Solid Waste Management Practices at Egerton University,Njoro C ampus and the Community Around

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to characterise existing solid waste management practices in the study area. StudyDesign:Thestudywasacross-sectionalsurvey Place and Duration:It was carried out between January – May 2009 within Egerton University, Njoro campus and the community around it, all within Njoro division. Methodology:Thesamplecomprised220respondentsthatweredrawnfromtenants,farmersand the business community. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data which was analysed using frequency tables by the Statistical Package for Social Sciencessoftware. Results:The study established that use of open dumpsite as the final disposal option was done within the University as well as for the community around the university. Open dumps and waste pits near living areas were fairly common outside the university but very rare within the University. Whereaswastecollectionwascommonintheuniversity,it wasrareoutsidetheUniversity.Waste burning was fairly common outside the university with more than 70% of the business people and the tenants burning their waste whereas tenants and students within the University never burnttheir waste.Waste minimisation practices like shopping witha durable bag were practiced by over 50%oftherespondents.Wasteseparation,practicedby36%oftherespondentswasnotpracticed for environmental reasons but to extract materials that were still useful. Conclusion:wastemanagementwithintheuniversitywasbetterduetothepresenceof waste collection and centralised disposal which were lacking in the community outside the university