Municipal solid waste management is one of the major challenges for urban regions. According to international experts, waste collection should be extended, sanitary landfills should replace existing dumpsites, and recycling of waste should be increased. These measures should furthermore not impair the municipal budgets. However, a number of initiatives fail, and the final explanation is quite often a 'lack of knowledge'.
This research project poses the question which knowledge is required for a sound, well-functioning municipal solid waste management system in a developing countries' urban region. The objective of the project is to develop a knowledge-base for goal-oriented solid waste management, driven by the demand of relevant actors (“users”) and respecting the goals of waste management (protection of human health and the environment; conservation of resources).
The location of the research is the Eastern-Ugandan town of Busia, where the local NGO “Youth Environment Service” (YES) and the Busia Municipal Council (BMC) have introduced a solid waste collection system. Although the hygienic situation has improved, problems like the incomplete waste collection or collection and disposal of hazardous waste remain. Besides, the municipality will benefit from a composting project, initiated by National and International Organisations, which is expected to improve the situation, but only - as examples from other areas show - if well managed.
An interdisciplinary team consisting of Busia Municipal Council, the NGO “Youth Environment Service”, Makerere University and Vienna University of Technology aims to create the space, where the later users of the knowledge base can formulate their demands, but also share their current knowledge. The strategies and solutions developed therein should help to improve solid waste management in Busia. The general research approach is circular and bases on action research. Research methods applied refer to data collection and processing (interviews, surveys, group discussions, material sampling) and demonstration (workshops, public presentations/discussions, material flow analysis, ecological/economical assessment).
The project is supported by the Commission for Development Studies at the Austrian Exchange Service (KEF-OEAD), Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA).
