Municipal solid waste generation and management in Morogoro Municipality

Solid waste management is a critical global concern, exacerbated by population growth and economic development. Morogoro Municipality faces challenges in waste management, including inadequate resources, leading to collaboration with contractors and private entities for waste collection. This study addresses gaps in understanding solid waste generation and management practices at the household level. Morogoro Municipality has been engaging a number of contractors who deal with solid waste management issues such as Kajenjere Company Limited, UWAMAMO and M2SMART. Thirteen wards were surveyed whereby six (6) wards were operated by Kajenjere Company and seven (7) wards were operated by other contractors. A sample of 137 households was strategically used to gather data for the study. The study used interviews, focus group discussions, and consultation to collect primary data. Also, the study used literature review to obtain secondary data. Descriptive statistics, t-test and chi-square model were employed for data analysis. Findings revealed three primary waste categories in the study sites: food garbage (55.3%), miscellaneous waste (24.7%), and packaging material waste (20.0%). The study estimated that 0.70 kg/day/person of solid waste is generated in the study sites. Family size and household income had a significant influence on the amount of solid waste generated in the study sites. The generated solid waste was managed by contractors who visited the household once per month. On the contrary, the study revealed that the households adopted different strategies (solid waste burning, buying extra bins, solid waste burying and disposing to nearby solid waste collection buckets) in managing uncollected solid waste by the contractors. These findings highlight the urgency of improving the performance efficiency of contractors in waste collection and promoting sustainable household waste management practices.