Socio-economic evaluation of solid waste management within Jinja municipality, a case of Jinja central division.

Abstract

Solid waste has and is continuously becoming a big problem.in many urban centres in the world, of which Uganda is part and parcel. It is evident in many municipalities of developing countries, particularly those in East Africa, where there is typically lack of financial resources and the skills needed to cope with the crisis of solid waste management. This bring on board the issue of how to deliver quality service in the face of skill and financial constraints in the public sector. The increase in urban solid waste produced by society is becoming a huge problem all over the world, leading to high levels of pollution and destruction of natural resources (Thomas-Hope 1998, Schubeler 1996, Bartone 2000). The insufficient collection and inappropriate disposal of solid wastes represent a source of water, land and. air pollution, and pose risks to human health and the environment (Thomas-Hope 1.998). The study was carried. out in Jinja central division. The aim was to obtain information about the means solid waste storage, the associated problems. The objectives. of the study were; to establish the means of storage and collection for solid waste in JCD, the associated problems, and to assess the adequacy of transfer facilities for solid waste generated. Self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain the: relevant information. For data analysis, pie charts were used to display the contribution of each value to a total, while histograms were used to create a picture of the data distribution. The bars represent the frequency of occurrence by classes of data. The findings. indicated that residents mostly used plastic containers and nylon sacks for solid waste storage, and that those who did not have storage containers resorted. to open bUrnii1g of the solid waste. It was also revealed that residents did not sort their wastes, For all this, there is a great risk for environmental and human health risks.