Municipal Solid Waste Management

The rapid increase in urban population has resulted in poor environmental conditions in urban and peri-urban settlements. In most developing countries, the problem of inefficient municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is endemic. The problem manifests in heaps of uncollected solid waste or ubiquitous illegal dumps on open areas and by the street sides. This paper examines issues of solid waste management practices in the City of Kwekwe in Zimbabwe. It highlights types of waste, its generation, transfer and disposal. A mixed methodological approach including field observations, structured questionnaire survey and face-to-face interviews were employed in the gathering of data for the study. The key findings established to be the factors affecting effective solid waste management in the City are irregular solid waste collection, inadequate operational funding, inappropriate technologies, inadequate staffing, lack of knowledge cooperation and knowledge on the part of the residents. Based on the research findings, principles of environmental stewardship need to be promoted in the City.