Solid waste management in developing urban areas : case study of Lwandle Township

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The subject of waste management is one that evokes a variety of debates due to theoverwhelming implications on the environment and on health that are associated with themanagement of waste. In developing urban areas associated with informal settlements,environmental problems emanating from household solid waste management predicamentssuch as illegal dumping, littering and overfilling of skips have become a permanent feature.This is also the case in Lwandle a developing township in Helderberg Municipality, WesternCape.This study looks into the waste management system in Lwandle with the aim to investigateinstitutional settings, related socio-economic factors and resultant community perceptions,and avenues for the use of environmental education and community participation. The resultsshow waste collection to be the responsibility of the Helderberg Municipality, but thecollection operation is undertaken by a private contractor. The nature of waste collectionunder these arrangements is mainly determined by the nature of housing and associatedaccessibility. Consequently, three main methods of waste collection are used: kerbsidecollection; communal collection where there is use of bins and communal collection wherethere is use of skips. These have varying efficiency among the nine housing areas.Socioeconomic conditions, which were marked by a high level of unemployment and lowincomes, determine societal attitudes. These underpin finer variations and detailed conditionsof waste collection. These, in tum, establish the framework for suitable environmentaleducation and community participation. The latter was found to be minimal.Thus, a holistic approach to the improvement of waste management that first acknowledgesinherent broader societal problems such as housing and unemployment is proposed as part ofthe recommendations. This approach then concentrates on finer aspects such as contracts forwaste collection, aspects of waste collection dependent on waste stream nature of housingareas, appropriate environmental education and community participation.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University