ASSESSING THE KNOWLEDGE OF WASTE DISPOSAL AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF IMPROPER WASTE DISPOSAL ON COMMUNITY HEALTH IN QUARTER 9 OF MILE 16 BUEA

Abstract

Waste management (or waste disposal) includes the activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. Waste management deals with types of waste, including industrial, biological, and household. In some cases, waste can pose to human health.

Waste disposal is the reintroduction of substances that were originally extracted from the environment back into the environment from which they came. It is also defined as the process of collecting and removing waste and putting it in a suitable place where it will be managed.

This study was to assess the knowledge of waste disposal and the consequence of improper waste disposal on community health in Quarter 9 of Mile 16, Buea.

A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used and a convenient sampling technique (random sampling) was used to select the participants. Data was collected through the use of a well-structured questionnaire and self-administered to 100 respondents. The result was analyzed using the SPSS 20 and then was summarized and presented on tables and charts.

From the result (practices towards waste disposal), it was realized that 60.1% of the respondents preferred to burn their waste and this might lead to environmental (air, water, and land) pollution

It was also realized in the result that, 90.0% of the respondents did not know about laws concerning waste management which makes them not to be law-abiding.

The findings revealed that the Quarter 9, Mile 16 community members had a good (60.0%) level of knowledge but their practice towards waste disposal or management was poor (40.0%) with burning being the predominant method. Lack of a waste disposal site in the quarter, absence of HYSACAM, and the absence of waste disposal cans were the main challenges faced by community members in the disposal of waste.

Some recommendations were then made to improve on the waste management challenges faced by this community members. They include, inter alia, that the Quarter 9 council should organize clean-up campaigns once a week; that sensitizations campaigns should equally be organized for the community members by the same council; that the Buea council should provide waste management services in the community and in all other communities around.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Waste management (or waste disposal) includes the activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. Waste management deals with types of waste, including industrial, biological, and household. In some cases, waste can pose to human health.

Waste disposal is the reintroduction of substances that were originally extracted from the environment back into the environment from which they came. (Campbell Mohn et al., 1993). Waste disposal is the process of collecting and removing waste and putting it in a suitable place where it will be managed. Valueless items are destroyed and those that cannot be recycled are taken to landfills and those that can be recycled such as metals, plastics are taken to recycling facilities.

Human activities generate waste which can be harmful to the environment, animals, plants, and ecosystem. However, only careful management can limit the damage done to these and conserve resources (Pawell, 2001).

Waste generation dates back from man’s origin and the early ways of life which principally was forcing through the nomadic experiences and patterns of life. The abandonment of the nomadic ways of life led to the creation of permanent communities. With mutation and evolution that accompanied humanity, waste that was earlier given low priority in most communities, increasingly, gained attention for proper management.

Recently, and through communal and municipal actions conferences and training workshops as well as government actions. Waste management has become a conjecture for responsible public health and safety (Pichtel 2005).

Waste is any material that can be solid, liquid, plastic that is thrown as unwanted (UNICEF, 2012). Waste management is a solution to this complex problem which involves more than 20 households. Waste management is something that each and every household needs.

Arising quality of life and high rates of resources consumption patterns have had an unintended and negative impact on urban environment generation of waste beyond the handling capacities of governments and agencies. Towns are now grappling with the problems of the high volume of waste, the costs involved the disposal technologies and methodologies the impact of wastes on the local and global environment solutions can often come when the community is responsible with good waste disposal methods and involving behavior changes and awareness-raising there is a need for a complete rethinking of “waste” to analyze if waste is indeed waste. A rethinking that calls for;

WASTE to become WEALTH

REFUSE to become RESOURCE

TRASH to become CASH

Some of the defining criteria for future waste minimization programs will include deeper community participation, understanding economic benefits health benefits, recovery of waste, focusing on life minimizing environmental impact.

Waste management refers to many methods and processes of dealing with waste at every stage from generation and collection through final disposal. Some waste management methods include sources, reduction, reuse, animal feeding, recycle, composting, fermentation, land tills incineration.

Some really good techniques which work to reduce the number of disposable materials at home include reduction, reuse, avoidance, and waste minimization. Waste can be liquid or solid depending on its physical state. Hazardous waste type commonly produced in rural areas (from households) includes obsolete, pesticides, herbicides or rodenticides. Non-hazardous waste includes all other types of waste/ liquid waste include all human waste runoffs sullages.

Human waste is composed of feces, urine. A mixture of human waste with water gives sewage or black water. Runoff is simply rainwater that collects on the ground sullages known as greywater, water that has been used for washing in the bathroom and kitchen.

The main purpose of proper waste management is to isolate waste from humans and the environment thus safeguarding individual family and community health. This goal is of better importance for our emotional well-being. I will look critically at household waste and municipal waste management in quarter 9 of mile 16 community.

Throughout history, waste has been generated by humans. Human activities generate waste which can be harmful to the environment, animals. Plant and ecosystem. However, only careful management can limit the danger done to these things and conserve scarce resources (Powell, 2001).

Waste generation dates back to man’s origin and the early ways of life which principally looks into the nomadic experiences and pattern of life. The change of nomadic way of life led to the creation of permanent communities, creation of permanent communities plus evolutionary changes that accompanied human waste that was early given low priority in the most community has been given proper management.

Due to government actions, waste management has become a connective for responsible public health and safety (Pitchel, 2005). The fundamental environmental issue in industrial and developing countries throughout the world over waste is the identification of waste streams (Twardowska, 2004).

As the character and quantity of municipal waste management arising from domestic, commercial, and industrial activities is not only the result of a growing population, rising standards of living, and technology development but also due to abundance and type of natural resources from the country or community (Dongquing et al., 2010).

There are some limitations to the management of those waste but authorities concerned must adapt it. Hence the citizens and the community depend on the municipal authorities for waste collection and disposal (Puentes, 2004).

Developing countries face several major problems as a result of poor waste management such as;

• Health hazards from uncollected waste
• Health hazards from collected but poorly disposal waste.
• Economic burden of disposal on towns and cities (Pearce, 1994).

The total population of developing countries accounts for more than 70% of the world’s population waste management issues in these countries are of great concern and from two points of view.

Firstly, the process of your urbanization and population concentration is directly linked to waste management issues is progressing faster than was experienced by today’s industrialized countries.

The issue of waste management in developing countries has emerged as a critical impending disease.

Secondly, these countries often have difficulties in management, capabilities, human resources need to effectively manage this waste (Flintoff, 1984).

In Cameroon and other African countries waste is poorly managed (Manga et al., 2007). Indicating that waste management services are rudimentary. The practice is concerned with the collection, and dumping of waste without proper disposal methods Mile 16 is not exempted.

Mile 16 (Quarter 9) is inefficient in hazardous waste minimization because sustained efforts have not been developed in the domain of waste education, collection, transportation, and treatment in waste management. Thus sustainable waste management is necessary to minimize the public health risk worldwide (Manga et al., 2007).

1.2 Problem Statement

Despite all efforts made by the government through local councils, quarter council, and health community to sensitize the Mile 16 community (quarter 9) on the importance of proper waste disposal its consequences if not properly disposed of. With the employment of NGOs (non-government organizations) like HYSACAM, putting in place Public trash cans, and allocation of days for general regional clean-up campaigns, it is still realized that waste is not properly disposed of by some habitants of Quarter 9 in the Mile 16 Community. Thus this study intends to know why waste is not properly disposed of despite all sensitization and to make the inhabitants know its consequences on community health if not properly disposed of.

1.3 Rationale of the study

The aim of this study is to identify reasons why there is still improper waste disposal despite all efforts made by the government through local councils by employing companies like HYSACAM. Also to know the knowledge possess by the inhabitants of quarter 9 of mile 16 community concerning proper waste disposal which can be updated hence reducing the effect of improper waste disposal on the community environment

1.4 Research Question

1. What do inhabitants of quarter 9 of mile 16 know about the effect of poor waste disposal?
2. What are the practices used for waste disposal by quarter 9 community members of mile 16?
3. What are the challenges faced by the mile 16 community in the disposal of waste products?