Planning for Domestic and Commercial Solid Waste Management in the Informal Settlements: a Case Study of Langas in Eldoret Municipality
Abstract
Solid waste management is one of the major responsibilities of local governments
world over. The responsibility is complex and depends very much on organization and
cooperation between households, private enterprises and municipal authorities.
Successful solid waste management also depends on wise identification and
application of appropriate technical solutions in waste collection at generation points,
transfer, recycling and disposal. Yet still, waste management is an essential task which
must be performed, but at the same time expose those involved to causes of ill health.
The first goal of solid waste management is to promote the health of urban population,
especially low-income groups. Second, solid waste management aims at promoting
environmental quality by controlling pollution. Third, it supports urban economic
development by creating demand for waste management services and ensuring the
efficient use and conservation of valuable materials and resources. Finally, it aims at
creating employment and incomes for those engaged in the sector. In all informal
settlements within Eldoret Municipality, solid waste management is inadequate. The
insufficient collection and inappropriate disposal of solid wastes represent a source of
pollution and a risk to human health in these settlements.
The study is set to investigate the factors limiting an effective domestic and
commercial solid waste management in the informal settlements within the
municipality, with Langas as a case study. It utilizes both primary and secondary
sources of data. Methodological approach adopted for primary data collection
involved the administration of questionnaires to the officials of the council as well as
sampled households and business operators in Langas.
To find out the factors limiting a sustainable solid waste management in the informal
settlements within the municipality, the study begins by systematically investigating
the role of Eldoret Municipal Council towards the service delivery. It equally explores
the extent of community participation in solid waste management in Langas as
undertaken by households and business operators.
The study found out that Eldoret Municipal Council has failed to effectively discharge
its duty as the major planning institution responsible for the service delivery in all the
informal settlements within the municipality. The council has apparently failed to
execute all the major processes within the solid waste management cycle that
encompasses storage, collection, transportation, resource recovery, safe disposal as
well as financing among others. Similarly, the study established that community
participation in solid waste management in Langas, as practiced by households and
business operators is limited; hence further compounding solid waste menace.
In view of the major findings, the study concludes that domestic and commercial solid
waste management in the informal settlements within the municipality is
unsatisfactory. It hence settles down on key policy recommendations that inculcate
both institutional and technical planning approaches. These are envisioned as the most
critical components for a strategic planning and management..........................................................
Citation
Master of Art (M.A.) in Urban and Regional PlanningPublisher
University of Nairobi