DETERMINANTS OF EFFECTIVE HOUSEHOLD SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN JIMMA TOWN, ETHIOPIA

The study aimed to investigate the determinant factors that can influence effective household solid waste management practices in Jimma town, Ethiopia. To realize this, explanatory research design was applied. The primary data collected from 200 sample household heads randomly selected from seventeen administrative units. Data collection tools like questionnaires, interview and focus group discussions were arranged for households, head of municipality and private waste collectors respectively. To analyze data both descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation, Chi-square and two sample T-tests were utilized. Finding revealed that sex, educational level, years of stay, location, willingness to pay, awareness level, law enforcement and access to private waste collectors significantly influence effective household solid waste management practices in the study town. Similarly, human power, budget, facilities and equipments were also recognized as factors affecting effective solid waste management. It?s also found that unlike the other demographic factors, age and income of household head have almost no influences over the effectiveness of household solid waste management in the study area. Therefore, the study recommended that municipal administration has to encourage the residents on effective ways to solid waste disposal practice; extend households? awareness with provision of training, enact solid waste management laws with stiffer penalties on offenders, provide more solid waste evacuation facilities and equipment. As a result, solid waste management attitudes and perceptions of the households would be changed.