ECONOMICS OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO COLOMBO MUNICIPAL AREA

Abstract

The ‘Willingness to Pay’ (WTP) for improvements in waste management services, the interaction between waste components in different zones, and the influence of household behaviour on garbage creation and management are some of the important aspects of waste management that this study seeks to investigate. In the Colombo district municipal council area, 432 households were taken into consideration. The per-capita waste generation is 0.29 kg. /person/day in all the zones of the city. The per capita waste generation is found to be the lowest in Zone One and highest in Zone Three. However, the results show that as there are more open spaces to throw the waste people tend to generate more and more waste. The waste component relationship shows that the size of the household and income are the major factors determining the total quantity of waste in all the zones. More than 75b per cent of the households are willing to pay for a better waste management system. On average, they are willing to pay Rs.72 per month. The willingness to pay differs from zone to zone. On the other hand, income is the main factor which determines willingness to pay. It was also found that waste generation is negatively associated with education. They might not want to pay because they believe it is not their problem to deal with the waste management issue. It might be wise to reconsider the municipality's involvement in offering this service in light of the major findings. Without compromising public access, implementing a cooperative model with shared expenses and duties could improve sustainability.