QUANTIFICATION, COMPOSITION, AND ITS MANAGEMENT PRACTICE IN GONDAR CITY ADMINISTRATION, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Wastes are materials or objects that are discarded or disposed-off or intended for disposal. The main objective of this study was to assess solid waste generation rate, quantification, composition, and its management practice in Gondar city administration. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design using both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The data for this research was obtained from primary and secondary data. The researcher gathered information from the sample respondents and key informant interview methods for data collection mechanisms. Regarding sampling techniques, purposive or judgmental non-probability sampling techniques and stratified sampling techniques were used to collect survey data. In addition to this questionnaire, focus group discussion, observation, and field measurements were used to collect data. Results of the survey showed that there was positive relationship between income level and waste generation rate (0.909), and also a weak positive relationship between family size and generation rate (0.342), while a weak negative relationship exists between generation rate and educational level (-0.111). The per capita household generation rate was 0.41kg, and its daily total solid waste generation amount was 154,980kg. Gondar city administration’s annual total generation of solid waste was 56,567.7tons. From commercial centers 4.8kg of waste in an individual/commercial center was generated on average and 79459.2kg of waste was generated within a day and also 29,002.608 tons of waste was generated annually. Therefore, based on those results, a total of 85570.308 tons of waste was generated from Gondar city in households and commercial centers. In both households and commercial centers, the largest portion of waste was accommodated by food leftovers. The solid waste generated from households was 38.6% and from commercial centers, it was 33.2%. The major amount of the waste generated in the city was organic matter. Therefore, composting is a good method for waste treatment which will be used for soil fertilizer.