Solid waste management: a case study of a slum area within the UHTC field practice area

Vijaykumar Jadhav; Anwaya Magare; Sangita Adchitre; Abhishek Dhawan; Salve Shobha

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263640

Authors

Vijaykumar Jadhav Department of Community Medicine, MGM Medical College, Chh. Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India
Anwaya Magare Department of Community Medicine, MGM Medical College, Chh. Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India
Sangita Adchitre Department of Community Medicine, MGM Medical College, Chh. Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India
Abhishek Dhawan Department of Community Medicine, MGM Medical College, Chh. Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India
Salve Shobha Department of Community Medicine, MGM Medical College, Chh. Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263640

Keywords:

Solid waste management, Household garbage, Urban slums, Waste segregation, Community awareness, Municipal waste services

Abstract

Background: Rapid urbanization and population growth have led to a substantial increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, posing significant environmental and public health challenges, particularly in developing countries. Evaluating community awareness and practices related to household waste management is crucial for devising effective interventions.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was performed in a slum area. Data were gathered via a door-to-door survey employing a standardized questionnaire amongst 482 households. We got information about socio-demographic characteristics, household waste generated, segregation practices, disposal methods, municipal waste collection.

Results: Most households generated common domestic waste, including kitchen waste, vegetable waste, paper, and plastic. (99.4%) people knew that throwing away trash in the wrong way hurts the environment. About 54.4% of families threw away their trash in trash cans, and 5.4% in open areas near their homes. 37.6% of homes said that municipal services picked up their trash every day, while 20.5% said that it was picked up at random times. Only 36.3% of those who answered were happy with the current system for picking up trash in the city.

Conclusions: To improve sustainable household waste management in urban slum areas, it is important to strengthen the infrastructure for municipal trash management, make sure that waste is picked up on a regular basis, encourage source-level segregation, and get more people involved.

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