The Economics of Residential Solid Waste Disposal

This study examines the patterns and determinants of solid waste disposal practices adopted by various households in Dar es Salaam city, Tanzania, using household budget survey data. The study uses a Multinomial Logit (MNL) model to examine the underlying determinants of choosing ways to dispose garbage, i.e., rubbish pit inside compound, rubbish pit outside compound, rubbish bin, thrown outside and other. The descriptive results reveal that about 35% of the respondents used rubbish bin, and approximately 24% were using throwing out option. This is against the use of rubbish pit outside compound, rubbish pit inside compound and other. Estimation results of a MNL suggest that household choices of these practices are determined by a certain combination of factors such as age, education and occupation of the household head, distance to the main road, home ownership, proportions of females and family members above 45 years, expenditure per adult equivalent and municipality location. This study provides useful insights into sustainable Solid Waste Management practices in Dar es Salaam city.

Autorentext

Peter John is currently a Research Scientist at the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He received his BA in Economics and Statistics from the University of Dar es Salaam/ Carleton University (Canada). He then obtained his MA degree at the University of Dar es Salaam; and conducted his research on Solid Waste Disposal.