CURRENT METHODS OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT AT GARISSA TOWNSHIP SUB-COUNTY, GARISSA COUNTY, KENYA

Environment

Abstract The purpose of the study was to examine s current methods of solid waste management for sustainable environment at Garissa township sub-county, Garissa County, Kenya. Descriptive case study design was utilized. The target population for the study consisted of 136 household representatives and 11 officers dealing with matters related to public health totaling to 147 respondents. The selection involved stratified random sampling for household representatives while purposive sampling for selecting officers dealing with matters related to public health. Census approach was used where researcher targeted all 147 respondents. Questionnaire was utilized for household representatives while interview guides for officers dealing with public health matters. A Cronbach's Alpha value of 0.884 was obtained implying high reliability. Frequencies, percentages and standard deviation was used for descriptive statistics via SPSS (version 25). Qualitative data from interview schedules was discussed thematically. Regression model indicated solid waste management practices significantly influenced sustainable environment explaining 82.1% of its variance. Findings revealed irregular waste collection, inadequate infrastructure and harmful disposal methods as the major challenge facing solid waste management. The role of local government in waste management though present was deemed to be inadequate which was linked with resource constraints. On recommendations, frequency of waste collection services, expansion of waste disposal infrastructure including their accessibility and collaboration between the local government, community organizations and stakeholders were recommended to support sustainable environment.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.