Abstract:
A properly managed effective waste management programme increases the health and environmental quality of the country .This
survey examines the status of Solid Waste Management household level in a peri-urban area (Kottawa in Colombo) in relation to
the willingness of the people for the participation of an upgraded programme and the level of awareness of the people about the
environmental and health hazards associated with disorganized management of solid waste. A pretested and self-administered
questionnaire was used for primary data collection covering 50 households which were selected randomly. Data were analysed
according to the descriptive statistics. The common waste types include food, paper, plastic, metal, glass and batteries. The rate of
waste generation from more than 70% of the households exceeds 2kg per day. 94% of the total waste collection was from the
kitchen. Nearly 50% uses waste pits in their home gardens. Other methods of kitchen waste disposal were garbage truck collection
(44%), burning (44%), composting (16%) and incineration (10%).66% of the households practice burning to dispose papers and
cardboard. Disposal of non biodegradable waste such as glass, plastic, batteries and metal were done through a separate garbage
truck. Waste separation at household level was practiced by 52% while 42% do not practice it. Compost bins were popular among
30% of the households. However, compost bins were unknown to 6%. Active participation for home composting was observed
among 26%. Awareness about the environmental hazards caused by improper waste management was 100%. Only 2% of the
respondents did not have much concern about the health impact of improper waste management. 54% of the household was
unsatisfied with the prevailing waste management practices and 70% of them expect more involvement by the government to
correct the problem. The results also showed that 26% of the households were not aware of waste recycling, reuse & reduction.
However, 96% of the respondents agreed to co-operate & to participate for a proper waste management programme. Suggestions
produced by the respondents to implement an effective waste management programme include composting (34%), efficient waste
separation (14%), establishment of government owned waste collecting canters (28%), and provision of standard.
