Public Participation in Solid Waste Management: Challenges and Prospects. A case of Kira Town Council, Uganda
(Mukisa Philemon Kirunda, 2009) The level of public participation in solid waste management at present in Kira Town Council is low. There is no structure that allows for a more synergistic relationship between the public and the Town Council authorities. The Town Council, being less than a decade old is more preoccupied with infrastructural projects at the moment leaving the solid waste management issue
less attended to and with fewer resources for the venture. This has consequently given room for
people to dispose of waste carelessly since the issue has not been practically adopted as a priority
in the Town Council as yet. Everyone has the discretion to decide what best suits them as far as
solid waste management is concerned.
Waste reduction through waste reuse is a primary function of the public at the stage of waste generation. In Kira Town Council, there has not been effort towards waste reduction. The people do not possess knowledge on the benefits to the environment and consequently sustainable
development when the volume of waste is reduced. There is no appreciation of the fact that solid
waste affects sustainable development. The required circumstances for effective solid waste
reduction are not prevalent in Kira Town Council given the low level of social capital established
among the people. The characteristic capitalistic and individualistic life style makes it harder for
solid waste reduction to be collectively achieved. It leaves the Town Council with fewer
alternatives for sustainable solid waste management, albeit waste reduction can also still be
provoked.
Knowledge about the importance and benefits of sorting waste is one thing, and having
knowledge on the recyclable waste material is another. People do realise that it is a good thing to
sort solid waste so that not all of it is dumped together. The intention is to easy the management
of the waste by having some of the waste items recycled. The knowledge base about recyclable
items among the people of Kira Town Council is minor and very low. The people know little
about recyclable items and this in itself forms a barrier to waste sorting. For one to embrace waste
sorting, one needs to know which items to particularly sort-out, without this knowledge, it
becomes useless and unlikely so to happen.
From the attitudes of the people, it is very clear that not all is lost. The future of sustainable solid waste management in the town Council is bright but only so if the potentials of the people to participate are delicately and purposively tapped. There is willingness by the public to participate.
They are ready to play their role in solid waste management, but as they unanimously agreed that they cannot mange on their own, they need the technical guidance of the authorities.
Collaboration is thus very important for success of any project and solid waste management is not
an exception. The willingness among the people to work together with one another and with the
authorities for a common good is a starting point for a synergy which will move from just mere
complementarity through embeddedness to a co-productive relationship which is the epitome of
participation.
The time to act is now because if nothing is done immediately, the more time passes, the more complicated the solid waste management problem will get. The population is without doubt
increasing day in day out and the impact on the environment is also becoming enormous. The
damage on the environment is already noticeable in the Town Council as a result of the careless
waste disposal practices. The situation calls for an immediate arrest as the only way to reverse the
effects in future.