Factors affecting manufacturing firms’ access to modern waste management technology in Shaggar city, Ethiopia

This research explores the factors that influence access to waste management technology (WMT) by manufacturing firms in Shaggar city, Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia. Primary data were collected via a structured quantitative survey administered to a sample of 303 manufacturing firms selected through proportionate stratified random sampling, with firms stratified by size (small, medium, or large) across the ten (10) sampled subcity administrations. The logistic regression method was used to examine the relationships among several independent variables, including a firm’s characteristics, environmental practices, financial conditions, and policy instruments, to establish a relationship with a binary dependent variable (access or no access to modern waste management technology) (0, 1). The results of the model diagnostics indicated no multicollinearity and that the model was appropriately specified via the link test (_hatsq p = 0.562). The results of the logistic regression analysis indicate that the age of the firm, size of the firm, operating profit, availability of a solid waste disposal facility, participation in wastewater treatment, and environmental protection costs significantly ( p < 0.05) affect a manufacturing firm’s access to waste management technology. These results suggest that policymakers need to implement targeted policy interventions aimed at creating structured waste-management infrastructures and supporting access to WMT by smaller and/or younger firms, as well as reducing the financial disincentives associated with environmental protection costs. Future researchers should use longitudinal data to examine the evolution of access to WMT over time and identify causal mechanisms related to WMT. Comparative analyses across other Ethiopian cities and/or industrial zones would assist with the generalization of findings across the country.