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Waste services provided by community-based enterprises in the Ngombe Peri-Urban settlement area, Lusaka, Zambia

This qualitative study investigates Waste services provided by community-based enterprises in the Ngombe peri-urban settlement area - Lusaka, Zambia. The aim of the study was to identify and analyze the factors that contribute to illegal dumping of solid waste in the said peri-urban settlement area. The research objectives were as follows: To explore the capability of the community-based enterprises to effectively manage their enterprises in relation to the provision of solid waste services to the residents of the said settlement, To identify and evaluate the solid waste services provided by the community-based enterprises, and To make recommendations for the improvement of solid waste service provision and utilisation based on the findings of the study. The method of data collection for the above listed objectives was a literature study and focus group interviews. In order to achieve the said objectives of the study, the researcher opted for a qualitative research design – utilizing the contextual, descriptive, inductive and deductive approaches. The research population comprised the community-based enterprises involved in the provision of solid waste services in the Ngombe settlement area namely Kutwano and Tiyende Pamodzi Waste Enterprises. The purposive sample method was used for the selection of the focus group. The focus group discussions were captured by means of an audiotape and note-taking. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, within 24 hours of data capturing. Data analysis followed the five steps of Powell and Renner (2003, pp,1-6), namely: familiarization, identifying a thematic framework, categorization (coding or indexing) of data, identifying patterns and connections within and between categories (relationships), and interpretation (bringing it all together). The researcher adhered to the relevant ethical considerations and the principles of trustworthiness, namely: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability throughout the study. In exploring the capability of the two community-based enterprises to effectively manage their enterprises in relation to the provision of solid waste services to the residents of the said settlement it was found that community-based enterprises do not have the capability to provide adequate solid waste services. This is due to inadequate leadership and entrepreneurship skills of the community-based enterprises management committee members, non-payment of solid waste collection fees by the majority of households and inadequate legal enforcement by the Lusaka City Council’s Waste Management Unit. In identifying and evaluating the solid waste services provided by the community-based enterprises it was found that solid waste services provided by community-based enterprises were inadequate. This is due to the type of equipment (push carts) used for primary solid waste collection that does not carter for other forms of solid waste like construction waste; inappropriate solid waste storage containers (25kg maize meal bags) which do not allow storage of solid waste in a sanitary manner (non-leak proof, accessible to rats, flies and cockroaches and rodents); restriction on the type of solid waste that community-based enterprises should collect (in relation to the specified solid waste storage container, 25kg maize meal bags) and the delay of secondary solid waste collection by Lusaka City Council’s Waste Management Unit. On the basis of the findings of the study, a number of recommendations are being made, which, if implemented effectively, should improve the provision and utilisation of solid waste services within the study area. Such an improvement should lead to a higher level of environmental cleanliness, and ultimately to better health standards of the people living within the area.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:9835
Date January 2012
CreatorsManinga, Mainess Kapaipi
PublisherNelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Health Sciences
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, Masters, MA
Formatxvii, 142, (5) leaves, pdf
RightsNelson Mandela Metropolitan University

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