A Survey on Household Solid Waste Management (SWM) with Special Reference to a Peri-urban Area (Kottawa) in Colombo

A properly managed effective waste management programme increases the health and environmental quality of the country .This survey examines the status of Solid Waste Management household level in a peri-urban area (Kottawa in Colombo) in relation to the willingness of the people for the participation of an upgraded programme and the level of awareness of the people about the environmental and health hazards associated with disorganized management of solid waste. A pretested and self-administered questionnaire was used for primary data collection covering 50 households which were selected randomly. Data were analysed according to the descriptive statistics. The common waste types include food, paper, plastic, metal, glass and batteries. The rate of waste generation from more than 70% of the households exceeds 2kg per day. 94% of the total waste collection was from the kitchen. Nearly 50% uses waste pits in their home gardens. Other methods of kitchen waste disposal were garbage truck collection (44%), burning (44%), composting (16%) and incineration (10%).66% of the households practice burning to dispose papers and cardboard. Disposal of non biodegradable waste such as glass, plastic, batteries and metal were done through a separate garbage truck. Waste separation at household level was practiced by 52% while 42% do not practice it. Compost bins were popular among 30% of the households. However, compost bins were unknown to 6%. Active participation for home composting was observed among 26%. Awareness about the environmental hazards caused by improper waste management was 100%. Only 2% of the respondents did not have much concern about the health impact of improper waste management. 54% of the household was unsatisfied with the prevailing waste management practices and 70% of them expect more involvement by the government to correct the problem. The results also showed that 26% of the households were not aware of waste recycling, reuse & reduction. However, 96% of the respondents agreed to co-operate & to participate for a proper waste management programme. Suggestions produced by the respondents to implement an effective waste management programme include composting (34%), efficient waste separation (14%), establishment of government owned waste collecting canters (28%), and provision of standard waste bins for household use under a subsidized programme and standard garbage trucks with a unique honking facility 12%.