Management of solid waste by households at Nkayi growth point in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Solid waste management is a serious public and environmental health concern in Zimbabwe, particularly in urban areas and growth points. The situation is exacerbated by the strategies to manage solid waste that are either ineffective or absent. This leads to dumping of solid waste in open spaces. This paper assessed the household’s solid waste management practices and the feasibility of a transition towards a circular economy at Nkayi growth point. The study adopted a concurrent mixed method study design. Semi-structured questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from the respondents. Majority of the respondents (86.06 %) did not practice waste segregation whereas (13.94 %) did segregate their household waste. Most respondents (56.97 %) highlighted that they reused materials while 43.03 % did not. 58.79 % did not practice recycling of items such as plastics while 68 (41.21 %) practiced recycling. Most participants (59.39 %) perceived household waste management to be a responsibility of the local authority while least respondents (6.67 %) perceived it to be a responsibility of the household occupants. Most respondents (62.21 %) perceived segregation and recycling of household solid waste to be time consuming while the remaining respondents (38.79 %) perceived it not to be time consuming. Transition to a circular economy at Nkayi growth point is unlikely due to absence of local bylaws to enforce implementation of circular economy, lack of awareness by households on circular economy. The study recommends that the local authority provide waste separation receptacles to households, invest in educational and awareness and come up with bylaws to promote circular economy practices at Nkayi growth point.

Keywords

• Recycling
• Reusing
• Circular economy
• Waste management
• Solid waste