Solid Waste Management, Essay Example

Developing countries are often overwhelmed by waste since there is often no governmental or municipal system responsible for waste removal and management. In developing communities “typically one to two thirds of the solid waste generated is not collected.” (Zurbrugg)  For a community overwhelmed by its garbage, it is essential that a needs assessment process be performed before any solutions can be implemented. “Any change in the present order may inevitably affect the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalized population in the cities of the developing counties” (Ahmed and Ali) so it is important to thoroughly assess the current situation before implementing any change.

The first step in the needs analysis for the community is to find out what the gap is between the current situation with waste disposal and the desired situation.  Some questions to ask would be what the current strengths of the current waste disposal system, if any and what the major weaknesses are.  We will need to find out if there is any current system set up within the community to deal with trash, sewage and any potentially hazardous waste.  Also, we will need to assess if there is any system for reusing items like plastic bottles or tires, as well as if there is any sort of recycling system set up for any items.

The second stop in the needs assessment process would be to identify the various needs for waste management, their priority and importance.  The needs of the community to create a healthier environment though better waste management would include:

• Cost-effectiveness: How much does a solution cost versus how much money is available from the government or from international aid.
• Legal mandates: Are there any laws that need to be considered, including government regulations, health regulations and environmental regulations. A good waste management system should be made to come under code.
• Population: The question of how many people are in the community that will need to be serviced with the waste management system will need to be considered.  Also, if the community is growing, future projections will also need to be calculated before implementing solution.

The third step in the process will need to be to determine the people within the community who are currently working on waste management.  If there are private individuals who community members pay pick up garbage to burn, for example.  We will need to assess what is currently being done and what the strengths and weaknesses are.

The fourth step would be to identify possible solutions and opportunities.  Solutions should meet with the needs of the community based on size and the amount of waste currently being created with room for growth based on future projections of waste based on population growth.  Involvement from the community is necessary because in the end when the health workers leave, it is up to the community to continue the new waste management system if it is to be effective.  Often communities are offered help to develop a waste management system and the project, although successful at first, fails.  “Many projects could not support themselves or expand further when the external agencies discontinued their support.  A number of technical, financial, institutional, economic, and social factors contribute to the failure to sustain the projects, and they vary from project to project.” (Ogawa)

In order to make a waste management system truly successful for the community, the community members must be involved in all stages of the planning and implementation process.  That way, they are aware of their responsibilities and can deal with various issues regarding the management when they arise.

Ways to gather information about the current situation would involve direct observations as well as interviews with the community.  Questionnaires could be created to help volunteers gather pertinent information, like family size, current ways the families deal with waste including trash and sewage.  Town meetings could be called to get everyone together to share information, both from the health workers perspective and the community’s perspective.  Any current members of the community who are taking action in waste management, such as collecting plastic for recycling or picking up trash to take to a dump or burn, should also be interviewed to understand the current situation.

References

Ahmed, Shafiul Azam, Ali, Mansoor.  “Partnerships for Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries: Linking Theories to Realities.” Habitat International 28(2004): 467-479. Retrieved on 28 Apr. 2010 from http://www.bvsde.paho.org/bvsacd/cd43/ali.pdf

Ogawa, Hisashi.  “Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries.”  Global  Development Research Center.  Retrieved on 28 Apr. 2010 from http://www.gdrc.org/uem/waste/swm-fogawa1.htm

Rouda, Robert H. Kusy, Mitchell E. Jr.  “Needs Assessment the First Step.”  Retrieved on 28 Apr. 2010 from  http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~rouda/T2_NA.html

Zurbrugg, Chris. “Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries.”  EAWAG/SANDEC Retrieved on 28 Apr. 2010 from http://www.eawag.ch/organisation/abteilungen/sandec/publikationen/publications_swm/downloads_swm/basics_of_SWM.pdf