Municipal solid waste characterization, generation rate and waste transformation through vermicomposting in asossa town, benishangul gumuz region western, Ethiopia

Abstract

An increasing in urban population and changing of life style or cultural behavior leads to rising need for consumption materials and raise in the amount and composition waste being generated daily by each house hold. The increasing amount of municipal solid waste generated as well as improper characterization and disposal of solid waste have high social, economic and environmental impacts. The aim of this study was to assess the current solid waste generation rate, characterization and compositions of HHSW and waste transformation through vermicomposting. Acrosssectional study was conducted by using quantitative approaches and purposive sampling technique was employed to select (ketena) and systematic sampling was used to select sefer in each ketene and house hold. For 213 household surveys, sample size was determined using a population proportional formula. The sampling of HHSW was conducted for consecutive 8 days and experimental set up for vermicomposting were preformed May-July/2018. Also some material used for conduct research were plastic bins, weight balance, safety gloves, and laboratory instrument (oven, polyethen, dissectors, soil crusher, spectoro photometer, flam photometer, ASS, balance pH meter etc). The results showed that solid waste generation rate of Asossa town was 0.144kg/cap/day and the compositions by weight of the household solid waste were, Food waste (35.95%), Ash and dust (18.8%), Leaves (12.69%), Wood (4.94%),Plastic, Catha edulis, Paper, Grasses, Glasses metal and Textile account only 8.15%, 4%, 3.35%,8.19%, 0.40%, 0.76% and 2.65% waste respectively. About 88% and 12% HHSW was bio-degradable and non-biodegradable respectively. And mean results analysis of physicochemical parameters for mature or stable compost found within the range of acceptable limits set by most countries guidelines except C: N. Therefore, the researcher concluded that the town municipal should developed an appropriate house hold SWM technology and implement to properly manage this high amount of solid waste through vermicomposting technology. So the researcher recommended that by using E. fetid a worm it can be produce good quality vermicompost in short period of time and use as organic fertilizer to remediate soil.