Assessing community perceptions and attitudes towards waste reduction through recycling programs in Chinhoyi

Abstract

Waste management has become a major environmental degradation factor in developing countries for the past decades. Inconsistent garbage collection has led to illegal waste dumping along roadsides, rivers and waste burning which results in drainage blockages, diseases and spread of smelly odors. Recycling has been viewed as an efficient and effective tool that can be used to minimize the amount of municipal solid waste that enters into dumping sites and some end up being burnt. Perceptions and attitudes of people in the community seems to be crucial as their points of understanding solid waste management ultimately play an important role in producing answers to environmental problems. For a successful recycling initiative, householders’ participation cannot be ruled out. In this study, the participation of local people in recycling programmes within Chinhoyi was tested by investigating the awareness, attitude and willingness levels of householders to participate. A total of 92 questionnaires were administered to residents from low-density and high-density areas of Chinhoyi. This was done through simple random sampling technique. Interviews were also conducted using selective sampling techniques with the 8 key informants who are already into recycling within the study area Community Based Organisations (CBOs). Moreover, the collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 27 after being coded in Microsoft Excel, to denote frequencies and percentages as well as p-values and thematic analyses. 59% of the respondents had knowledge on recyclable materials although the waste separation at household level was still low despite their awareness levels. Respondents from low-density areas demonstrated a positive attitude towards recycling programmes and their participation and support towards CBOs was effective. This was determined by their access to recycling infrastructure and awareness information. Respondents from high-density areas and CBOs indicated that they required financial incentives, education and awareness programs in order for them to highly participate. In terms of significant relationships between variables, area of residence, income and educational level had significant association with practice for their p-values < 0.05. Conclusively, there is a need for collaboration of stakeholders involved in waste management to address community perceptions and attitudes towards waste recycling. This can be done by providing recycling education and emphasizing the importance of community engagement. This will address the identified barriers, while also leveraging the existing enthusiasm among residents for waste reduction in Chinhoyi through recycling programs.