accomplishment of this success begins with the establishment of Environmental Protection Agency and the introduction of Environmental Protection Law in 1978 ( Yang et al. , 2015 ). Consequently, the Waste Management Law was enacted in 1986 to integrate different waste management systems into one, and this laid the foundation of waste classification for further development. Currently, a series of amendments are made to actualize the 3Rs and waste separation for recycling. These amendments include Act on Resource Saving and Recycling Promotion (1992), Act on Waste Treatment Facilities Promotion and Support Surrounding Area (1995) and amendment of separating collection of recyclables ( Yang et al. , 2015 ).

Due to the separate treatments toward household waste and industrial wastes, the law for which was enforced in 1996, and the introduction of the volume-based garbage rate system (i.e. households have to pay to discharge waste by weight), household waste generation has dropped rapidly and sustains at 1 kg/day since 1995 ( Yang et al. , 2015 ). Overall, the success of waste management in Korea can be attributed to the implementation of a series of waste management laws and continuous efforts on enforcement of specialized acts. In order to target toward a zero-waste society in the future, new laws are in the planning stage.

2.1.3 Waste management policy in China

China’s urbanization is a great success on many counts. However, the massive shift to consumeristic lifestyle has also produced tremendous waste, which is increasing with the population growth. “China surpassed the US as the world's largest waste generator in 2004 ( World Bank, 2012 ).” Central government in China has attached unparalleled importance to household waste separation implementation. Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guilin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xiamen were first chosen to promote household waste separation in 2000.

After 19 years of effort, the results have indicated that pilot programs failed to encourage active participation at source separation in these cities. The Chinese government intensified its effort by introducing the “Domestic Waste Separation System Implementation Plan” in 2017, which called for the obligatory implementation of waste separation in 46 cities ( Xiao et al. , 2018 ). The government of China has shown great determination to achieve sustainable household waste management. This plan stated that compulsory waste separation needs to be implemented; the targeted recycling rate of domestic waste is about 35% by the end of 2020. In addition, a system of laws, regulations and standards related to waste separation should be established in every targeted city.

2.2 Household recycling and waste separation

2.2.1 waste separation intention.

Household participation is essential to the success of a waste separation scheme. Whether individuals are willing to engage in such scheme is measured by waste separation intention. Intention is the sole predictor for behavior in the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and often described as an “attempt to perform a behavior” ( Ajzen, 1985 ). There are five basic constructs in TPB: attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention and behavior. It implies that a person's act is a deliberative process which is determined by one's intention and perceived behavioral control. Ajzen (1985) described intention as an “immediate determinant (p. 12)” of an action that is preceded by three psychological determinants, which are attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. The TPB connects cognitive and normative variables to explain people's intention and behavior.

Intention is also a predictor of behavior in Triandis' interpersonal behavior model ( Triandis, 1977 ) and is defined as “a conscious plan to carry out a behavior.” Intention links the cognitive constructs and behavior performance of an individual together ( Pee et al. , 2008 ). Intention has been found to be an important factor accounting for waste separation behavior in previous studies ( Ofstad et al. , 2017 ; Zhang, Huang, et al. , 2015 ). However, intention does not always predict the actual performance of behavior ( Kumar, 2012 ; Chung and Leung, 2007 ). To investigate how psychological and cognitive factors relate to household's waste separation intention, there is a need to understand the decision-making process behind these.

Numerous studies have identified relationship between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention by adopting the psychological TPB framework ( Karim Ghani et al. , 2013 ; Stoeva and Alriksson, 2017 ; Khan et al. , 2019 ; Lizin, Tonglet et al. , 2004 ; Van Dael and Van Passel, 2017; Liao et al. , 2018 ). Some researchers pointed out that the role of attitude seemed to be more prevalent in determination of intention ( Barr et al. , 2013 ). According to Shove (2010) , the ABC model (attitude-behavior-choice) suggests a rational, linear and, more importantly, a simplistic approach to understand intention. A person's attitude toward targeted behavior is constituted by one's experience, understanding, knowledge and conception about a certain behavior. As a result, attitude can be determined by various factors. These factors, in sum, will lead to a positive or negative attitude toward targeted behavior in general. Thus, this study undertakes the attitude-intention approach to investigate the waste separation decision-making process of households.

2.2.2 Attitude toward waste separation

Attitude toward waste separation has positive impact on intention to waste separation.

2.3 Motivation of waste separation

Waste separation is not a new concept in developed economies. However, it is a newly enforced scheme promoted in developing economies. Waste separation requires behavioral changes by all participants. Behavioral change theories suggest that motivations are essential to reinforce people's attitude, and thus leads to changes of behavior. Researchers argue that motivation can come from both internal and external stimuli ( González Pérez et al. , 2000 ; Haddad et al. , 1981 ; Virvilaitė et al. , 2011 ). In studies of waste separation, studies have shown that external stimuli such as accessibility to waste separation facilities, monetary incentives and policy regulations are equally important as psychological stimuli derived from one's cognitive perceptions ( Bernstad, 2014 ; Hage et al. , 2008 ).

Unlike waste separation schemes in developing economies, the public in developed countries is familiar with knowledge of waste separation and internally motivated to participate in source separation. Furthermore, facilities for separation provided by governments have been developed into a more adequate level in terms of both quality and quantity. In contrast, in developing economies, waste separation schemes are still at an immature stage, and there are several barriers to the realization of waste separation. For instance, citizens have not fully accepted the concept of waste separation yet, many external motivational instruments are not properly provided by government and households are not skilled in waste separation. To realize the successful promotion of waste separation schemes in China, it is not only important to understand the decision-making process of intention, but it is also vital to distinguish whether these influencing elements are internal or external, so as to design specific policy interventions to eliminate existing barriers.

Thus, this study develops a research framework combing external and internal stimuli as motivational determinants of one’s waste separation attitude, and ultimately how these factors are reflected in households waste separation intention.

2.3.1 External stimuli of waste separation

2.3.1.1 policy regulation.

The purpose of pro-environmental public policy is to stimulate pro-environmental intentions and actual behavioral change ( Steg and Vlek, 2009 ). Recycling, waste separation and other programs that involve behavioral change to encourage pro-environmental behavior are often the purpose of public policy. As a country in which political power is strongly centralized, the top-down waste separation schemes of China's local governments are expected to be successful. However, despite intense efforts to cultivate waste separation behavior, many cities continue to grapple with a low level of source separation. Despite the waste separation opportunities provided, people do not participate in the program. As the focus of this study is on households who carry out the actual waste separation at source, it is important to understand residents' perceptions of the waste separation policy implemented by the Chinese government. Residents' perceptions could, in turn, influence their attitude to engage in pro-environmental actions.

Policy regulation has positive influence on attitude to separate waste at source.

2.3.1.2 Incentives

Economic incentives are measures often introduced to promote environmental behavior. Economic theory assumes that individuals are rational economic persons and their decisions are driven by reasonable evaluation of costs and benefits. The introduction of incentives acts as a motivational device for individuals to re-evaluate the cost of action. Incentives generally include rewards and punishments. Researchers state that economic incentives in recycling and in plastic waste collection are significant influencing factors that households react to ( Thogersen, 2003 ; Hage et al. , 2008 ). Studies suggest that rewards are usually more effective to facilitate pro-environmental action ( Geller, 2002 ; Steg and Vlek, 2009 ). Yau (2010) records that economic incentives work well to promote waste recycling in Hong Kong. A survey in Hong Kong reported that households were willing to return batteries on the condition that refundable deposit was promised. On the other hand, Scott (1999) did not find evidence to support that economic incentive significantly influences recycling.

Incentives have positive impact on attitude toward waste separation.

2.3.1.3 Facilitating conditions

Facilitating conditions have positive impact on attitude toward waste separation.

2.3.1.4 Subjective norm

Subjective norm has positive impact on attitude toward waste separation.

2.3.2 Internal stimuli of waste separation

Moral norm has positive impact on attitude toward waste separation.

2.3.2.1 Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy has positive impact on attitude toward waste separation.

2.3.2.2 Awareness of consequence

Awareness of consequence has positive impact on attitude toward waste separation.

Based on the discussion, this study aims to establish the following research model (see Figure 1 ). External stimuli are motivational elements derived from external without one's control, which include policy regulation, incentives, facilitating condition and subjective norm. Internal stimuli are motivations originating from one's internal values, controls and cognition, which include moral norm, self-efficacy and awareness of consequence. This model proposes that these external and internal stimuli combine and influence individual's attitude together and, in turn, affect one's intention to separation waste.

3. Research methodology

3.1 sample selection and measures.

We proposed a framework predicting the process that leads to waste separation attitude and behavioral intention. The questionnaire is designed based on measurement items for all constructs in the research framework. There are nine variables in total in the research framework: attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy, facilitating condition, moral norm, awareness of consequence, incentives, policy regulation and intention to separate waste at source. All measurement items are adapted and modified from previous studies ( Tylor and Todd, 1995 ; Chu and Chiu, 2003 ; Karim Ghani et al. , 2013 ; Wan et al. , 2014 ; Liao et al. , 2018 ). All items are measured on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1: “strongly disagree” to 5: “strongly agree.” The constructs and measurement items are tabulated in Table 1 .

Data collection was conducted in Nanning city, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China. It is located in the southern central part of Guangxi. Total area of the city is 9, 835 km 2 , with urban population about 3.32 million in 2017 (Nanning statistics yearbook, 2018). There are two major MSW processing facilities, with a daily processing capability of 3,200 tons. Local government has been promoting household waste separation scheme since 2014. It is also one of the 46 cities targeted in the domestic waste separation system implementation plan in 2017. The city has been progressing waste separation scheme to a number of residential communities since 2014. This scheme has covered about 768,000 households in the urban area in Nanning by October 2019 ( Ling, 2019 ).

Following consultations from waste separation office in Nanning city, three residential communities were selected and permitted to distribute questionnaires. Data collection was conducted in July 2019. Questionnaires were distributed to households at the entrance of every residential community. The entire process of data collection was legal and complied with ethics requirements. Printed surveys were prepared, together with information letter and consent form. In order to avoid response bias, every respondent was notified that the survey was voluntary, anonymous and confidential. Those who are willing to fill out the questionnaire gave consent for the use of the survey information for aggregate analysis only. Questionnaires were pilot-tested and revised for final distribution.

A total of 579 questionnaires were collected. Among them, 371 were used for the analyses in this study. Among 371 respondents, 125 (33.7%) were male and 246 (66.3%) were female. With regard to respondents' age, majority of them were in their 30s (45%) and 40s (35%), whereas those under 30s (11.1%) and above 50s (8.9%) were few. In terms of education level, 212 (57.1%) acquired an undergraduate or equivalent degree, 124 (33.4%) acquired a high school or equivalent degree, 28 (7.5%) had primary and secondary school degree and 7 (1.9%) acquired postgraduate degree. Regarding the size of household, majority of them had three or more members; 109 (29.4%) had three members, 155 (41.8%) had four household member and 68 (18.3%) more than 5 members. Detailed demographic information is tabulated in Table 2 .

3.2 Measure validation

The research model has eight constructs with interrelated dependence relationships or causal paths, requiring a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. SEM analysis requires constructs to be assessed rigorously to examine convergent and discriminant validity. PLS-SEM was chosen as data analysis method in the sample since this technique helps to provide prediction of target variables or identification of key drivers ( Hair et al. , 2017 ). Path coefficient results were obtained using the software package SmartPLS.

3.2.1 Reliability and convergent validity

The assessment metrics provided for internal consistency reliability are Cronbach's alpha ( α ) and composite reliability (CR). Factor loadings values (also called indicator reliability) and average variance extracted (AVE) are criterions for convergent validity. The reliability value above 0.7 is satisfactory for both Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability tests. As shown in Table 3 , Cronbach's alpha values range from 0.783 to 0.929, indicating satisfactory reliability for all constructs. The CR values are also satisfactory, ranging from 0.852 to 0.955. The factor loading values for all items are above 0.7, indicating each item is positively correlated with each other and representing common concept of the same variable ( Hair et al. , 2017 ). The AVE value is above 0.5 for each construct. The outer loadings and AVE together demonstrate satisfactory convergent validity for all nine variables in this study.

3.2.2 Discriminant validity

For assessing discriminant validity in variance-based SEM, the result of heterotrait-monotrait ratio (HTMT) is provided. Its prominent sensitivity guarantees that it is effective to recognize the lack of discriminant validity ( Henseler et al. , 2015 ). As suggested by Hair et al. (2017) and Henseler et al. (2015) , the bootstrap confidence intervals of HTMT statistics are reported in Table 4 . All heterotrait-monotrait correlations are below conservative threshold value of 0.85. Moreover, all confidence interval values are below value 1. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the results establish discriminant validity in this study.

4. Empirical analysis

4.1 assessment of collinearity issues.

The VIF values were calculated by using consistent PLS algorithm with factor weighting scheme and 300 maximum iteration. All constructs display values less than the threshold VIF value of 5, which indicates there was no critical level of collinearity in this study ( Hair et al. , 2017 ) (see Table 5 ).

4.2 Hypothesis test result

As shown in Figure 2 , there are six significant relationships indicated in the path coefficient results. Five relationships are statistically significant at 1% level, and one relationship is significant at 5% level. Attitude has a positive impact on intention to separate waste at source ( H1 is supported), with a coefficient of 0.47 ( p  < 0.01), which is the strongest correlation among all eight relationships. H2a that suggested a positive association between policy regulation and attitude is supported, with the coefficient of 0.297 ( p  < 0.01). Policy regulation is the strongest determinant among external stimuli elements. H2c proposes a positive relationship between facilitating conditions and attitude, and the coefficient of 0.181 ( p  < 0.01) indicates the result is statistically significant. So H2c is supported. Subjective norm displays a significant impact on attitude, with a coefficient of 0.148 ( p  < 0.01); H2d is supported.

On the other hand, moral norm among internal stimuli is positively related to attitude with a coefficient of 0.146 ( p  < 0.01); thus, H3a is supported. Also, awareness of consequence displayed a positive significant relationship with attitude ( H3c is supported), with a coefficient of 0.272 ( p  < 0.01). Awareness of consequence is the largest internal motivational element toward attitude in current model. Surprisingly, two relationships are not statistically significant. First, the relationship between incentives and attitude is not significant, with coefficient of −0.05 ( p  = 0.143); H2b is not supported. Second, self-efficacy has a coefficient of 0.017 ( p  > 0.407); hence, H3b is not supported.

In summary, there are interesting findings in this study. Policy regulation is the biggest determinant of attitude among external stimuli, and awareness of consequence has the strongest relationship with attitude among internal stimuli. In addition, facilitating condition, subjective norm and moral norm are also significant predictors of attitude toward waste separation. Attitude and intention to separate waste at source have the strongest relationship among all eight path coefficient results (see Table 6 ).

5. Discussion and limitations

The effect of two different stimuli aiming at increasing waste separation behavioral intention was assessed through an empirical study in Nanning city residential area in China. Nanning city has been experimentally promoting waste separation scheme in selected residential communities since 2014. The implementations of waste separation policy have been on and off at times. The experimental scale was small for the first two years, and the outcomes were not desirable. New adjustments were made gradually, and the experimental sites were expanded to more residential communities in the past few years. From the empirical results, we drew several intellectual important points of discussion.

First, this study divided determinants that affect the waste segmentation, into two different stimulations. Waste separation at source is subjectively done by individuals collecting recyclable or compostable materials and placing them at the disposal locations near their household ( Sukholthaman and Sharp, 2016 ). Thus, voluntary participation is the vital key of success in waste separation; thus, we divide the factors of attitude toward waste separation into external stimuli from environment and internal stimuli by a person.

Second, among the relationships between external stimuli and attitude, policy regulation is the biggest determinant of attitude, while awareness of consequence has the strongest relationship with attitude among internal stimuli. These findings have provided valuable implications to policy-makers. As a top-down public policy targeted to trigger pro-environmental behavioral change of citizens, at the early stage of a waste separation scheme, policy strategies ought to be designed to influence people's positive attitude toward waste separation. For instance, we can learn the success case of waste management in Korea. Korea government has implemented a series of waste management laws and exercised continuous efforts on enforcement of specialized acts so that waste separation behavior of Korean household has been changed slowly. This reflects that policy-makers should highlight the importance of waste separation to enlighten household, by implementing the strong policy regulation continuously.

Third, policy-makers ought to provide adequate facilities in both quantity and quality. Supply of sufficient facilities like waste containers should be guaranteed. Facilities like waste bins inside residential communities should be evenly distributed. Convenient access and usage of such facilities, as well as cleanness and maintenance of these facilities, is also very important.

Fourth, results from the present study can be seen as conflicting with several previous studies, suggesting that neither incentives nor self-efficacy has any significant influence on attitude toward waste separation. According to Ekvall et al. (2010), even though economic incentives on residual waste have been suggested as an interesting strategy in order to increase recycling (Bisaillon et al. , 2009), policy-makers can see only a temporary effect. Moreover, the outcome of incentive is not necessarily positive, if resulting in illegal dumping. Also, such incentives are difficult to apply in multi-family, rental dwellings. It is hard to change the attitude toward waste separation habits.

Fifth, attitude toward the waste separation is a significant determinant of waste separation intention in this study. Even though households have positive attitude toward the waste separation, shown waste separation behavior could be different. This behavior has not yet developed into a high repetitive habitual routine. However, we found that increasing positive attitude led to enhancement of the behavioral intention of waste separation lifestyle.

5.1 Limitation and future study

This study adopts a cross-sectional design to investigate waste separation intention of local households. Data collection is restricted to one point in time for every individual. A mixed method is recommended. Quantitative research can examine variables which are provided in existing literatures with numerical analysis. Qualitative research might be helpful to identify other unknown factors. Also, the survey questionnaires employ a self-reporting manner. Respondents might be overrating to avoid embarrassment. Future research is recommended to engage observation at houses or at the waste collecting points for actual waste separation behavior. Moreover, this study measures intention toward household waste separation, but whether this intention will eventually lead to waste separation behavior is not a guarantee. Future study is recommended to examine whether intention translates into actual waste separation behavior.

Research model in current study

Results of research model

Measurement items

Demographic data ( N  = 371)

Reliability of the measurement model

Discriminant validity for HTMT

Path coefficient results

Note(s) : ** p  < 0.05, *** p  < 0.01

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Acknowledgements

This study is financially supported by Guangxi Middle-aged and Young Teachers' Basic Ability Improvement Project (2018KY0735) and Nanning University Associate Professor Cultivation Project (2018JSGC08).

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• v.15(2); 2023 Feb

Biomedical Waste Management and Its Importance: A Systematic Review

Himani s bansod.

1 Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, IND

Prasad Deshmukh

2 Head and Neck Surgery, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, IND

The waste generated in various hospitals and healthcare facilities, including the waste of industries, can be grouped under biomedical waste (BMW). The constituents of this type of waste are various infectious and hazardous materials. This waste is then identified, segregated, and treated scientifically. There is an inevitable need for healthcare professionals to have adequate knowledge and a proper attitude towards BMW and its management. BMW generated can either be solid or liquid waste comprising infectious or potentially infectious materials, such as medical, research, or laboratory waste. There is a high possibility that inappropriate management of BMW can cause infections to healthcare workers, the patients visiting the facilities, and the surrounding environment and community. BMW can also be classified into general, pathological, radioactive, chemical, infectious, sharps, pharmaceuticals, or pressurized wastes. India has well-established rules for the proper handling and management of BMW. Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016 (BMWM Rules, 2016) specify that every healthcare facility shall take all necessary steps to ensure that BMW is handled without any adverse effect on human and environmental health. This document contains six schedules, including the category of BMW, the color coding and type of containers, and labels for BMW containers or bags, which should be non-washable and visible. A label for the transportation of BMW containers, the standard for treatment and disposal, and the schedule for waste treatment facilities such as incinerators and autoclaves are included in the schedule. The new rules established in India are meant to improve the segregation, transportation, disposal methods, and treatment of BMW. This proper management is intended to decrease environmental pollution because, if not managed properly, BMW can cause air, water, and land pollution. Collective teamwork with committed government support in finance and infrastructure development is a very important requirement for the effective disposal of BMW. Devoted healthcare workers and facilities are also significant. Further, the proper and continuous monitoring of BMW is a vital necessity. Therefore, developing environmentally friendly methods and the right plan and protocols for the disposal of BMW is very important to achieve a goal of a green and clean environment. The aim of this review article is to provide systematic evidence-based information along with a comprehensive study of BMW in an organized manner.

Introduction and background

The amount of daily biomedical waste (BMW) produced in India is enormous [ 1 ]. People from all segments of society, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, or religion, visit hospitals, which results in the production of BMW, which is becoming increasingly copious and heterogeneous [ 2 ]. BMW produced in India is about 1.5-2 kg/bed/day [ 3 ]. BMW include anatomical waste, sharps, laboratory waste, and others and, if not carefully segregated, can be fatal. Additionally, inappropriate segregation of dirty plastic, a cytotoxic and recyclable material, might harm our ecosystem [ 4 ]. Earlier, BMW was not considered a threat to humans and the environment. In the 1980s and 1990s, fears about contact with infectious microorganisms such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) prompted people to consider the potential risks of BMW [ 5 ]. BMW is hazardous in nature as it consists of potential viruses or other disease-causing microbial particles; it may be present in human samples, blood bags, needles, cotton swabs, dressing material, beddings, and others. Therefore, the mismanagement of BMW is a community health problem. The general public must also take specific actions to mitigate the rising environmental degradation brought on by negligent BMW management. On July 20, 1998, BMW (Management and Handling) Rules were framed. On March 28, 2016, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) implemented the new BMW Rules (2016) and replaced the earlier one (1988). BMW produced goes through a new protocol or approach that helps in its appropriate management in terms of its characterization, quantification, segregation, storage, transport, and treatment.

According to Chapter 2 of the Medical Waste Management and Processing Rules, 2016, “The BMW could not be mixed with other wastes at any stage while producing inside hospitals, while collecting from hospitals, while transporting, and should be processed separately based on classification.” The COVID-19 pandemic has now transformed healthy societies worldwide into diseased ones, resulting in a very high number of deaths. It also created one significant problem: improper handling of the medical waste produced in the testing and treatment of the disease [ 6 ]. In India, BMW generated due to COVID-19 contributed to about 126 tonnes per day out of the 710 tonnes of waste produced daily [ 7 ]. 

The basic principle of the management of BMW is Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle-the 3Rs. Out of the total amount of BMW generated, 85% is general (non-hazardous) waste, and the remaining 15% is hazardous. As BMW contains sharps and syringes, the pathogens can enter the human body through cuts, abrasions, puncture wounds, and other ways. There might also be chances of ingestion and inhalation of BMW, which can lead to infections. Some examples of infections are Salmonella, Shigella, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumonia, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis A, B, and C, and helminthic infections [ 8 ]. This systematic review is conducted to obtain essential, up-to-date information on BMW for the practical application of its management. The highlight of the management of BMW is that the “success of BMW management depends on segregation at the point of generation” [ 9 ].

The findings have been reported following the principles and criteria of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). The systematic review has been conducted according to these standards and principles.

Search Sources/Search Strategy

We used the MeSH strategy to obtain articles from PubMed and ResearchGate employing the following terms: (“Biomedical/waste” [Majr] OR “Biomedical Waste/source” [Majr] OR “Biomedical Waste/hazards” [Majr] OR “Biomedical Waste/segregation” [Majr] OR “Biomedical Waste/rules” [Majr] OR “Biomedical Waste/laws” [Majr] OR “Biomedical Waste/environment” [Majr]). Specifically, for management-related studies, the search terms (“Management/steps” [Majr] OR “Management/handling” [Majr] OR “Management/coding” [Majr] OR “Color coding/segregation” [Majr] OR “Treatment/method” [Majr] OR “Autoclaving/waste” [Majr] OR “Incineration/waste” [Majr]) were used. We obtained the most pertinent research papers and used them in different arrangements using the Boolean operators “AND” and “OR.”

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

We focused on papers written in the English language, published within the last decade, relevant to the central questions of this review article, and that are systematic reviews such as randomized clinical trials and observational studies. We, however, excluded papers published in languages other than English, irrelevant to the questions, and related to topics other than BMW.

Search outcomes

After the initial screening, we narrowed the search results down to 264 papers. A total of 42 duplicate papers were removed. Subsequently, publications were refined by the title/abstract, and we eliminated a few studies due to the lack of full text and/or related articles. Finally, after assessing 27 items for eligibility, we included 11 papers in our review. Figure ​ Figure1 1 is the flow chart for article selection formulated on PRISMA.

PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, PMC: PubMed Central

Need for BMW management in hospitals

BMW threatens the health of medical staff, hospital-visiting patients, and people in the nearby community. Improper disposal leads to severe hospital-acquired diseases along with an increased risk of air and water pollution. Due to open-space waste disposal practices, animals and scavengers might get infected, leading to the scattering of waste and the spreading of infections. In countering such activities, four major principle functions of BMW management are applicable: the placement of bins at the source of generation of BMW, segregation of BMW, removal or mutilation of the recyclable waste, and disinfection of the waste [ 10 ]. BMW management methods aim predominantly to avoid the generation of waste and, if generated, then recover as much as possible [ 11 ].

BMW management rules in India

On March 28, 2016, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the MoEF notified the new BMW Rules, 2016 and replaced the earlier Rules (1988). BMW produced goes through a new protocol or approach which helps in the appropriate management of waste, i.e., its characterization, quantification, segregation, storage, transport, and treatment, all of which aim to decrease environmental pollution [ 12 ]. Problems with the improper management of BMW also shed light on the scavengers who, for recycling, segregate the potentially hazardous BMW without using gloves or masks. Strict rules have been implemented to ensure that there is no stealing of recyclable materials or spillage by some humans or animals and that it is transported to the common BMW treatment facility [ 10 ]. The first solution to stop the spread of hazardous and toxic waste was incineration. Incineration is required in all hospitals and healthcare facilities that produce BMW. However, due to the absence of services that provide certified incinerators in a few countries, BMW has to be sent to landfills, which leads to land contamination and harms the environment [ 13 ]. Incinerators used for disposal might also lead to environmental pollution. Numerous toxins are formed during incineration, which are the products of incomplete combustion. Thus, some new standards have been issued to resolve this problem and safeguard the environment and public health [ 14 ].

Steps in the management of BMW

BMW management needs to be organized, as even a single mistake can cause harm to the people in charge. There are six steps in the management of BMW [ 15 ]: surveying the waste produced; segregating, collecting, and categorizing the waste; storing, transporting, and treating the waste. Segregation is the separation of different types of waste generated, which helps reduce the risks resulting from the improper management of BMW. When the waste is simply disposed of, there is an increased risk of the mixture of waste such as sharps with general waste. These sharps can be infectious to the handler of the waste. Further, if not segregated properly, there is a huge chance of syringes and needles disposed of in the hospitals being reused. Segregation prevents this and helps in achieving the goal of recycling the plastic and metal waste generated [ 16 ]. According to Schedule 2, waste must be segregated into containers at the source of its generation, and according to Schedule 3, the container used must be labeled. The schedules of BMW (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, which were initially ten in number, have now been reduced to four [ 17 ]. The collection of BMW involves the use of different colors of bins for waste disposal. The color is an important indicator for the segregation and identification of different categories of waste into suitable-colored containers. They must be labeled properly based on the place they have been generated, such as hospital wards, rooms, and operation theatres. It is also very important to remember that the waste must be stored for less than 8-10 hours in hospitals with around 250 beds and 24 hours in nursing homes. The storage bag or area must be marked with a sign [ 16 ]. 

Figure ​ Figure1 1 shows the biohazard signs that symbolize the nature of waste to the general public.

Biohazards are substances that threaten all living things on earth. The biohazard symbol presented in Figure ​ Figure1 1 was remarked as an important public sign, signaling the harms and hazards of entering the specified zone or room [ 18 ]. Along with the biohazard sign, the room door must have a label saying “AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY.” The temporary storage room must always be locked and away from the general public's reach. The waste is then collected by the vehicles daily. A ramp must be present for easy transportation. The waste collected is then taken for treatment. The loading of wastes should not be done manually. It is very vital to properly close or tie the bag or the container to avoid any spillage and harm to the handlers, the public, and the environment. The transport vehicle or trolley must be properly covered, and the route used must be the one with less traffic flow [ 19 ].

BMW handling staff should be provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), gloves, masks, and boots. BMW retrievers must be provided with rubber gloves that should be bright yellow. After usage, the importance of disinfecting or washing the gloves twice should be highlighted. The staff working in or near the incinerator chamber must be provided with a non-inflammable kit. This kit consists of a gas mask that should cover the nose and mouth of the staff member. The boots should cover the leg up to the ankle to protect from splashes and must be anti-skid [ 16 ]. According to the revised BMW management rules, 2016, it is mandatory to provide proper training to healthcare facility staff members on handling BMW. The training should be mandatorily conducted annually. Along with the management step of the color coding for segregation, it is also important for the staff to be trained in record keeping. This practice of record-keeping helps track the total amount of waste generated and the problems that occurred during the management process, thus helping improve segregation, treatment, and disposal [ 20 ].

Color coding for segregation of BMW

Color coding is the first step of BMW management. Different wastes are classified into different types, and therefore, they must be handled and disposed of according to their classification. The bins used for waste disposal in all healthcare facilities worldwide are always color-coded. Based on the rule of universality, bins are assigned a specific color, according to which the waste is segregated. This step helps avoid the chaos that occurs when all types of waste are jumbled, which can lead to improper handling and disposal and further result in the contraction of several diseases [ 21 ]. The different kinds of categories of waste include sharp waste such as scalpels, blades, needles, and objects that can cause a puncture wound, anatomical waste, recyclable contaminated waste, chemicals, laboratory waste such as specimens, blood bags, vaccines, and medicines that are discarded. All the above-mentioned wastes are segregated in different colored bins and sent for treatment [ 22 ]. Yellow bins collect anatomical waste, infectious waste, chemical waste, laboratory waste, and pharmaceutical waste, covering almost all types of BMW. Different bins and various types of sterilization methods are used depending on how hazardous the waste is. The best tools for sterilization are autoclaves. Red bins collect recyclable contaminated wastes, and non-chlorinated plastic bags are used for BMW collection. Blue containers collect hospital glassware waste such as vials and ampoules. White bins are translucent where discarded and contaminated sharps are disposed of. Sharp wastes must always be disposed of in puncture-proof containers to avoid accidents leading to handlers contracting diseases [ 23 , 24 ]. 

Figure ​ Figure3 3 illustrates the different colored bins used for the segregation of BMW.

BMW management refers to completely removing all the hazardous and infectious waste generated from hospital settings. The importance of waste treatment is to remove all the pathogenic organisms by decontaminating the waste generated. This helps in the prevention of many severe health-related issues that can be caused because of the infective waste. It is a method used to prevent all environmental hazards [ 25 ].

Methods for the treatment of BMW

There are many methods that are used for the treatment of BMW. One of the most economical ways of waste treatment is incineration, which is just not some simple “burning” but the burning of waste at very high temperatures ranging from 1800℉ to 2000℉ to decrease the total mass of decontaminated waste by converting it into ash and gases, which is then further disposed of in landfills [ 25 , 26 ]. Important instructions associated with the use of incinerators are as follows: chlorinated plastic bags must not be put inside the incinerators as they can produce dioxin [ 26 ]. Metals should not be destroyed in an incinerator. The metals present in BMW are made of polyvinyl chloride. When these metals are burned, they produce a huge amount of dioxin. Dioxins are very toxic chlorinated chemical compounds, as dioxins, when released into the environment, can lead to environmental pollution and a higher incidence of cancer and respiratory manifestations [ 14 ].

Autoclaving is an alternate method of incineration. The mechanism of this process involved sterilization using steam and moisture. Operating temperatures and time of autoclaving is 121℃ for 20-30 minutes. The steam destroys pathogenic agents present in the waste and also sterilizes the equipment used in the healthcare facility [ 25 ]. Autoclaving has no health impacts and is very cost-friendly. It is recommended for the treatment of disposables and sharps, but the anatomical, radioactive, and chemical wastes must not be treated in an autoclave [ 27 ]. Chemical methods are the commonest methods that include chemicals such as chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, and Fenton’s reagent. They are used to kill the microorganisms present in the waste and are mainly used for liquid waste, such as blood, urine, and stool. They can also be used to treat solid waste and disinfect the equipment used in hospital settings and surfaces such as floors and walls [ 28 ]. Thermal inactivation is a method that uses high temperatures to kill the microorganisms present in the waste and reduce the waste generated in larger volumes. The temperature differs according to the type of pathogen present in the waste. After the treatment is done, the contents are then discarded into sewers [ 29 ].

Very serious environmental and health hazards can be triggered if hospital waste is mixed with normal garbage, which can lead to poor health and incurable diseases such as AIDS [ 30 ]. The needle sticks can be highly infectious if discarded inappropriately. Injury by these contaminated needles can lead to a high risk of active infection of HBV or HIV [ 31 ]. The groups at increased risk of getting infected accidentally are the medical waste handlers and scavengers. Sharps must properly be disposed of in a translucent thin-walled white bin. If sharps are discarded in a thin plastic bag, there is a high chance that the sharps might puncture the bag and injure the waste handler [ 32 ]. It can also be the main cause of severe air, water, and land pollution. Air pollutants in BMW can remain in the air as spores. These are known as biological air pollutants. Chemical air pollutants are released because of incinerators and open burning. Another type of threat is water pollutants. BMW containing heavy metals when disposed of in water bodies results in severe water contamination. The landfills where the disposal takes place must be constructed properly, or the waste inside might contaminate the nearby water bodies, thus contaminating the drinking water. Land pollution is caused due to open dumping [ 33 ]. BMW must also be kept away from the reach of rodents such as black rats and house mice, which can spread the pathogens to the people living nearby [ 34 ].

Many promising steps were taken to minimize the volume of waste discarded from the source, its treatment, and disposal. The 3R system encourages the waste generators to reuse, reduce, and recycle. Everyone must be aware of the 3Rs because this approach can help achieve a better and cleaner environment [ 35 ]. Unfortunately, most economically developing countries cannot correctly manage BMW. Very few staff members of healthcare facilities are educated about proper waste management. The waste handlers are also poorly educated about the hazards of waste [ 36 ]. Every member helping in the waste management process must be made aware of the dangers of BMW to avoid accidents that harm the environment and living beings [ 37 ].

Conclusions

BMW is generated by healthcare facilities and can be hazardous and infectious. Improper handling can lead to health hazards. Collection, segregation, transportation, treatment, and disposal of BMW are important steps in its management. The color coding of bins, the use of technologies such as incineration and autoclaving, and attention to environmental impacts are also highly crucial. BMW management aims to reduce waste volume and ensure proper disposal. All those involved should strive to make the environment safer.

The content published in Cureus is the result of clinical experience and/or research by independent individuals or organizations. Cureus is not responsible for the scientific accuracy or reliability of data or conclusions published herein. All content published within Cureus is intended only for educational, research and reference purposes. Additionally, articles published within Cureus should not be deemed a suitable substitute for the advice of a qualified health care professional. Do not disregard or avoid professional medical advice due to content published within Cureus.

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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IJERT-Importance of Waste Segregation using Waste Segregating Robot

2021, International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology (IJERT)

https://www.ijert.org/importance-of-waste-segregation-using-waste-segregating-robot https://www.ijert.org/research/importance-of-waste-segregation-using-waste-segregating-robot-IJERTCONV9IS03070.pdf The generation of waste is increasing day by day with the increasing population and changing lifestyle in developing countries. Dumping of mix waste into landfills affects the environment, the living organisms, and their health. Waste segregation is the most important step in the process of disposing waste properly, can be done either manually or automatedly method. Segregating waste at dump yards manually is not only a tedious, time consuming but also risky for the health of rag pickers. Automated segregation using trending technologies prove to be simple and easy to use methods for segregating waste as its less time-consuming. The paper explains how Waste segregating robots based on Deep learning is used to segregate waste as dry waste, hazardous waste, wet waste, and plastic waste.

Related Papers

arXiv (Cornell University)

Shahariar Nafiz

bhagavat bhise

Waste segregation is a simple method of reducing the amount of waste dumped into our landfills. People who not aware of waste segregation for these guidelines are implemented by the government with regards to waste segregation but these efforts have yet to touch the mindset of the people. Large amount of recyclable waste that are not maximized and which is different in proper waste segregation. A solution to this is Automated Waste Sorter (AWS) and Mobile Robot Waste Deliver System are intended to automate the sorting process of paper, glass and metal. Along with this we integrate a robot system to deliver the process of collecting the waste that is to be sorted by the AWS, to minimize the human interference. For each material to control we approach the sensor array, along with a robotic arm as the Automated Waste Sorter. The Mobile Robot Delivery System is composed of a robot that is able to mechanically pick up the waste and put it in appointed trash bin.

IRJET Journal

The current Indian government has begun various tasks for propelling sanitation and neatness. Megacities in India, for instance, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, and more importantly Mumbai have a dynamic monetary development and high wastage per capita. Some issues and difficulties like the absence of gathering and isolation at source, shortage of land, dumping of e-Waste, and so on. The present waste collection framework collects a wide range of waste in an unsorted way by utilizing physical work. The separation of this waste is an extraordinarily redundant, repetitive, and inefficient endeavor, which is numerous a period perilous to the sufficiency of the authorities. In this manner, there is a requirement for a framework, which robotizes the strategy of waste separation, with the objective that the waste transfer can be executed viably and profitably. The proposed model utilizes machine learning strategies such as CNN to accurately characterize the objects into different categories. The grouped waste can be isolated into different classifications using rotating bins. The automated order along these lines helps during the time spent on sanitation. The ordered waste can be additionally arranged and handled by the businesses for recycling. This impacts the computerized transfer framework to work rapidly and productively. This model can be scaled up to a cutting-edge level with the objective that it can be utilized as a part of semi-urban and urban domains.

International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications

Mona Moussa

International journal of simulation: systems, science & technology

Myra Flores

As the world is in the stage of upgradations, there is one stinking problem we have to deal with Garbage. Waste segregation and recycling are effective ways of reducing dumped trash. Recycling is done manually by sorting the waste by the human interface. To reduce human interface and to make systems smarter. We implemented a system for collecting and segregating waste into dry and wet with no human interface. The system designed with inbuilt sensors to detect and segregate the waste, along with an arm to pick and place the waste into separate bins designed for dry and wet waste.

International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)

IJRASET Publication

Increased waste levels have made it important for proper waste management systems and procedures. Now India day is not working well in the field of environmental cleanup, it means collecting all the waste, putting it away and separating for recycling process. Dumping of garbage in local areas creates polluting conditions. It can cause many bad diseases in humans and can cause air, water, and land pollution. It also contributes to global warming. The program consists of two modules, the first module contains a pi cam with tensor flow software, and the second module contains Robotic Arm and, Robotic chase to pick up trash and the trash can be separated afterwards. The main part or purpose of this work is a clean and tidy environment by separating the waste for Reusability process. The project supports waste management and helps to control global warming, reduces pollution and decrease workers time and work. This project supports the goal of a clean swatch bharat. This project is mainly designed to clean the parks and the ground so that we can clean large area to protect our environment.

International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE)

Waste and related threats are becoming more and more severe problems in environmental security. There is growing attention in waste management globally, both in developing techniques to decrease their quantity and those correlated to their neutralization and commercial use. The basic segregation process of waste due to the type of material is insufficient, as we can reuse only some kinds of plastic. There are difficulties with the effective separation of the different kinds of plastic; therefore, we should develop modern techniques for sorting the plastic fraction. One option is to use deep learning and a convolutional neural network (CNN). The main problem that we considered in this article is creating a method for automatically segregating plastic waste into seven specific subcategories based on the camera image. The technique can be applied to the mobile robot for gathering waste. It would be helpful at the terrain and the sorting plants. The paper presents a 15-layer convolutional neural network capable of recognizing seven plastic materials with good efficiency.

Sharavana Raju

In urban areas, solid waste is produced high in percentage. In waste management, segregation of recyclable wastes is a major role. Till now, human intervention is needed to manually segregate these waste materials. This proposed paper describes a system to collect different types of plastic bottles and to perform classification and sorting of the bottles. To identify the plastic bottles instead of using sensors, image processing using machine learning algorithm is proposed in this paper. First step is acquisition of plastic bottle Images and features are extracted by using SURF algorithm. Then the features of bottles are given to the conventional neural network classifier for classification and identified for type of bottle class. The proposed design provides accurate identification of bottle and effective recycling in low cost. This system will ensure effective automated waste management and will speed up the process of segregation without any human intervention.

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Household solid waste management practices and perceptions among residents in the East Coast of Malaysia

Abstract Background Poor waste disposal practices hamper the progress towards an integrated solid waste management in households. Knowledge of current practices and perception of household solid waste management is necessary for accurate decision making in the move towards a more sustainable approach. This study investigates the household waste practices and perceptions about waste management in Panji, one of the sub-districts in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods A stratified random sampling technique using a cross-sectional survey questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 338 households were interviewed in the survey and data were analyzed using SPSS. Chi-square goodness of fit test was used to determine the relationships between categorical variables, whereas Chi-square bivariate correlation test was performed to observe the correlation between the perceptions of waste segregation with socio-demographic background of the respondents. The correlation between perception of respondents with the locality, house type and waste type were also conducted. Principal component analysis was used to identify grouping of variables and to establish which factors were interrelated in any given construct. Results The results of the study revealed that 74.3 % of households disposed of food debris as waste and 18.3% disposed of plastic materials as waste. The study also showed that 50.3% of the households segregate their waste while 49.7% did not. About 95.9% of the respondents were aware that improper waste management leads to disease; such as diarrhea and malaria. There were associations between locality, age and house type with waste segregation practices among respondents (Chi-square test, p<0.05). Associations were also found between locality with the perception of improper waste management which lead to disease (Chi-square test, p<0.05). Principal Component Analysis showed that 17.94% of the variance has high positive loading (positive relationship) with age, marital status and, type of house. Conclusion This study highlights the importance to design waste separation programs that suit the needs of targeted population as a boost towards sustainable solid waste management practices.

Low-Cost Strategies to Improve Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries: Experimental Evidence from Nepal

AbstractMany cities in developing countries lack adequate drainage and waste management infrastructure. Consequently, city residents face economic and health impacts from flooding and waterlogging, which are aggravated by solid waste infiltrating and blocking drains. City governments have recourse to two strategies to address these problems: a) ‘hard’ infrastructure-related interventions through investment in the expansion of drainage and waste transportation networks; and/or, b) ‘soft’, low-cost behavioural interventions that encourage city residents to change waste disposal practices. This research examines whether behavioural interventions, such as information and awareness raising alongside provision of inexpensive street waste bins, can improve waste management in the city. We undertook a cluster randomized controlled trial study in Bharatpur, Nepal, where one group of households was treated with a soft, low-cost intervention (information and street waste bins) while the control group of households did not receive the intervention. We econometrically compared baseline indicators – perceived neighbourhood cleanliness, household waste disposal methods, and at-source waste segregation – from a pre-intervention survey with data from two rounds of post-intervention surveys. Results from analysing household panel data indicate that the intervention increased neighbourhood cleanliness and motivated the treated households to dispose their waste properly through waste collectors. The intervention, however, did not increase household waste segregation at source, which is possibly because of municipal waste collectors mixing segregated and non-segregated waste during collection. At-source segregation, a pre-requisite for efficiently managing municipal solid waste, may improve if municipalities arrange to collect and manage degradable and non-degradable waste separately.

A Comprehensive Study of Distinctive Methods of Waste Segregation and Management

Automated waste segregation using convolution neural network, waste segregation at source: a strategy to reduce waterlogging in sylhet.

AbstractPoor solid waste-management systems in cities in developing countries make them vulnerable to climate-induced risks. It has been pointed out in the literature that the waste management process needs to be holistic and inclusive from waste generation to disposal in order to make it efficient and sustainable. While women in their day-to-day activities at home play a critical role in waste management, they are often excluded in the public waste-management systems which are mainly managed by men. This research used women-centric approaches for motivatingcitizens using social and moral persuasion, economic incentives and social recognition to participate in municipal solid waste management. The findings indicate that the awareness campaign using motivational approaches eventually worked and that the women-centric approaches used are important for promoting home-based waste segregation at source. The study also revealed that a simple payment mechanism for waste disposal services at the household level is not enough to convert littered cities into clean cities. A women-centric approach also contributes to developing community-based solutions to adapt to climate-induced flooding and makes a city more resilient, addressing sustainable development goals.

Visual Servoing and Deep Capsule Network Learning for Contactless Smart Waste Segregation

Domestic waste disposal practices and perception towards solid waste management in selected areas of bangalore, india.

Aims: To assess the waste disposal practices and perception towards solid waste management in selected areas of Bangalore. Study Design:  Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Bangalore between November 2019- November 2020. Methodology: Multi stage sampling technique was used. Using random sampling, respondents from 100 households were selected from each of the 3 study areas. Face to face interview and focus group discussions in all 3 areas were conducted. Semi structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Results: The study revealed that only 35% of the respondents segregated their waste even though 64% of them had heard about it. 74.7% of them said waste van was available to collect their waste whereas few of them also resorted to open dumping and burning as method of waste disposal. 94% of the respondents said food waste was the commonly produced waste followed by plastics and papers. 14.3% respondents said garbage collection facility was not available in their area. About 72.6% of them were satisfied with the current solid waste management system. Availability of regular garbage collection facility was found to be significant with waste disposal practice. Conclusion: The variables such as age, education, size of household, source of income and monthly income were found to be significant with waste segregation practices. The waste segregation practices were found to be highly significant with knowledge on waste segregation, education on solid waste management, and exposure to information.

Circular economy in the waste management sector

The growing population and rising standards of living lead to an increase of the consumption of many goods. Reducing municipal waste which is created in that process can result in a wide range of environmental, economic, and social benefits, such as reducing pollution in water and soil, greenhouse gas emissions and loss of valuable materials. The concept to solve this problem of municipal waste due to increased consumption can be found, among others, in circular economy (CE). Circular economy can be defined as “an economic system that is based on business models which replace the ‘end-of-life’ concept with reducing, alternatively reusing, recycling and recovering materials in production/distribution and consumption processes to accomplish sustainable development” (Kirchherr, Reike, & Hekkert, 2017). A current trend in developed countries is closing the loop, moving from the concept of “end-of-pipe” waste management towards more holistic resource management (Wilson, 2007). Implementing the circular economy approach through waste management systems can pose multiple challenges while providing incentives to improve waste management infrastructure. However, this requires investments and may be perceived by many people as cost, not investment in future generations and their standard of living. The aim of this chapter is to initiate discussion on the positive aspects and barriers of circular economy development in the Polish waste management sector. In the case study described in the text, the roles of citizens, public institutions as well as enterprises are shown in selective waste collection processes as an important element of circular economy. In Poland, awareness of waste segregation and the importance of using recycled materials is not well-developed compared to many other EU countries, although this situation is beginning to gradually improve.

Why do consumers fail to follow waste segregation rules? What would motivate them to obey the regulations?

Most of empirical literature on participation in and choice of recycling at the household level has been focused on factors determining the direct cost for households engaging in recycling efforts (Czajkowski, Kądziela, & Hanley 2012; Huhtala, 2010, Jenkins, Martinez, Palmer, & Podolsky, 2003). Researchers noticed mixed findings in the literature on the significance of waste collection fees for recycling efforts. There is also a question as whether household recycling efforts represent a social cost, which should be taken into account in cost-benefit analyses of alternative waste treatment systems. Some argue that it should not be calculated, since recycling efforts are, to a large extent, voluntary. But on the other hand, households devote time to segregation, which is, in fact, an alternative cost (Bruvoll & Nyborg, 2002). One of the barriers of effective segregation seems to be a low level of awareness on recycling and segregation issues among households. That was also noticed in research conducted by Omran, Mahmood, Abdul Aziz and Robinson (2009). The aim of this case study is to recognise why citizens’ knowledge on waste segregation rules is not sufficient enough. Despite research results confirming rather limited consumer skills related to the subject, efficient methods to make people increase their awareness of what correct selective waste collection is, seem to remain still undiscovered. The students’ task is both to identify why mistakes in waste segregation are made, as well as to propose ways of helping citizens avoid them.

Social Responsibility of Economic Units and the Well-Being of Society in the Tourism Sector: Example of Accommodation Facility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) assumes that companies should justify their existence with services for various stakeholders and not with profit alone. There is a strong emphasis on the implications of CSR for managing human resources in hotels and other accommodation services, supporting local communities, and promoting environmental sustainability. This article aims to present the adjustment of business entities providing accommodation services in Poland to the CSR principles. Two aspects were examined: the environmental aspect, i.e., waste segregation and the use of economic energy receivers, while the social aspect included engaging employees, as well as investing in improving their qualifications towards pro-ecological awareness. The study was conducted on a sample of 207 owners and managers of economic entities in the accommodation sector in Poland. The Statistica software was used to analyze the obtained results, including Chi2 statistics and correspondence analysis. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the employees of accommodation centers usually deal with the final segregation of waste because they believe that tourists do not follow the rules of proper segregation. Most hotels are equipped with bins for all fractions of waste. The affiliation of a center to a specific macroregion in Poland was not statistically significant in terms of waste segregation practices. Only in the southern macroregion of Poland, ordinary light bulbs are used in accommodation establishments, which account for 0.97% of the surveyed population. In other regions, ¾ establishments use energy-saving receivers in all rooms. Only 1/3 of the facilities invested in developing their staff by organizing training courses toward sustainable development. The most popular subjects were topics related to waste segregation, energy and water saving, and environmental protection.

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Effectiveness of Proper Segregation by Using Trash Bin Coal Filtration to Filter Waste in Classrooms of Grade 12 ABM Strand Students in Bestlink College of the Philippines, S.Y. 2019–2020

• Jomari Pedro
• Gerald Balitos
• Angelo Falconete
• Kimberly Joyce Embile

This research focused on the effectiveness of proper segregation by using trash bin coal filtration to filter waste in every classroom of Grade 12 Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) Strand students at Bestlink College of the Philippines in terms of filtering solid and liquid waste and proper waste segregation. Trash bin coal filtration helps students to maintain the cleanliness of the classroom, student’s behavior, and teacher’s mood and reaction. Trash bin coal filtration filters the leftover foodfrom the students’ wastes they that throw in a trash bin to properly segregate the trash. It has a metal string that filters the leftover food, a storage box under the trash bin that catches the leftover and liquid food, and coal that absorbs the bad odorto maintain the good smell of the room. This study also revealed the benefits of our trash bin coal filtration and how to maintain proper segregation in the classrooms of Grade 12 ABM Strand students at Bestlink College of the Philippines. The study used the qualitative and descriptive survey as the type of research method. This study involved 50 selected Grade 12 ABM Strand students. Two variables were considered to determine the effectiveness of having trash bin coal filtration, that is, filtered solid and liquid waste and odor of waste. Improper waste segregation is one of the factors that affect the academic performance of the students and the cleanliness of the classrooms of Grade 12 ABM Strand students. Another aspect revealed that students may also be affected if they do not have discipline in throwing their waste in the appropriate trash bin. As a result, trash bin coal filtration helps in managing the cleanliness of classrooms, improving students’ behavior regarding proper waste disposal, and filtering the leftover food waste. The study revealed that improper waste segregation has an impact on the academic performance, behavior of the students regarding cleanliness in the classroom of grade 12 ABM students, and teacher’s mood and reaction. The study also showed that students have priority problems in their personal lives and school.

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