The Evaluation of Solid Waste Management practice in Sheki town, Dedo district, Oromia region, South waste Ethiopia

Abstract

Solid waste is defined as unwanted matter or material of any type (non-liquid), often that which is left after useful substances or parts were removes and it ranges from house garbage to industrial waste, which may include complex and sometimes hazardous substances. This study aimed to evaluate solid waste management practices among households in Sheki town, Dedo district, South waste Ethiopia. Data were collected from 97 participants selected from 2,903 households using simple random sampling methods. Primary data were gathered through questionnaires, semi structured interviews, and field observations targeting households, business owners, employees, and household heads. Descriptive statistical tools, including tables, frequency distributions, and percentages, were used to analyze the qualitative data. The study result of public awareness on the advantage of solid waste management was 89.4%, demonstrating a strong foundational understanding among the surveyed population. In addition to the above result, the study result highlights that ways of removing the solid waste from house showed that :the highest participants were use burns 57(67.1%) as disposal of solid waste collected in households and the minimum participants were used the waste collectors and dumping along the road (3.5%) each respectively. Based on the findings, the conclusion was proposed; that highlights both progress and ongoing challenges in solid waste management in the study area, where 62.4% of respondents separate their waste at home, reflecting a positive shift toward sustainability and resource recovery while 37.6% do not practice waste separation, primarily due to insufficient storage containers (50%) and limited space or facilities for sorted waste (3.1%) underscoring the need for improved infrastructure. Based on the finding of the study, the recommendation that proposed were: enhancing awareness and education of society on solid waste management, providing adequate infrastructure, strengthen waste collection systems, promoting recycling and resource recovery, fostering community engagement, developing policy frame work, monitoring and evaluate progress among the society in Sheki town to manage solid waste properly.