COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
SINIOR PROJECT ON WASTE DISPOSAL SITE IN DESSIE CITY, AROUND
MEMBERE TSEHAY

BY: GROUP-1 MEMBERS

NAME ID NO

1. GEMECHIS KUMSA…………………………………………………………………………2593/11
2. MEHARIAMLAK DESSALEGN……………………………………………………………2712/11
3. NEBIHAT GEYACHEW……………………………………………………………………..
4. ZEBIBA MUHAMED….......................................................................2895/11

ADIVISOR; Dr. DESSALEGN GEZAHEGN (PhD)

SUBMITED TO; GEOLOGY DEPARTMENT

SEPTEAMBER, 2015

DESSIE, Ethiopia
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First, we would like to thanks Almighty God who made it possible to start and finish this sinior
project successfully.
Secondly, we would like to express our deep gratitude to Wollo University especially the
Department of Geology that give a chance for doing this project. Thirdly our thankful goes to our
advisor Dr. Dessalegn Gezahegn (PhD) for his critical comments, corrections, assistance and
encouragement in the preparation of this research paper.
We would like to express my thanks to workers of sanitation, beautification, and parks development
department and all respondents who were kind to cooperation and willing to give genuine
information for preparation of the main body of this study. Lastly, we would like to address our
deepest thanks to our friends and parents for their moral and material support.

i
 LIST OF MAPS

Map 3.1: Location of Dessie city in Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia…………...……30
Map 4.1: Kebelle specific distributions of solid waste transfer stations of Dessie town ………...….47

LIST OF PICTURES

Picture 4.1: Partial view of daily household solid waste generation and composition measurement.36

Picture 4.2: Partial view of biodegradable and non biodegradable solid wastes………………….....39

Picture 4.3: Partial view of medical solid wastes ………………………………………………...…40

Picture 4.4: Partial view of solid waste storage materials of households …………………….……..43

Picture 4.5: Typical solid wastes transfer stations and their respective users (MSSE solid waste

collectors) ……………………………………………………………...……………….45

Picture 4.6: Partial view of solid wastes transfer stations which are characterized by indiscriminate

disposal of households……………………....…………………………….…………….46

Picture 4.7: Partial view of households composting activity ……………………………………..…50

Picture 4.8: Partial view of handicrafts recycling activity ……………………………………..……51
Picture 4.9: Partial view of informal sectors illegal solid waste disposal ……...........................……54
Picture 4.10: Partial view of indiscriminately dispose solid wastes in streets …...........................….57

Picture 4.11: Partial view of impacts of improper solid waste disposal …………………………….60

Picture 4.12: Partial view of Membere Tshehay solid waste disposal site ………………....…….…63

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1: Types of primary solid waste storage materials of households ………………………....42

Figure 4.2: Households solid waste disposal practices …..………………………….………………58

Figure 4.3: Dessie town SBPDD organizational structure in 2011………………………………….65

ii
 LIST OF ACRONYMS

AAU = Addis Ababa University

BPR = Business Process Reengineering
CBOs = Community Based Organizations
FEDO = Finance and Economic Development Office
GPS = Global Positioning System

HH = Household

JICAIIC = Japan International Cooperation Agency Institute for International Cooperation

MOH = Ministry of Health

MSSE = Micro and Small Scale Enterprise
MSW = Municipal Solid Waste

MSWM = Municipal Solid Waste Management

NGOs = Non Governmental Organizations

SBPDD = Sanitation, Beautification and Parks Development Department

UK = United Kingdom
UNCHS = United Nations Center for Human Settlement
UNEP = United Nations Environmental Program
US = United States
WHO = World Health Organization

WP = Work Process

iii
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

BPR; The fundamental rethinking and radical design of work process to achieve
dramatic improvements in work.
Case team: A group of experts that work together in one work process.

Household: Persons who live together in one house or dwelling.

Kebelle: The lowest administrative unit in Ethiopia (Zebenay, 2010).

Liwach: A name given to individuals that exchange old shoes and old cloths of the

society by house materials informally through door to door visit.

Quraleos: A name which is given to individuals that buy reusable and recyclable solid wastes from

the society informally through door to door visit.

Sanitation agents: A person employed by the concerned organ to supervise and control over

the illegal disposal solid waste.

Work process: Represents specific departments of an institution that organize to

Perform its assigned tasks.

iv
 ABSTRACT
This study is aimed at the overall assessment of the solid waste desposal site in Dessie city. Besides
this, the study had also specific objectives such as investigation the current desposal cite of the city,
physical composition and management practices, the existing status and spatial coverage of MSWM.
In order to accomplish these objectives, our group used both primary and secondary sources. The
primary data were gathered through interviews, field measurement (using phone as GPS), and field
observations. Whereas secondary data were extracted from different published and unpublished
materials. The analysis of this paper was carried out using both qualitative and quantitative
techniques.

The findings of this study revealed that the present system of solid waste disposal site and MSWM in
Dessie city entirely relied on the municipality which provided the full range of waste collection,
transportation and disposal service. But, the provision of this service is not goes with the city solid
waste generation. MSWM of the city is found in very low status and spatial coverage. This improper,
uncovered, unorganized solid waste disposal site and poor status of MSWM is also intensified by
three critical factors. The first one is poor institutional structure and capacity of Sanitation,
Beautification and Parks Development Department. The second shortcoming is limited participation
and contribution of stakeholders’ i.e. unsatisfactory participation of communities, no collaboration
of various CBOs and NGOs, no private sector involvement, very limited contribution of MSSE, solid
waste miners and handcrafts of Dessie city. The third constraint is poor households’ solid waste
management practices resulted from improper handling of solid waste storage materials, low level
of solid waste separation and resource recovery activities, and illegal solid waste disposal system.
Therefore, the best ways that used to tackle the above problems are: execution of sustainable solid
waste management systems (reuse, recycle, composting, and incineration) through awareness
creation and training, improvement of SBPDD institutional structure and capacity, and
implementation of integrated MSWM approach which recognizes and comprises all stakeholders and
as much as possible change the desosal site and us sanitary land fill..

v
 CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The rapid urbanization that has been taking place during the 20 th century virtually transformed the
world in to communities of cities and towns facing similar challenges on environmental issues in
which most of them have to be addressed at international level (Smith, 2010). Among those
environmental issues solid waste management is a critical one because as long as humans have been
living in settled communities, solid waste generation has been an unavoidable and critical issue both
in developed and developing nations. As a result, solid waste management became a worldwide
agenda at united nation conference on environment and development in Riodejieneiro in 1992 with a
great emphasis on reducing wastes and maximizing environmentally sound waste reuse and
recycling at first step in waste management (UNEP, 1996).

Solid waste management is defined as the collection, transportation, processing, recycling, and
disposal of solid waste materials so as to reduce their effect on health, environment and aesthetics. It
is highly related with urbanization and industrialization (web page accessed, august 20, 2010. For
instance in early societies, solid waste management consisted of digging pits and throwing garbage
into them. When cities began to be more concentrated; however, solid waste management became a
serious and complex issue. Houses that did not have room to bury their garbage would throw it into
the streets. In response, many cities started to set up municipal garbage collection teams which
would dispose of unusable garbage. This is mainly because modern societies generate far more solid
waste than early humans ever did. As a result, recent events in major urban centers both in developed
and developing countries have shown that municipal solid waste management has become a big
challenge (web page accessed, august 20, 2010).1

In developed countries the daily life of people can generate greater quantity of solid waste than
developing countries, but most parts of developed nations are efficient in handling waste when
compared to developing countries because of their technologically complex, institutionally efficient
and cost effective solid waste management systems. On the contrary compared to developed

1
1
countries, developing countries produce less per-capita solid waste. But the capacity of developing
countries to collect, process and dispose waste is limited due to inadequate infrastructure, finance,
political instability, inefficient institutional capacity and structure, and low level of awareness. For
example, Sarageldin (1995) and Rushbrook (1999); cited in Solomon (2006) stated that “about 30 to
50 percent of the solid waste produced in urban areas of low income countries as well as poorest
parts of middle-income countries is estimated to be left uncollected.” These situations introduced
numerous discomforts to communities and threaten humans’ health through direct contact,
contamination of water and soil.

Similarly, the current condition of municipal solid waste management service in different cities of
Ethiopia is also becoming a challenge for municipalities. For instance, according to Birke’s (1999)
study of municipal solid waste management practices of 15 regional cities of Ethiopia, a controlled
solid waste disposal system was practiced in only two of them. That means small proportions of the
urban dwellers are served and a large quantity of solid waste left uncollected. In addition, a study
conducted by (MoH, 1996) revealed percentage of solid wastes which are left uncollected and
disposed anywhere without due attention regarding their consequences in different towns of
Ethiopia.

Table 1.1 percentages of uncollected solid waste major cities of Ethiopia.

Town Percentage of uncollected solid wastes

Jijiga 82

Hawassa 75

Dessie 70

Dire dawa 63

Jimma 63

Harar 53

Mekele 52

Addis Ababa 32

As it is indicated in table 1.1, from major cities of Ethiopia Dessie is one of the city by which proper
provision of solid waste management services is still unsatisfactory and incomplete.

2
In Dessie, illegal dumping of waste on open areas, in gullies, river courses is considered as routine
task of residents. The efforts made by the municipality to change the situation in the city are also
insufficient as it compared to the extent of the problem. Therefore, in order to reduce this situation
and achieve efficient solid waste disposal site and solid waste management system of the city, detail
study of the existing condition of municipal solid waste management service and full environmental
impact assessment by stake holders especially Wollo University intelligetsia is required.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Dessie city is characterized by rapid population growth caused by natural increase and migration.
According to 1994 national census report, the town had 97,314 total populations while in 2007
national census it reached 151,094 with growth rate of 3.38%/annum. Now a day dessie city is one of
the mega city (metropolitan area). Such rapid increase in population together with rapid development
of the city has produced increasing volumes of solid waste and in turn it induced greater
infrastructural demand, institutional setup and community participation for its management. But, the
city sanitation, beautification and parks development department (SBPDD) which runs the solid
waste management activities of the city could not fulfill the above requirements. For instance,
currently SBPDD has practice its activity by supplying one truck for collection, transportation and
disposal of the city solid waste. In addition to this, there are no public solid waste storage containers
and road side dust bins. So that it highly suffered from shortage of solid waste management
infrastructures and faced unmatched burdens of collection, transportation and disposal of solid
wastes. Furthermore, SBPDD is surrounded by different institutional constraints such as lack of
sufficient manpower, weak financial and material resource, weak regulation and controlling
mechanism, and insignificant movement for public awareness creation.

These limitations led to deterioration of the city environment and also reinforce incorrect disposal

habits to the people. Most of solid wastes that are generated in the city remain uncollected and
simply dumped in open areas, road sides, river courses, gullies. According to the report made by
SBPDD of Dessie city in 2010, the total solid waste generated in 2010 is estimated to be 32188.

From this amount only (36%) of solid wastes were collected and disposed but the remaining large
proportion of the solid wastes (64%) were left uncollected. The disposal method that the city used is
also open dumping type. The waste directly interred into square fuafuatie which is cause for ground
3
water pollution. Thus widely practiced in many developing countries and have hazardous effect on
health and the environment. Besides this, SBPDD of the city does not operate any waste recovery or
recycling activity.

As a result, municipal solid waste management in Dessie has not been carried out in a sufficient and
proper manner. The environmental and sanitary conditions of the city have become more serious
from time to time, and people are suffering from living in such conditions. So that urgent need of
efficient MSWM on one hand and steady growth of solid waste problem on the other side are still the
main features of the city. Detail study of the overall condition of MSWM service should be the first
move required for reducing this gap. Therefore, this study is focused on examining current status of
solid waste site with spatial coverage of municipal solid waste management service of the city and its
institutional arrangement and capacity side by side with household solid waste management.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. General objective; this study was aimed at assessing the current solid waste disposal site of
Dessie city.

2. Specific objectives; having the above general objective, the study was geared to attain the
following specific objectives.

 To investigate the solid waste disposal site in the city.

 To evaluate the condition of households solid waste management practices in the city.
 To examine the existing status and spatial coverage of municipal solid waste management
service in the city.
 To assess present institutional arrangement and capacity of municipal solid waste
management of the city.

1.4 Research Questions

So as to achieve the intended objectives stated above, the following research questions were
formulated.

I. What type of solid waste disposal site is used in the city?

4
II. What is the condition of households’ solid waste management practices in the city?
III. What is the current status and spatial coverage of municipal solid waste management of the
city?
IV. What is the existing institutional arrangement and capacity of municipal solid waste
management of Dessie city?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study may have two main significances. First it may give some guide line information to policy
makers, solid waste managers and environmental protection agencies about existing situation
municipal solid waste management of Dessie city. The study may also important in putting base line
information to the SBPDD to change the disposal site to another area and use different waste
treatments method.

1.6 Research Methodology and Materials

1.6.1 Research Design

The research design of this study was explanatory method. Because, it was more appropriate to
describe the existing situation of waste disposal site site of Dessie city by direct observation of the
researchers and through grasping people and officials’ responses, opinions, and perceptions about
MSWM.
1.6.2 Data Source and Methods of Collection

In this study, the researchers used both primary and secondary data sources. For gathering primary
data researcher employed interviews, field measurement and field observations.

Primary data were also gathered with the help of semi structured and unstructured interviews with
SBPDD workers about the overall institutional setting, capacity and constraints of SBPDD.

Apart from these, the researchers used field observation and field measurement as a major data
sources for this study. Field observation was employed for assessing spatial distribution of MSWM
infrastructures, households’ solid waste handling practices, illegal dumping, solid waste collection
and transportation systems and disposal site facilities of the city. Photographs were taken during field
observation for partial exposure of transfer stations, disposal site, illegal dumping of residents.

5
On the other hand, secondary data were extracted from different sources including published and
unpublished materials of administrative office, SBPDD, municipality, finance and economic
development office.

1.6.3 Method of Data Analysis

Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used for data analysis. Quantitative methods
include means, tabular analysis, and rates. Qualitative techniques were cause and effect relationships,
inductive and deductive reasoning.

1.6.4 Materiales

 GPS (phone): To measure the location of Membere tsehay disposal sites.

 Camera (phone): for taking photograph of our study area.
 Note book and pen: To register information that helps to our research project.
 Gloves and mask: to protect ourselves from contamination of the waste.

1.7 Limitation of the Study

The researchers did not finish this research without short comings. Some of them were lack of time
due to the current political situations in our country. Lack of data,shortage of money during data
collection . our group also faced shortage of secondary data. But, the researchers tried to overcome
some of those problems by finding reference documents about the city MSWM from public and
libraries.

1.8 Delimitation of the Study

The study was confined to southern Wollo zone, Dessie city around menbere tsehay. This was
mainly because there is a severe problem of municipal solid waste management and limited surveys
which were conducted so far regarding the city solid waste management. On the other hand, the
problem that the researchers studied was delimited to overview of current waste disposal site and
condition of municipal and households’ solid waste management and institutional arrangements and
capacity of SBPDD for delivery of proper solid waste disposal site and MSWM in the city.

1.9 Organization of the research project

This paper is organized in to six chapters with six parts. The first part is chapter one which is an
introductory part of the paper. The second chapter deals with review of related literature obtained

6
from various published and unpublished reference materials. The third part of the thesis is chapter
three that describe the background of the study area. The fourth part is result and discussion which
present analysis and interpretation of data about the existing status solid waste disposal site and
spatial coverage of municipal solid waste management practice, and institutional arrangement and
capacity of municipal solid waste management of the city. The fifth part is about the disposal site of
city and indicates the best waste disposal site. The six and the last part of this study is chapter six
which is conclusion and recommendation. Reference also attached at the end of the paper.

CHAPTER TWO

7
 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 Concepts of Municipal Solid Waste Management

2.1.1 Definitions of Key Terms

Waste - according to UK environmental protection act (1990), “it is any substance which constitutes
scrap materials, an effluent or other unwanted surplus arising from application of any substances or
article which requires to be disposed of which has broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise
spoiled.”

Solid waste - can be defined as “any garbage, refuse, sludge, and other discarded solid materials
resulting from industrial, commercial, agricultural operations, and community activities, but does not
include dissolved materials” (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 1995 cited in Samuel, 2006,p.5). In
short “it is anything that is neither liquid nor gas and is discarded as unwanted” (Federal Negarit
Gazeta of Ethiopia, proclamation number 513 of 2007).

Municipal solid waste (MSW) - refers to materials discarded in urban areas for which municipalities
are usually responsible for collection, transportation, and final disposal.

Municipal solid waste management - is an activity of planning and implementation of solid waste
management components such as collection, transfer and transportation, recycling, resource
recovery, and disposal MSW under jurisdiction of local government.

2.1.2 Sources and Types of Municipal Solid Waste

In order to categorize what exactly municipal solid waste constitutes, there have been different
attempts of categorization based on numerous classification criteria. Some of those criteria are
source from which solid waste emanates, and nature of solid waste components. On the basis of the
nature of items that constitute solid wastes, it can be classified into organic or inorganic, combustible
or non-combustible, and putrescible or non-putrescible (Edelman, 1997 cited in G/Tsadkan, 2002).
With respect to source from which solid waste emanates, (Martin, 2000) categorized municipal solid
waste as household (residential) refuse, institutional wastes, street sweepings, commercial areas
wastes, as well as construction and demolition debris. In developing countries, MSW also contains

8
various amounts of industrial wastes from small scale industries. In these sources there are diverse
types of solid wastes. But, some of typical solid wastes of those sources are described by (Dereje,
200, p.36) as follows.
Domestic solid wastes: wastes generated from household activities such as food
preparation, cleaning, fuel burning, old cloths, furniture, obsolete utensils and equipment,
packaging, newsprint, and garden wastes. In developing countries, food waste and ashes
dominate households’ solid wastes.
Commercial wastes: waste from shops, offices, hotels, restaurants, etc and typically
consisting packaging materials, office supplies and food wastes. In low income countries
food markets contribute the largest proportion of commercial waste.
Institutional wastes: waste from schools, hospitals, clinics, government offices, military
bases etc, and comprise hospital and clinical wastes including potentially infectious and
hazardous materials.
Industrial wastes: composition of industrial waste depends on the kind of industries
involved. It consist food waste from kitchens, and canteens, packaging materials, plastics,
papers and metal items.
Street sweepings: dust, soil, paper, etc. In developing countries street sweeping also
include fruit and vegetable residues, household wastes dumped along roads, drain
cleanings, animal manure and plant remains.
Construction and demolition wastes: its composition depends on type of construction
materials used, but it typically includes soil, brick, stone, concrete, ceramic materials,
wood, packaging materials and the like.

2.1.3 Characteristics of Municipal Solid Waste

For effective and efficient management of solid waste generated in a particular city, adequate
knowledge and data about the characteristics of solid waste is essential. In order to decide or
determine types of facilities required for solid waste management, best disposal options, and
projecting future needs requires precise information about quantities, compositions, densities,
moisture content and calorific value of solid waste produced in a city (Rushbrook, 1999 in
G/tsadkan,2002). Though all the above characteristics are important, for this study the researcher
emphasize only on municipal solid waste physical composition and generation rate.

Solid waste generation rate: refers to the “amount of waste disposed during a given period of time
and the quantification of it involves different methods: by measurement at the point of generation,
through use of vehicle survey and by examination of records at the disposal facility” (UNEP, 2009;
cited in Zebenay, 2010, p.18). The rate of solid waste generated in a given town is basically
9
determined by demographic growth, seasonal variation, geographic location, economic development
and people’s attitude towards waste. Nashiimirimana (2004) explained the influence of economic
development by comparing gross national product of developed and developing countries with their
waste generation rate. And he concludes that the higher the gross national product of a country result
the higher the generation of waste. It means due to difference in level economic performance, waste
generation rate of developed countries is highly greater than that of developing countries. Although
developing countries have a lower rate of waste generation compared to developed countries, their
quantum of waste is high owing to their higher levels of population growth. This clearly shows
impact of population size on waste generation rate (Ibid, 2004). On the other hand, people’s attitude
towards waste can also conditioned solid waste generation rate in the form of their pattern of
material use and waste handling, their interest in waste reduction and minimization, and the degree to
which they refrain from indiscriminate dumping and littering (Schubeler, 1996).

Therefore, an accurate knowledge of quantity and rate of solid waste generation in a given area is
essential for preparation and implementation of appropriate MSWM. Because it provides
information on human, financial and equipment resources required for collection and transportation
of waste, to enact appropriate laws on waste reduction, and establish current and future needs for
solid waste disposal sites (Abel, 2007).
Physical composition: refers to quantity of various material types in a particular waste stream. Just
like waste generation rate, physical composition of solid waste is also extremely variable as a
consequence different factors. The major once are of the following:
a) Economic level difference: higher income areas are usually produce more inorganic waste while low
income areas produce relatively more organic waste.
b) Demography (difference in amount of population for example, tourist places).
c) Locations: includes abundance and type of regions natural resource, and socio-cultural factors which
highly contribute for variation of waste in different areas.
d) Season: for instance during certain season’s yard wastes such as grass clippings and raked
leaves add greatly to solid waste (web page accessed, august 25,2010).2
Unlike various composition of solid waste in different areas, process of defining waste composition
is similar in each area i.e. by measuring mass percentage of each material group present in a sample.
Conduct of waste composition studies by using this method has several importances. “Some of these

2
10
are: for identification of potential resource recovery activities, facilitate collection, transport and
processing equipment, taking essential health, aesthetic and environmental precautions, and for
monitoring changes in waste composition over time and improving waste management system”
(Gidarkos, Havas, and Ntzamilis, 2005,p.1). Therefore, composition study is core stone for
successful planning and implementation of solid waste management.

2.1.4 Functional Elements of Municipal Solid Waste Management

In the course of municipal solid waste management there are six functional elements. Identification
of these functional elements allows description of relationships involved in each element, and
development of a framework. As a result, to handle a specific solid waste management it is
obligatory to observe the following six elements in combination. These are:

2.1.4.1 Waste Generation

Waste generation encompasses activities in which materials are identified as valueless and either
thrown away or gather together for disposal. This functional element is very important because all
activities that lead to identification and understanding of solid waste generation rate, volume,
composition, area specific variations of waste generation and their expected changes overtime are
belong to this component solid waste management. So, this functional element is a vital stage for
acquiring accurate information that is necessary to monitor existing management system and to make
regulatory, financial and institutional decisions (Gebrie, 2009).

2.1.4.2 on site Handling, Storage and Processing

This functional element constitutes activities associated with handling, storage, and processing of
solid wastes at point of generation.
Waste handling involves activities associated with management of wastes until they are
placed in storage containers for collection. It also encompasses movement of loaded
containers to point of collection. Storage refers stock up of wastes as soon as they are
generated. There are two types of storage activities at source. The first one is temporary
storage done at household level as a part of their hygiene. The second type is communal
solid waste storage system on public solid waste containers prepared by municipality.
While processing at source involves activities such as waste composting and separation
of solid wastes for reuse and recycling. All of these components are important for
protection of public health and aesthetics and environment (Web page accessed, august
27, 2010).3
3
11
2.1.4.3 Collection

Collection involves the process of picking up of wastes from collection points, loading them in to a
vehicle, and transporting it to processing facilities, transfer stations or disposal site. In most
municipal solid waste management systems, cost of collection accounts a significant portion of total
cost. For instance, “in industrialized countries collection accounts about 60-70% of total cost, and
70-90% in developing and transition countries” (UNEP, 1996). Collection is structurally similar in
developing, transition, and industrialized countries, but there are important technical and institutional
differences in implementation. In most cases, industrialized countries have more efficiency and
effectiveness than developing ones in terms of their approach of collection, role of municipal
governments, private-sector participation, and demographic and social factors relevant to collection.
In developing countries, collection often involves a face to face transaction between generator and
collector. The level of service is low, and generators often have to bring their wastes long distances
and place it in containers. As a result many collection activities in developing countries carried out
by informal sectors (UNEP, 1996). In general, there are four basic methods of collection described
by (Tchobanolous, et al 1993cited in Ramachandra and Bachamanda, 2006):
i. Community bin- they are placed in convenient locations where community members
carry waste and throw it in. This method is comparatively cheaper than other
methods, and most widely adopted method in western countries. For this method to
be adopted it is important that bins are covered, aesthetic, attended regularly, kept
clean, easy to handle, and separate bins are provided.
ii. Curbside collection - homeowner is responsible for placing containers to be emptied
at the curb on collection day and for returning empty containers to their storage
location until the next collection.
iii. Block collection- collection vehicles arrive at a particular place or a set day and
time to collect waste from households. Households bring their waste containers and
empty directly into the vehicle. This method requires a higher homeowner
cooperation and scheduled service for homeowner collaboration.

iv. Door to door collection- waste is placed at doorstep at a set time when waste collector
arrives. In this method, collector of waste has the responsibility to collect waste separately.
This method is very convenient for households, however requires homeowner cooperation.

2.1.4.4 Transfer and Transport

These activities are associated with transfer of wastes from public storage facilities to collection
vehicle and the subsequent transport of wastes to disposal site. Transfer refers to movement of waste

12
or materials from primary collection vehicle to a secondary, larger and more efficient transport
vehicle. When location of final disposal site is at a long distance from points of collection, transfer
stations may be used. With respect to transfer stations, “there are two basic modes of operation:
direct discharge and storage discharge. In storage discharge refuse is first emptied from collection
trucks in to a storage pit or to a large platform. While in direct discharge station, each refuse truck
empties directly in to larger transport vehicles” (Meenakshi, 2005).

Transportation on the other hand covers all types of vehicles under operation to transport solid waste
from its generation point to transfer station and then to treatment or disposal site. “All vehicles in
operation are considered including manually driven small carts, mechanically driven sophisticated
transportation vehicles, and special vehicles for hazardous, bulky, and recyclable wastes. Generally,
a properly design transfer and transportation system highly reduces cost of collection” (Ibid, 2005).

2.1.4.5 Processing and Recovery

This functional element includes all techniques, equipment’s and facilities used both to improve the
efficiency of other functional elements and to recover usable materials, conversion products, produce
energy, and compost from solid wastes. In addition it also provides several advantages. First, it can
serve to reduce total volume and weight of waste material that requires collection and final disposal.
Volume reduction also helps to conserve land resources since land is the ultimate sink for most waste
materials. On the other side, it also reduces total transportation cost of waste to its final disposal site
(Uriarte and Filemon, 2008).

Solid waste processing and recovery has been carried out beginning from separation and processing
of wastes at the source. But, separations of mixed wastes usually occur at materials recovery facility,
transfer stations, combustion facilities and disposal sites. It often includes separation of bulky items,
separation of waste components by size using screens, manual separation of waste components, and
separation of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Then they enter in small and large scale industries for
recovery activities. For example, organic fraction of MSW can be transformed by a variety of
biological and thermal processes. The most commonly used biological transformation process is
aerobic composting and, the most commonly used thermal transformation process is incineration
(web page accessed, august 27, 2010).4

4
13
2.1.4.6 Disposal
This is final functional element in solid waste management system. Disposal activities are associated
with final dump of solid wastes directly to a landfill site. Today disposal of wastes by land filling or
land spreading is the ultimate fate of all solid wastes whether they are residential wastes, or residual
materials from materials recovery facilities. “However, in most developed countries this method is
officially banned allowing only sanitary landfill for final disposal. Because sanitary landfill is not a
dump it is an engineered facility used for disposing of solid wastes on land without creating
nuisances or hazards to public health and environment” (Techobanglous, 2002). “Though it is the
most common technology around the world, conventional and environmental unfriendly methods
such as open-burning, open-dumping, and non-sanitary landfill can still be used as disposal method”
(UNEP, 2009).

2.1.5 Economically and Environmentally Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste

Management Methods

2.1.5.1 Incineration
Incineration is one option for sustainable solid waste management. It is defined as the process of
burning solid waste under controlled conditions to reduce weight and volume of solid waste, and
often to produce energy. This process is really waste reduction, not waste disposal, though following
incineration ash must still be disposed. It is recognized as a practical method of disposing of certain
hazardous waste materials (such as medical waste). Incineration can be carried out both on a small
scale by individuals and on a large scale by industry.

This facility does not require much area so that it is common in countries like Japan where land is
scarce (web page accessed, September 5, 2010). 5 Incineration has several advantages and
disadvantages. These are summarized in table 2.1.

Table 2.1: Advantages and disadvantages of incineration

Advantages Disadvantages

5
14
 • Requires minimum land • expensive to build and operate especially for developing
• Can be operated in any weather countries
condition
• high energy requirement
• Produces stable odor free residue
• requires skilled personnel and continuous maintenance
• Can generate electricity
• Effective way for hazardous waste • emission of gaseous pollutants
management • If not carried out properly, incineration results air pollution
• Reduce solid waste weight up to 70 • Difficult to site because of citizens opposition
% and volume up to 90 % • Encourages waste production because it is output approach

Source: (Miller, 2007)

Generally, according to UNEP (1996) there are considerations that we should keep in our mind when
we want to choose incineration. These are:

• The necessary environmental controls are properly installed and maintained.

• The facility is properly sized and sited to fit well with other components of the MSWM
• The material to be burned is combustible and has sufficient energy content.

2.1.5.2 Composting

It is a process of allowing biological decomposition of solid organic materials by bacteria, fungi,

worms, insects, and other organisms in to a soil for transforming large quantities of organic materials
to compost (humus like materials). “The organic materials produced by composting can be added to
soil to supply plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, sulfur, and calcium, slow
soil erosion, make clay soils more porous or increase water holding capacity of sandy soils” (Enger
and Smith, 2008).

There are three scales at which composting has been implemented; residential level,
decentralized community level, and centralized and large scale municipality level. The
larger the undertaking the more capital investment is required. Most developing
countries which have found success with composting revealed that composting works
best when implemented at household level, with some project doing well at community
level as well. At municipal level financial commitment required to maintain equipment
has resulted in wide spread failures (zerbock, 2003, p.15).

Generally composting has many advantages; first it would reduce amount of waste requiring ultimate
disposal and extending the life of landfills. When it done correctly the end result becomes a useful
product, capable of being used at household or farm level to augment soil nutrient levels and increase
organic matter in the soil, increasing soil stability. If the product has high enough quality and
15
markets exist, it can be sold. Environmentally, process of composting is preferable than landfill
processes. In a landfill, bacteria break down organics anaerobically (in absence of oxygen) and
resulted in release of methane gas. However, in composting organic matter is decomposed using an
aerobic process and produces no methane by product (zerbock, 2003). Contrary to the above
benefits, composting has the distinction of being failed waste management system.

In cities of developing countries, most large mixed waste compost plants have failed or
operate at less than 30% of capacity. The problems most often cited for such failures
include: high operation and management costs, high transportation costs, poor quality
of product as a result of lack of sorting (especially plastic and glass fragments), poor
understanding of composting process, and high competition from chemical fertilizers
(which are often subsidized) (UNEP, 1996).

2.1.5.3 Reuse and Recycle

Reuse involves cleaning and using materials over and over. In other words, it means the use of a
product more than once in its original form for the same or a new purpose. It relays on items that can
be used over and over instead of throw away items. This method is used to decrease the use of matter
and energy resources, cuts pollution, creates local jobs, and saves money (Miller, 2007). “Reusing is
more efficient and better than recycling and composting methods because cleaning and reusing
materials in their present form avoids the cost of energy for remaking them in to something else”
(Cunningham,2008).

In addition to reuse, recycling is also an obvious solution of solid waste problem. It is an important
way of collecting solid waste materials and turning them in to useful products that can be sold in the
market place. Such materials can be reprocessed in two ways: primary and secondary. “Primary
recycling is a process in which original waste material is made back in to the same material for
example, newspapers recycled to make newsprint. In secondary recycling, waste materials are made
in to different products that may or may not be recyclable for instance, cardboard from waste
newspapers” (Miller, 2007).

Recycling is both environmental and economical issue. Many people’s are motivated to
recycle because of environmental concern i.e. it reduces pollution, it also save energy,
space and resources, helps to protect biodiversity and reduce litter. Economically, it
can save money for items like paper, metals and some plastics, and generally it is
important part of economy. However there are also some critics forwarded on

16
 recycling dominantly on economic aspect of its benefits. Economists say that recycling
does not make sense if it costs more to recycle materials than to send them to a landfill
or incineration. They also forwarded that recycling is often not needed to save landfill
space because many areas are not running out of it (Miller, 2007).

2.2 Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries

The rapid extent and nature of urbanization in developing countries made MSWM as a major issue of
concern in those countries. “In the next 35 years, the urban population of world is expected to be
double to more than five billion people, and from this 90% of growth is taking place in developing
countries” (World resource institute, 1997; in Ahmed and Ali, 2002,p.468). As a result of this, the
existing MSWM of developing countries fail to catch up with the rapid increase of solid waste
production in these countries. To show this situation, UNCHS (1996) cited in Schertenleib and
Meyer (1992,p.1) report identified “one third to one half of solid waste generated with in most cities
in low and middle income countries are not collected, rather it ends up as illegal dumps on streets,
open spaces, and sewerage systems, and contribute to spread of diseases”. Furthermore, MSWM
schemes generally serve only part of the urban population. For instance, “in Kenya -Nairobi
municipal solid waste collection service is mainly concerned in central business district and more
affluent communities. As a result, in poor suburban zones indiscriminate disposal of solid waste at
riversides, roadsides, and other open spaces are common” (Henry et al., 2005 cited in Gebrie, 2009,
p.22).

Transport of waste from households, commercial areas, institutions and other generation
sites is also a growing problem in developing countries. The transport of waste becomes
longer and more time consuming, and hence, more expensive and less efficient. In
developing countries many sources of waste might only be reached by roads or alleys
which may be inaccessible to certain methods of transport because of their width, slope,
congestion, and surface. This is especially critical in unplanned settlements such as
slums or low income areas. In addition to this vehicles that serve for waste transports
are also outdated, poorly maintained and frequently out of action (zerbock, 2003, p.4).
The operational inefficiency of MSWM in developing countries is also further reflected in resource
recovery. Although the material recovery from the waste stream has a great potential in economic as
well as environmental point of view, municipality and formal private sector contribution in this
activities is minimum. Besides this, waste disposal is also a neglected area in many low income
countries and causes for environmental health hazards. Most of municipal solid wastes in developing
countries are dumped on land in a more or less uncontrolled manner. These dumps make very
uneconomical use of the available space, allow free access to waste pickers, animals and flies and
often produce unpleasant and hazardous smoke from slow-burning fires (Zurbrugg, 2003).

17
2.2.1 Constraints of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries

As it is noted earlier a typical solid waste management system in a developing country displays an
array of problems including low collection coverage and irregular collection services, and crude
open dumping and burning without air and water pollution control. These problems are caused by
various factors which constrain development of effective municipal solid waste management
systems. They can be categorized into technical, financial, institutional, social constraints , and
awareness and attitudes (Ogawa, 2002). Each of these constraints is discussed below.

2.2.1.1 Human and Technical Constraints

In most developing countries, there is lack of human resources and technical expertise both at
national and local levels. Many officers in charge of municipal solid waste management, particularly
at the local level, have little or no technical background or training in engineering or management
(Ogawa, 2002). This is a main reason for lack of comprehensive waste management planning in
developing countries. Furthermore, collection and analysis of solid waste data are generally not
given sufficient attention. As a result, there are few opportunities for waste management
administrators to become experts and to formulate and implement waste management plans that are
tailored to the actual situation in their country. This in turn makes it extremely difficult to license or
develop technologies that are best suited to the local conditions (web page accessed, September 9,

2010). 6

Moreover, research and development activities in municipal solid waste management have often low
priority in developing countries. This lack of research and development activities in developing
countries leads to selection of inappropriate technology in terms of local climatic and physical
conditions, financial and human resource capabilities, and social or cultural acceptability. “Several
guides or manuals on appropriate solid waste management technologies in developing countries are
available in the literature, and selection of technology could be made sometimes based on these
guides. However, in most cases these guides must be modified to local conditions prevailing in the
country, and therefore local studies are normally still needed” (Ogawa, 2002).

6
18
2.2.1.2 Financial Constraints

MSWM is given low priority in developing countries; as a result, very limited funds are allocated to
the sector by government. This problem is acute at the local government level where local revenue
collection system is inadequately developed and financial base for public service including MSWM
is weak. In addition to limited funds, many local governments in developing countries lack good
financial management and planning. For instance, “in a developing country town over 90% of annual
budget provided for solid waste management was used up within first six months. Lack of financial
management and planning, particularly cost accounting depletes limited resources available for the
sector even more quickly and causes solid waste management services to halt for some periods, thus
losing trust of service users” Zurbrugg (2003) in Gebrie (2009,p.22).

2.2.1.3 Institutional Constraints

The waste management regime in developing countries is seldom integrated, and there is
often no clear assignment of responsibilities and schedules among the organizations
involved. Furthermore, there is often no umbrella organization to coordinate overlapping
responsibilities for waste management that involve more than one agency. This situation
not only hinders effective implementation of waste management operations, but also
produces confusion in relation to technical cooperation and assistance projects among
donors. Along with these organizational and structural problems, lack of an effective legal
system and technical standards constitute a major constraint. Legal provisions related to
solid waste are often incorporated as fragmented elements in disparate laws, such as laws
for public hygiene, local administration, and environment protection Generally speaking,
there is no integrated legal framework to deal with waste management in developing
countries (web page accessed, September 9, 2010).7

2.2.1.4 Social Constraints

Social status of solid waste management workers is generally low both in developed and developing
countries, but more severe in developing countries than developed countries. Such people's
perception leads workers to disrespect their work and in turn produces poor quality of their work. At
dump sites, transfer stations, and street refuse bins, waste picking or scavenging activities are
common scenes in developing countries. People involved have not received school education and
vocational training to obtain knowledge and skills required for other jobs. They are also affected by
limited employment opportunity available in formal sector. The existence of waste pickers
(scavengers) creates often an obstacle to the operation of solid waste collection and disposal services.

7
19
However, if organized properly their activities can be effective in waste management system. Such
an opportunistic approach is required for sustainable development of solid waste management
programs in developing countries (Ogawa, 2002).

2.2.1.5 Awareness and Attitudes

Public awareness and attitudes to waste can affect the whole municipal solid waste management
system. All steps in municipal solid waste management starting from household waste storage, to
waste segregation, recycling, collection frequency, willingness to pay for waste management
services, and opposition to sitting of waste treatment and disposal facilities depend on public
awareness and participation. Thus, lack of public awareness and school education about the
importance of proper solid waste management for health and well-being of people severely restricts
use of community based approaches in developing countries and also crucial factor for failure of a
MSWM service in developing countries (Zurbrugg, 2003).

2.2.2 Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ethiopia

Solid waste management is becoming a major public health and environmental concern in urban
areas of Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, like developing countries, increase of solid waste generation is
resulted from rapid urbanization and population booming. “The average solid waste generation rate
is about 0.221kg per person per day and it is also estimated that only 2% of the population received
solid waste collection services” (Zebenay, 2010, p.39). This shows that the operational condition of
MSWM service and efforts made to change the situation are low. As a result, small proportions of
the urban dwellers are served and large quantity of solid waste left uncollected. “The public sector
in Ethiopia is unable to deliver services effectively, as result illegal dumping of solid waste along
road sides and open areas is a common practice due to inadequate supply of waste containers and
longer distance to these containers” (web page accessed, September 8, 2010). 8 The involvement of
private sectors are also very limited, but currently a number of micro and small scale enterprises are
emerging to participate in primary solid waste collection i.e. collect garbage at source from
households and transport it to the municipal waste containers and transfer points. To sum up the real
situation of MSWM in Ethiopia indicates that the problem of solid waste cannot be solved only by

8
20
mere effort of municipal government, there should be large involvement of the private sectors in
general and participation of micro enterprises and community in particular (Abebe,2006).

CHAPTER THREE

3. BACK GROUND OF THE STUDY AREA

This chapter describes historical, physical (location, topography, and climate) and socio economic
back ground such as demography, social and physical infrastructures, and economic activity of
Dessie city.

3.1 Historical Background of Dessie city

Dessie city, which is considered as the principal urban settlement in Wollo and now aday which is
metropolitan area.Dessie is one of the relatively older city in Ethiopia. It came in to being in 1886
following Nigus Michael’s selection as a seat of power. Several factors were responsible for the rise
of Dessie as a political powerhouse of Nigus Michael. The first reason was Dessie is very

21
strategically situated at the heart of Wollo. The last quarter of the 19th century saw that the ruling
houses of Ethiopia were trying their best to consolidate and expand their feudal domains. Thus, for
Michael, who was one of the main actors of this historical drama, Dessie’s commanding position was
vital importance. There was also an economic factor which encouraged Nigus Michael to make
Dessie as political center of wollo. Dessie was a well-placed site through which the flourishing
Tigray-Shewa trade route passed. The availability of water, fire-wood and grain also contributed to
selection of Dessie as Michael's seat of power. Thus, in 1886 Nigus Michael established his palace at
“Ayteyyef”- a strategic site southeast of the city and became the nucleus of the city. The land
between the present days Medhane Alem church through the left side of “Arada” up to “Silk Amba”
was allotted to his guards and came to be known as "Zebegna Sefer". The next step taken by Nigus
Michael was to distribute land to his chiefs and their retainers.

However, the newly-founded city of Dessie showed no significance growth until the late 1890s. This
was mainly because the chiefs of Michael were not certain about the stability of their position and as
a result they were reluctant to construct permanent structures on the land allotted to them. It was in
the post-Adwa period that Michael's retainers began constructing their domed houses in their
respective quarters. Their retainers, too, began to construct their huts around their Nigus residence.

As a result several residential areas evolved bearing the name of Michael's chiefs such as Dejjach
Yazew Sefer, Dejjach Yimer Sefer,etc.In such conditions the city of Dessie resumed its south-north
elongation (web page accessed, October 12, 2010).9

The city was occupied by Italians 15 April 1936. Dessie became an important administrative center
under Italian occupation. In a decree of 1942, Dessie is listed as one of the six "Schedule A"
municipalities in Ethiopia, while there were about a hundred in "Schedule B". It was an
administrative, military, and commercial center. Dessie has an important marketplace dealing in
animal skins and agricultural products. The local handicrafts industry is also a significant economic
10
activity (web page accessed, October 15, 2010).

The city continued in importance as the capital of the province of Wollo until the province's abolition
in 1995. Following the severe civil war, in October 1990 Dessie was totally captured by Ethiopian

9
10
22
people's revolutionary democratic front (EPRDF). Currently, the city serves as the capital city of
South Wollo zone of Amhara Regional State (Draft Strategic plan of Dessie, 2009).

3.2 Physical Background of Dessie city

3.2.1 Location, Topography and Climate

Dessie city is found in south Wollo zone, eastern margin of Amhara regional state and in north
central part of Ethiopia at a road distance of 401km from Addis Ababa. Astronomically, the city lies
on the intersection of 11°8′N 39°38′E. It is surrounded by imposing Tossa Mountain that overlooks
the town in west and rises to 2800 meters. The eastern side of the town is hilly with an average
elevation of about 2400 meters and constitutes a series of ridges of eastern escarpment of the north-
western highlands of the country. Out of the total area of the city, flat plain covers 10 %, while 30 %
is plateau, and the remaining 60 % is mountainous.

23
Map 3.1: Location of Dessie city in Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia

24
The average elevation of the city ranges from 2400 to 2800 meter above sea level. The city is
bounded and squeezed by a series of ranges and escarpments with rugged surfaces between the cliffs
of Tossa and Azuwa, and Borkena River divides this basin in to two parts. Dessie falls within
“Dega” agro climatic zone with an average monthly minimum and maximum temperature of 12.370c
and 26.270c respectively. As a result, it has cooler temperature and higher precipitation. According
to the metrological data record at kombolcha station (which is 10km air distance from Dessie) in
Dessie there are two rainy seasons: spring (march-may) and summer (July-September), of which
summer season has the highest rainfall. The average annual rainfall for the period between 1994 and
2001were calculated to be 1070mm (Solomon, 1993 cited in Sileshi, 2004).

3.3 Socio-Economic Background of Dessie city

3.3.1 Demographic Characteristics

According to 1994 national census report Dessie city has a total population of 97,314 of whom
45,337 were males and 51,977 were females. While in 2007 national census it was 151,094 with
growth rate of 3.38% /annum which is almost doubled in the past 13 years. The city has an estimated
area of 15.08 square kilometers, which gives the city a density of 11,213.79 people per square
kilometer, at this time Dessie city is amega city(metropolitan area).

3.3.2 Settlement Pattern and Housing Condition

According to the information gained from municipality office report. The total numbers of plots that
have been distributed during the last five years for residential purpose were 2062 at an average rate
of about 412 per year. However, the places which are favorable for urban development have already
reached as a saturation point during the past three decades (between 1964 and 1994). Consequently,
in recent years the new settlement areas have been developed in different directions of the city.
Development of settlements on steep gradients has already aggravated the problem of surface run off
and thereby causing the concentration of landslides on the weakest part of an area (Dagnachew etal.,
1996 cited in Sileshi, 2004).

25
3.3.3 Social and Physical Infrastructures

In 1957, Dessie had one of 9 provincial secondary schools (excluding Eritrea) in Ethiopia, named
after Woizero Sehine the daughter of Negus Mikael. But now, Dessie has a number of governmental
and private educational institutions ranging from kindergarten to higher education levels. According
to the Dessie city education office report of 2010, there are 29 kindergartens, 36 general primary, 11
secondary and preparatory, 8 higher education institutions (colleges) and 1 university currently
functioning in the town (Dessie city Education Office Report,2010). On the other hand, according to
the information obtained from Dessie town health office (2009), the health coverage of the town has
now reached to about 44.5 percent. The town has five hospitals, 4 diagnostic and regional laboratory,
7 higher clinics, 11 junior clinics, 2 whole services of pharmaceutical products, 21 pharmacies and
drug stores, 7 health centers and 8 developing health posts. This shows that the provision of health
service coverage is found in a good manner and also gives service for the neighboring zones and
region like Oromiya zone and Afar region. In addition, the participation of private investors on this
sector is great since they cover 62% of such health facilities.

With respect to transportation, electricity and telecommunication services, the city also has such
services. In the city there are 108 km of roads out of which 33.4 km are asphalt while the remaining
are gravel roads. Owing to this, the town is known for its high traffic flow in addition to its high
commercial and communication centers. The town also gives transportation service to different areas
using many public buses. Dessie shares airport with neighboring Kombolcha. On the other
dimension, Dessie has postal service beginning from 1920s and telephone service from at least as
early as 1954. At present, the telephone service is reached to 16,240 fixed line and 11,897 mobile
telephone connections and Postal services serve for about 1,600 customers. Among these telephone
services, there are 14,046 and 13,450 fixed line and mobile customers/beneficiaries respectively.
Moreover, 420 internets and 123 public phones booths are also at services. Besides this, the town has
also electrical power since at least 1963 when a new diesel-powered electric power station with a
power line to Kombolcha was completed. Today, the town serviced with 24 hours of electricity
(Dessie aown administration office magazine, 2009).

26
3.3.4 Economic Activities of Dessie city

Currently, Dessie has exhibiting promising improvements in almost all areas of development
activities in general and local economic development in particular. Owing to its strategic location on
the main north-south transportation route, Dessie is an important trade and transport center for the
north eastern part of the country. As a result, the town’s economy is largely characterized by
diversified trade activities particularly involves collection and distribution of agricultural and
industrial commodities and provision of catering services (Dessie town administration office
magazine, 2009).

27
 CHAPTER FOUR

4. ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT STATUS AND SPATIAL COVERAGE OF

MUNCIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICE OF DESSIE CITY

4.1 Introduction

Dessie city is one of the oldest, populous, and fast growing towns of Ethiopia. It is also known by
being a trade and communication center, junction point for different towns of the northern part of the
country, and varied topographic features. Unlike these features of the city, municipal solid waste
management service provision for its residents was a recent phenomenon beginning from 1997. In
paradox with this recent duration of MSWM service delivery, solid waste generation of the city was
continues to grow for many years and currently it reaches to 32188 m /annum (SBPDD report,
2009). As a result of this huge generation of solid waste, town residents considered MSWM as a
necessary and vital urban service. Majority 229(95.82%) of them responded that municipality has
made weak effort. For this reason, this chapter briefly discusses and evaluates the existing condition
of MSWM service in general and household solid waste management practice in particular.

4.2 Characteristics of Municipal Solid Waste of Dessie city

One of the basic services that are currently receiving wide attention in many city of Ethiopia is
municipal solid waste management. This is mainly because solid wastes that are generated in most
city of Ethiopia are not appropriately handled and managed. However, it is possible to minimize and
solve these problems through strictly planning and implementing different municipal solid waste
management components. The first and the most prerequisite step for provision of efficient MSWM
is began by identification of major sources, and determination of generation rate and composition of
municipal solid waste. This is because these elements are considered as a baseline for the rest of
municipal solid waste management components. Therefore, for appropriate management of
municipal solid waste of Dessie city, reliable and accurate data about these elements is very decisive.
Despite this, Dessie city sanitation, beautification, and parks development department (SBPDD)
gave less attention. For instance, regarding the city residential solid waste composition and
generation rate, there has been lack of frequent and ongoing surveys opposed to frequent variation
characteristics of it. Furthermore, those available data are also scattered and unorganized.

28
4.3.1 Municipal Solid Waste Sources and Their Solid Waste Generation
Municipal solid waste consists of highly heterogeneous mass of discarded materials from urban
residences, commercial establishments, institutions, street sweepings, and light industrial activities.
Similarly, according to Dessie city SBPDD report (2013) there are five major sources of MSW of the
city. These are residential areas, commercial areas, street sweeping, institutions, and small scale
industries. Based on this report, the daily total solid waste generation of these sources is around
(32560kg) and annually it reaches to (11,909,560 kg). 11

4.3.2 Composition of Municipal Solid Waste

As it is indicated in review of literature part of this research municipal solid waste is a term usually
applied to a various mixtures of solid wastes produced in urban areas. But commonly urban wastes
can be subdivided into two major components called biodegradable and non-biodegradable. The
biodegradable component of urban solid waste constitutes organic wastes such as food waste, garden
waste, and agricultural waste which undergo biological degradation under controlled conditions and
can be turned into compost or organic fertilizer. While non-biodegradable wastes includes inorganic
materials which can’t be decomposed and degraded. Likewise, from my own observations in
disposal site, illegally dumping areas and in residential areas, Dessie city physical composition of
municipal solid waste is also composed from both biodegradable and non-degradable components.
The dominant types of biodegradable solid wastes are food leftovers, vegetable peelings, onion, seed
coats, grasses, kitchen and garden wastes, animal wastes, ash, dust, leaves, scarp of chat, market
place wastes (vegetable and fruit wastes), papers, wood scraps, bones, straw, dead animals,
cardboard, cartons and paper packaging materials etc. Whereas non-biodegradable wastes of the
town includes different types of plastics(like plastic bags or “festal”, broken pieces of plastic
materials, plastic packaging materials), cables and useless electronic materials, pieces of ceramics,
glass, cans, pieces of metals, textile scraps, discarded old shoes, packaging materials, etc.

29
Picture 4.2: Partial view of biodegradable and non biodegradable solid wastes generated. Source:
Field survey, 2014.

Apart from these, construction and demolition waste that is generated during the course of repair,
construction, and destruction activities constituting sands, soil stones, nails, cement concrete, wood,
and so forth are also observed in the city. This is due to high construction activities of the city and
such wastes are not stored by waste generator within their compound rather they deposited just
outside in streets and open areas. Different types of medical waste such as syringes, gloves, glucose
materials etc. from hospitals, clinics, and other health care establishments are also detected in
different disposal areas of the city. But such wastes should be managed carefully and separately from
the above types of solid wastes because of its hazardous health impacts.

Picture 4.3: Partial view of medical solid wastes. Source: field survey, 2014

30
Though the city municipal solid waste is comprised from the above listed solid waste fractions, it is
dominated by organic waste streams generated from households, markets and commercial areas. The
main reason behind this is about 60 % of MSW of the city arises from residential areas and this
source is dominantly characterized by biodegradable solid wastes.
As it is expected in developing countries around 75.6% of households solid waste stream of Dessie
city is covered by biodegradable waste such as ash and dust (44.5%), and food waste (31.1%). This is
because majorities of the population have mud houses that frequently generate dust, and uses wood
as energy source. Food wastes also generate from house cooking, food slip and fruits. This condition
dictates that the most appropriate and sustainable method for management of Dessie city solid waste
is composting. In addition to this, there should also be an activity of reuse and recycle for those
inorganic materials even if their proportion seems insignificant. Otherwise, in the long run those
solid wastes may deteriorate the human health and the city environment.

4.4 Solid Waste Storage Facility and Its Handling in Dessie city

This functional element of MSWM constitutes an activity that is carried out both by solid waste
generators and solid waste managers of a city. It encompasses an action of storing solid waste in a
certain kind of material or equipment as soon as it is generated and safe control of it until it is
permanently disposed. Accordingly, studying solid waste storage facilities and their handling has
significant impact for betterment of municipal solid waste management activity. This is from the
point of identification of type and quantity of storage material to be used, appropriate location
(sitting) of it, deciding the collection method to be used, and avoidance of health, environment and
aesthetics impacts of storage materials (G/tsadkan, 2002). As a result of this, the researchers collect
information about solid waste storage and handling practice of Dessie city and briefly explain in two
categories. The first category constitutes primary or temporary storage facility of households, while
second category comprises secondary or communal storage facility of a city which includes public
solid waste container and dustbins. The detail examination of both of these storage facilities is
described in the following sections.

31
4.4.1 Primary Solid Waste Storage Facility and Its Handling

Residents of Dessie city used different type storage materials in their compound which is stationary
like pit and portable like sack. But, on the type of storage materials used by households there is high
variation. This is mainly because the nature of storage material of households is depend on
characteristics of solid waste (rate of generation, physical and chemical composition, moisture
content of waste etc.), collection frequency and types of collection equipment, space available for
placement of the storage materials, and economic power of solid waste generators (Techobanglous,
1977 and 1993 cited in G/tsadkan, 2002).
The majority of households (71.97%) stock up their solid waste in sack (“Madaberiya”). This is
highly related with the least cost of sack, easily availability in the market, its suitability for holding
large volume of solid wastes, and low frequency and spatial coverage of door to door solid waste
collection service of the city. Next to sack, about 15.89 % of households use plastic bag followed by
basket (5.86 %) because of their frequent but low generation of waste and economic power to utilize
replicable storage materials such as plastic bags. Following these there are households that use
private pit (3.35 %) and cardboard (1.67 %) as storage material of solid waste in their home. This is
due to availability of space in their compound and households need to prepare fertilizer for vegetable
growing. But, the least used storage material is metallic container (1.26 %). This is essentially
because of its difficulty for transportation, high cost and low access in market.

Picture 4.4: Partial view of solid waste storage materials of households. Source: field survey, 2014

However, different from preparation and usage of storage material, most of the residents do not have
well established handling practices and give low attention for it. The storage materials of households

32
are characterized by unpleasant feature resulted by inappropriate handling, and drop out of solid
waste around storage material. Majority of households are also located it very near to houses
especially in condominium houses storage materials are placed inside the house due to absence of
space.
4.4.2 Secondary solid waste storage facilities and their handling

Secondary storage facilities refers to different types of solid waste containers which involve keeping
solid waste generated from different households at a common or central point from where collection
vehicles can pick it and transport to final disposal site(Zebenay, 2010). These facilities are provided
by municipality which is responsible for management of the city solid waste. Until early 2014 Dessie
city SBPDD put some public solid waste containers in different areas of the city where frequent
illegal dumping of waste was mostly occurred, and in areas where high population density is
assumed to exist. But this operation caused odor and dust problems. Residents around those
containers were highly exposed and attacked by different solid waste caused diseases. This is mainly
due to lifter truck being out of service, absence of frequent collection of those public solid waste
containers, and misuse of the society.

However, for solving problem of secondary storage facility, the city SBPDD prepared 9 communal
solid waste accumulation sites called transfer stations. Presently, these are located in:

• Arada (kebelle 03)

• Around Catholic high school (kebelle 10)
• Behind Kidame Gebeya high school (kebelle 07)
• In front of Memhir Akale Wold preparatory school (kebelle 09)
• Near Hotie high and preparatory school (kebelle 06) on the left side of tekilahymanot
church.
• In front of Zemagel primary school (kebelle 09)
• In front of Fasika hotel (kebelle 05)
• Behind Gion hotel (kebelle 05)
• Nearby W/o Sihine TVT college (kebelle 05).

33
These sites are found at the edge of main roads in order to make such places accessible for
transportation. However, in many cases those transfer stations are not well designed, not protected
from rain and sun. They are just road side open dumps without any health and aesthetic impact
considerations and optimum travel distance of beneficiaries. So, those sites are created bad smell,
unsightly urban picture, and deterioration of the neighborhood.

Picture 4.5: Typical solid wastes transfer stations and their respective users (MSSE solid waste
collectors). Source: field survey, 2014

34
4.5 Solid Waste Separation, Processing and Recovery Activities in Dessie city
In this study solid waste separation, processing and recovery activities at source and by municipality
refer all activities or efforts of separation of recyclable, reusable, compostable wastes to sell or to
recover resources by themselves. Practicing these types of activities is very important to waste
generators as well as municipality since it minimizes cost of disposal, generates revenue, and
prolongs lifespan of disposal site. This is one of the reasons why solid waste managers in many parts
of the world are now exploring ways to reduce flow of biodegradable and recyclable materials to
landfill sites. However, in the case of Dessie city such activities are found at a very grass root level
without any significant outcome and progress. Generally, in the following sections we will see the
separation, processing and recovery activities both at the households and SBPDD level of the city.

4.5.1 Solid Waste Separation, Processing and Recovery Activities by SBPDD

Even though the rapid pace of urbanization of Dessie city and parallel increment of its solid waste
volume are adding burden to SBPDD of the city , the existing waste composition of the city which
carries a high potential for composting create a better chance to municipality for undertaking
environmentally as well as economically viable solid waste management. SBPDD understands this
potential resource and included it as one strategic plan of the department. However, contrary to their
strategic plan SBPDD is not carried out any type of composting activity. Towards recycling and
reusing the department does not also made any attempt, rather it totally engaged in collection,
transfer, and final disposal of solid waste as the only means of municipal solid waste management.
This is attributed to lack commitment, finance, material, and manpower resource.

Furthermore, to fill this gap the department did not also play any role in organizing, encouraging,
and giving incentives to different stake holders such as informal workers, private investors, NGOs,
and communities to participate in such activities. For instance, in the city there is a recycling activity
held by hand crafts through scavenging recyclable materials using informal waste collector called
Quraleos. They located in Arada (kebelle 03) and used metal, tin, cans, oil containers, etc to produce
a variety of materials like container, fuel saving stove which is called ‘laketch”. But, there is no
recognition and support given by SBPDD.

35
Picture 4.8: Partial view of handicrafts recycling activity in Dessie city around Arada. Source: field
survey, 2014

36
 CHAPTER FIVE

ANALYSIS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SITE

5.1 Existing Situation and Management of Solid Waste Disposal Site

Solid waste collection and transportation is not an end to solid waste management. Proper solid
waste management also requires proper disposal of waste in a proper place. In sight of this Dessie
city solid waste disposal site and its management is inadequate and below the standard. The site
called Membere Tsehay is located at 2 km far from the center and generally described as open and
unsanitary landfill site. Under such condition the site has been functioning for the last 16 years.

Landfill site selection involves proper study of the site in relation to its topography, slope,
permeability, hydrology, accessibility, distance from incompatible land uses and acceptance by the
local community. In this regard, Membere Tsehay landfill site qualifies none of the above criteria
except being a low lying ground (naturally created gorge). The site is also characterized by poor road
infrastructure; especially in rainy seasons the problem is highly intensified. The site on average
receives about 32 m solid wastes with normal daily truck trip. The bottom line here is that the site

37
has various health and environmental problems. Some of the major problems associated with this
unsanitary open landfill include:

1. Indiscriminate solid waste disposal posed serious environmental and health risks especially
hazardous medical wastes of hospitals and health care units.
2. Due to high methane gas in the site, there is frequent fire which is a threat to human safety
and cause of air pollution.
3. Odor is also another problem at the disposal site which diminishes the quality of fresh air in
the surrounding area and causes residents be affected by different respiratory diseases.
4. There is high leachate generation from the site which has high potential for soil and ground
water as well as surface water contamination. For example, the site is bounded by Borkena
River (square fuafuatie) in the southern direction and the leachate is directly flow and joins in
to this river this leads to for ground water pollution because when the river reachs to plained
area that leached and polluted the ground water, as result of ground water internal migration
the population not only in dessie but also in Ethiopia and throughout the world affected by
cancer. In addition, dumped solid waste of the site also goes to this river by water and wind
erosion. As a result of this, health of the surrounding residents and inhabitants is highly
affected. Especially those households who living at the lower part of the river are subjected to
different health problems since they use the river for agricultural as well as washing purpose.
5. The site is open to human scavengers and animals like monkey, dogs, goats, and sheep. This
situation caused solid waste scattering to the surrounding and posing health risk on the local
community.

38
Picture 4.12: Partial view of Membere Tshehay solid waste disposal site. Source: field survey, 2014

39
 5.2 Street Sweeping Activity in Dessie city

In addition to collection of solid waste from transfer stations, street sweeping is also included
in municipal solid waste management service offered by SBPDD of Dessie city. The city has
around 33.4 km asphalt roads. Street sweeping takes place every day since it needs to be done
more frequently because of no street dustbins and regular generation of solid wastes like
pieces of paper, residual vegetables and fruits such as banana, orange etc. The street sweepers
are separately spaced on streets, and clean roads using brooms that gifted from the
department. After cleaning they used wheelbarrows to collect piles of solid wastes from
streets, and then most commonly they burn it in gullies around streets, load into municipality
truck if it comes while doing their work. However, much of the residents of the town are only
stressed to protect their home but they do not care for others. Whatever the case may be, it is
becoming a common problem both for local people and municipality.

Picture 4.10: Partial view of indiscriminately dispose solid wastes in streets. Source: field survey,
2014

40
Solid waste management in cities
Increase in population and urbanization was also largely responsible for the increase in solid waste.
Garbage generated in households can be recycled and reused to prevent creation of waste at source
and reducing amount of waste thrown into the community dustbins.

Four R’s (Refuse, Reuse, Recycle, and Reduce) to be followed for waste management

 Refuse: Instead of buying new containers from the market, use the ones that are in the
house. Refuse to buy new items though you may think they are prettier than the ones you
already have.
 Reuse: Do not throw away the soft drink cans or the bottles; cover them with homemade
paper or paint on them and use them as pencil stands or small vases.
 Recycle: Use shopping bags made of cloth or jute, which can be used over and over
again. Segregate your waste to make sure that it is collected and taken for recycling
convert to new product.
 Reduce: Reduce the generation of unnecessary waste, e.g. carry your own shopping bag
when you go to the market and put all your purchases directly into it.

TREATMENT OF MUNICIPAL WASTES

Treatment and disposal of municipal waste

As cities are growing in size with a rise in the population, the amount of waste generated is
increasing becoming unmanageable. There are different methods for the disposal of this waste . Open
dumps, landfills, sanitary landfills, and incineration plants. One of the important methods of waste
treatment is composting.

Open dumps

Open dumps refer to uncovered areas that are used to dump solid waste of all kinds. The waste is
untreated, uncovered, and not segregated. It is the breeding ground for flies, rats, and other insects
that spread disease. The rainwater run-off from these dumps contaminates nearby land and water
thereby spreading disease.

Landfills

Landfills are generally located in urban areas where a large amount of waste is generated and has to
be dumped in a common place. Unlike an open dump, it is a pit that is dug in the ground. The
garbage is dumped and the pit is covered thus preventing the breeding of flies and rats. At the end of
each day, a layer of soil is scattered on top of it and some mechanism, usually earth-moving
equipment is used to compress the garbage, which now forms a cell. Thus, every day, garbage is

41
dumped and becomes a cell. After the landfill is full, the area is covered with a thick layer of mud
and the site can thereafter be developed as a parking lot or a park. Landfills have many problems. All
types of waste are dumped in landfills and when water seeps through them it gets contaminated and
in turn pollutes the surrounding area. This contamination of groundwater and soil through landfills is
known as leaching.

Sanitary landfills
An alternative to landfills which will solve the problem of leaching to some extent, is a sanitary
landfill which is more hygienic and built in a methodical manner. These are lined with materials that
are impermeable such as plastics and clay, and are also built over impermeable soil. Constructing
sanitary landfills is very costly and they are having their own problems. Some authorities claim that
often the plastic liner develops cracks as it reacts with various chemical solvents present in the waste.

The rate of decomposition in sanitary landfills is also extremely variable. This can be due to the fact
that less oxygen is available as the garbage is compressed very tightly. It has also been observed that
some biodegradable materials do not decompose in a landfill. Another major problem is the
development of methane gas, which occurs when little oxygen is present, i.e. during anaerobic
decomposition. In some countries, the methane being produced from sanitary landfills is tapped and
sold as fuel.

Incineration plants
This process of burning waste in large furnaces is known as incineration. In these plants the
recyclable material is segregated and the rest of the material is burnt. At the end of the process all
that is left behind is ash. During the process some of the ash floats out with the hot air. This is called
fly ash. Both the fly ash and the ash that is left in the furnace after burning have high concentrations
of dangerous toxins such as dioxins and heavy metals. Disposing of this ash is a problem. The ash
that is buried at the landfills leaches the area and cause severe contamination.

Burning garbage is not a clean process as it produces tons of toxic ash and pollutes the air and water.
A large amount of the waste that is burnt here can be recovered and recycled. In fact, at present,
incineration is kept as the last resort and is used mainly for treating the infectious waste.

42
Sanitary Landfills -- Site Selection
Best sites have natural conditions to ensure reasonable safety in disposal of solid waste: little (or
acceptable) pollution of groundwater and surface water. must consider climate, hydrology, geology,
& human conditions (or combinations of all).

Factors controlling the feasibility of sanitary landfills:

 Topographic relief
 Location of the Groundwater table
 Amount of precipitation
 Type of soil and rock
 Location of the disposal zone in the surface-water and groundwater flow system

Arid Regions

The best sites are in arid regions, above water table.Relatively safe, regardless of whether burial
material is permeable or impermeable, little or no leachate.

Waste disposal site where the refuse is buried above the water table
over a fractured rock aquifer.
Low potential for serious pollution because leachate is partially degraded by natural filtering as it
infiltrates through the unsaturated zone down to the water table. Dispersion of contaminant confined
to fracture zones.

Problems if:
 Higher water table
 Thinner cover material, Cover material has moderate to high hydraulic conductivity

43
Solid waste disposal site where waste is buried above the water table in permeable
material with high hydraulic conductivity.
Leachate can migrate down to fractured bedrock (limestone).and high potential for groundwater
pollution due to many open and connected fractures in the rock.

Leachate;moves quickly through sand & gravel, and Enters limestone, transported through open
cavities and fractures also has little degradation.

Sanitary Landfills -- Site Selection Guidelines

Poor or Unacceptable Landfill Sites:

 Limestone or highly fractured rock quarries, and sand and gravel pits (because they are
good aquifer materials)
 Swampy areas, unless properly drained
 Floodplains, absolutely not acceptable
 Areas near coast; trash or leachate will pollute beaches and coastal marine waters
 Any area with high hydraulic conductivity and high WT

Acceptable Landfill Sites:

 In rough topography, areas near heads of gullies, where surface water is at a minimum
 Clay pits, if kept dry.
 Flat areas, if a layer with low hydraulic conductivity (aquitard, clay and silt) is present above
any aquifer.

Design of Sanitary Landfills -- complex, with multiple barriers: clay liner, leachate collection system,
and a compacted clay cap.

44
 Map View Cross Section

Fig Idealized diagram of a landfill with a double liner of clay and plastic, and a leachate collection
system:

Monitoring Sanitary Landfills

Must begin monitoring the movement of groundwater before operating the site, then continued
monitoring of movement of leachate and gases

Hazardous pollutants can enter the environment many ways

 Gases CH4, NH3, H2S, N2 go to the atmosphere.

 Heavy metals Pb, Cr, & Fe are retained in the soil.
 Soluble chlorides, nitrates, & sulfates go to groundwater,
 More pathways.

45
Fig distribution of hazardous pollutant through the environment

RECYCLING AND REUSE

Recycling involves the collection of used and discarded materials processing these materials and
making them into new products. It reduces the amount of waste that is thrown into the community
dustbins thereby making the environment cleaner and the air more fresh to breathe.

The steps involved in the process prior to recycling include

a) Collection of waste from doorsteps, commercial places, etc.

b)Collection of waste from community dumps.

c) Collection/picking up of waste from final disposal sites and some of the items can be recycled and
reused.

46
FLOW CHART RECYCLING PLASTIC WASTE

Waste recycling has some significant advantages.

 It leads to less utilization of raw materials.

 reduces environmental impacts arising from waste treatment and disposal.

 makes the surroundings cleaner and healthier.

 saves on landfill space.

 saves money.

 Reduces the amount of energy required to manufacture new products.

 In fact recycling can prevent the creation of waste at the source.

47
Major problems associated with the disposal site:
 The site is getting full.
 Surrounded by housing areas and institutions.
 Nuisance and health hazard for people living nearby.
 Waste pickers per day, interfering with the work.
 No daily cover with soil.
 No leachate containment or treatment.
 No rainwater drain-off.
 No odor or vector control.
 No fence.

48
 CHAPTER SIX

6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 Conclusion

This paper has attempted to analyze the solid waste disposal site of desie city around membere
tsehay, In sight of this Dessie city solid waste disposal site and its management is inadequate and
below the standard. The site called Membere Tsehay is located at 2 km far from the center and
generally described as open and unsanitary landfill site. Under such condition the site has been
functioning for the last 16 years. the site is bounded by Borkena River (square fuafuatie) in the
southern direction and the leachate is directly flow and joins in to this river this leads to for ground
water pollution because when the river reachs to plained area that leached and polluted the ground
water, as result of ground water internal migration the population not only in dessie but also in
Ethiopia and throughout the world affected by cancer. In addition, dumped solid waste of the site
also goes to this river by water and wind erosion. As a result of this, health of the surrounding
residents and inhabitants is highly affected. especially those households who living at the lower part
of the river are subjected to different health problems since they use the river for agricultural as well
as washing purpose.

Disposal site selection involves proper study of the site in relation to its topography, slope,
permeability, hydrology, accessibility, distance from incompatible land uses and acceptance by the
local community. In this regard, Membere Tsehay open dump site qualifies none of the above criteria
except being a low lying ground (naturally created gorge). The site is also characterized by poor road
infrastructure; the status and spatial coverage of municipal solid waste management service of Dessie
city in general. These investigations were addressed by employing field observation, field
measurement, semi structured and unstructured interview with the workers of SBPDD, and
reviewing published and unpublished documents.

The principal sources of municipal solid wastes in Dessie city are residences, commercial areas,
street sweeping, institutions, and small scale industries. However, the considerable amount of solid
waste of the city (60%) is generated from residential areas. Though this source has such large

49
dominance, the cities SBPDD didn’t make frequent and ongoing inspections on its solid waste
composition and generation rate.
According to this study about 75.6 % of residential areas solid waste is composed of biodegradable
solid wastes such as ash, dust, and food waste. This composition is very suitable to make compost.
This is the best way of sustainable solid waste management both in terms of economic and
environmental value. But, there is no activity made by the city SBPDD, as well as other actors
towards application of this potential resource.

This study also indicated that Dessie city municipal solid waste management service is very weak in
terms of status, spatial coverage and solid waste management facility. Presently, in the city there are
no more public solid waste storage containers and road side dust bins. As substitution of these
facilities there are 9 communal solid waste transfer stations that give service only to MSSE waste
collectors.

Those stations are located at the edge of main roads, and they are not well designed. Simply they are
road side open dumps without any health, aesthetic and environmental impact considerations.
Besides this, those transfer stations are also characterized by uneven distribution both in terms of
distance from beneficiaries. the status and spatial coverage of this service is very unsatisfactory, only
covers residents who are living in the center of the city and along accessible streets. Whereas the
transfer stations collection method is directly performed by the SBPDD using its collection
truck.only 23.51% of the municipal solid waste of the city is collected and transported to Member
Tshehay disposal site of the city. As a result of this, huge amounts of uncollected solid wastes are
indiscriminately disposed in unauthorized areas. In addition to poor solid waste collection and
transportation practice, the city disposal site is also found in unacceptable and very risky situation.
Because, it is simply naturally created gorge rather than manually prepared solid waste dumping
through environmental, economic and social impact considerations.

Finally, this research investigated three main factors for the existing poor status of solid waste
disposal site and municipal solid waste management service of Dessie city . These are:

1. Very weak institutional arrangement and capacity of sanitation, beautification and parks
development department.

50
Structurally, SBPDD is twisted by: long bureaucracy and delay in implementation of activities, lack
of practical decentralization of power and regular interference of higher officials, absence of kebelle
specific structure of the department, and high burden of work with three significant services (liquid
waste management, town beautification and park development, and solid waste management). In
terms of capacity, very poor institutional capacity of the department is arising out of:

• very low financial capacity

• absence of cost recovery mechanism and financial autonomy
• insufficient manpower resource
• low motivation and productivity of workers due to failure to address fundamental
need of workers
• scarcity of solid waste management facilities
• weak enforcement of rules and regulations
• fragile networks and linkage of the department with other sectors and organizations
mandate restrictions of the department

2. Very poor solid waste management practices of the city households

The first weakness of households is poor handling of temporary storage material of their house. I.e.
they drop out solid waste around it. They also exposed it to rain and light, did not well covered, and
placed near to residence. Second, the greater part of the city households didn’t separately store solid
wastes other than salable and exchangeable with Liwach and Quraleos. They did not also carry out
sustainable solid management activities such as recycling, reusing and composting. Apart from this
they regularly apply illegal solid waste disposal. Moreover, they have also low emphasis to clean
their surrounding area and nearby road.

3. Very limited participation and contribution of stakeholders

The provision of municipal solid waste management of the city is dominantly performed by
municipality with very limited contribution of MSSE, solid waste miners and handcrafts, and
communities. Besides this, there is no involvement of CBOs, NGOs, and private sector.

51
RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings of this study, the following measures are very important to overcome solid
waste disposal site and MSWM problems of Dessie city:

1. Education related measures

 The residents of Dessie city have low awareness and knowledge about solid waste management
issues. This clearly indicates the need of wider public awareness creation activities. So that the
SBPDD as well as health office of the town should deliver adequate training and awareness
creation to residents about side effects of solid waste, and application of sustainable solid waste
management practices. In this case, there is a need to give special attention to women who are
the most powerful change agent.

2. Institution related measures

9 Give majority of MSWM related mandates to SBPDD of the town since the fundamental part
of MSWM activities are performed by this body.
9 Prepare sound SBPDD institutional arrangement that is free from high interference of higher
officials and bureaucracy, which have both horizontal and vertical integration and kebelle
specific teams, allows stakeholders participation, and characterized by real decentralization of
tasks and authority.
9 The town SBPDD should give priority to fulfill infrastructure facilities i.e. place back the
public solid waste containers and introduce dust bins with a close supervision, frequent
emptying of waste and even distribution.
9 Organize efficient controlling mechanism and sanitation agent to prevent illegal solid waste
disposal
9 Increase SBPDD revenue through employing different revenue means like introducing user
charges, penalties for persons who illegally dispose their waste, employing resource recovery
activities, and government subsidies. But the department should also introduce cost accounting
financial monitoring and financial evaluation.

52
 9 Improve solid waste collection by preparing permanent programs, increasing the number of
collection trucks, by employing other methods of collection like block and curbside collections,
control and supervision field workers, increase human resource of the department, increase the
number and strength of MSSEs.
9 Improve the number and productivity of sanitation workers by giving reasonable salary
increment, perdiam payment, moral respect, training, promotion opportunities, changing their
requirement type, and providing health insurance and health protection facilities
9 Prepare specified rules and regulations that focused on local problems such as institutional
issues about the town’s MSWM service responsible body, stakeholder’s participation and
sustainable solid waste management options, and strictly enforce this rules and regulation
under close supervision and inter organizational linkage.

3. Stakeholder related measures

™ SBPDD open its door to private sectors and also ensure their involvement in planning and
implementation of municipal solid waste management activities.
™ Promote and initiate communities and different CBOs of the town to involve in solid waste
management. In addition organize voluntary groups that work on MSWM through giving
different incentives and providing necessary equipments that used for solid waste management
™ SBPDD of the town create interaction with NGOs and donor agencies and watch these bodies
as partner for delivery of MSWM, because they are one means’s to get financial support for
purchasing different solid waste management facilities, managerial and technical skill building
trainings. In addition, they can also provide awareness rising and skill building support to
community based groups (Iddirs, youth, and women), informal sectors, formal sectors, and also
to the SBPDD itself.
™ Recognizing and encouraging the emerging role of handcrafts through reduction of taxes, and
by providing space and equipments to produce recycled materials and creation of market for it.

53
 REFERENCES
• Abebe Arega, (2010). Employment, Income and Societal Perception of the Traditional Metal-work
Handicraft Enterprises in Dessie, Ethiopia
• Abebe Tegegne, (2006). The Involvement of Micro and Small Enterprises in Solid Waste
Management Services in Addis Ababa: The Case of Bole and Arada Sub-cities, Ethiopia
• Abeje Hiruy, (2009). An Assessment of Institutional Capacity for Municipal Solid Waste
Management: The Case of Sanitation, Beautification and Parks Development Agency of the
City of Government of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Abel Afon, (2007). An Analysis of Solid Waste Generation in a Traditional African city: the
Example of Ogbomoso, Nigeria International Institute for Environment and Development.
• Achankeng Eric, (2004). Sustainability in Municipal Solid Waste Management in Bameda and
Yaounde, Cameroon, University of Adelaide
• Ahmed S, Ali M., (2002). Partnerships for Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries:
Linking Theories to Realities a Water and Sanitation Program-South Asia, Bangladesh.
• Amhara National Regional State, (2000). The Hygiene and Environmental Health Rule and
Regulation of Amhara Regional State
• Amhara National Regional State, (2002). The Hygiene and Environmental Health Rule and
Regulation of Amhara Regional State
• Cunningham, (2008).Principles of Environmental Science Inquiry and Applications.4th edition,
McGraw Hill International Edition, USA.
• Degnet Abebaw, (2003). Determinants of Solid Waste Disposal Practices in Urban Areas of
Ethiopia: A Household-level Analysis. Project Muse Scholarly Journals, Ethiopian
Economic Association/Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute, vol.xxiv(1),
AddisAbaba, Ethiopia. Retrievedfromhttp://www.muse.uq.edu.au/journals/eastern-
africasocial-science-research-review/v024/24.1ejigie.pdf
• Dereje Tadesse, (2001). Financial Urban Infrastructure and Services in Ethiopia: The Case of
Solid Waste Management in Adama Town, Ethiopia
• Dessie city Administration Office Magazine, (2009).
• Dessie city Education Office Report,2010
• Dessie city Finance and Economic Development Office Annual Budget Report (FEDO), (2009).
•

Dessie Town Health Office Annual Report, (2009).

• Dessie Town Sanitation, Beautification and Parks Development Department (SBPDD) Report,
(2009). Annual Planned and Executed Activities Report on Solid Waste Management
Practice in Dessie Town, Ethiopia.
• Dessie Town Sanitation, Beautification and Parks Development Department (SBPDD) Report,
(2010). Annual Planned and Executed Activities Report on Solid Waste Management
Practice in Dessie Town, Ethiopia.
• Dessie Town Sanitation, Beautification and Parks Development Department (SBPDD) Strategic
Plan, (2011). Solid Waste Management Plan
• Enger and Smith, (2008). Environmental Science a Study of Interrelationship. 11th edition,
McGraw
Hill International Edition.USA
• Federal Negarit Gazeta, (2007).Solid Waste Proclamation Number 513/2007, Ethiopia.
• G/ Tsadkan G/ Michal, (2002). Domestic Solid Waste Management in Mekelle City: Tigray
Region, Ethiopia.
• Gebrie Kassa,(2009). Management of Domestic Solid Waste in Bahirdar Town: Operational
Analysis and Assessment of Constraints that Affect Solid Waste Management, Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia.
• Gidarakos E., Havas G., Ntzamilis P., (2005). Municipal Solid Waste Composition Determination
Supporting the Integrated Solid Waste Management System in the Island of Crete, Greece.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency Institute for International Cooperation (JICAIIC),(2005)
Supporting Capacity Development for Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries,
Towards Improving Solid Waste Management Capacity of Entire Society, Japan. Retrieved from
(http://www.jica.go.jp)
• Martin Medina, (2000). Globalization, Development, and Municipal Solid Waste Management in
Third World Cities, Mexico
• Meenakshi p., (2005). Elements of Environmental Science and Engineering, Prentice Hall of India
Private limited, India
• Melaku Tegegn, (2008). Household Solid Waste Generation Rate and Physical Composition
Analysis, in Jimma Town, Ethiopia
•

• Miller G., (2007). Living in the Environment. 5th Edition, International Student Edition, USA.
NshimiIrimana Jules, (2004) Attitudes and Behavior of Low-Income Households towards the
Management of Domestic Solid Waste in Tafelsing, Mitchell’s Plain. A Master Thesis,
University of the Western Cape, Development Studies in the Institute of Social
Development. Retrieved from http://etd.Uwc.ac.za/usrfiles/Modules/etd/docs/etd-init-
1668-1176902514.pdf.
• Obeng Peter, Donkor Emmanuel and Mensah Anthony, (2008). Assessment of Institutional
Structures for Solid Waste Management in Kumasi, Ghana
• Ogawa H. , (2002) Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries, Western
Pacific Regional Environmental Health Centre (EHC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Retrieved from
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/waste/swm-fogawa1.htm
• Ramachandra V. and Bachamanda S., (2006). Environmental Audit of Municipal Solid Waste
Management: Technical Report 118, 2006. Retrieved from
http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/pubs/ces-tr/TR118-spoonacha/index.htm
• Samuel Shimelis, (2006). Commercial Solid Waste Generation and Composition Analysis: Arada
Sub city, Addis Ababa
• Schertenleib R. and Meyer W, (1992). Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing
Countries; Problems and Issues
• Schubeler Peter, (1996). Conceptual Framework for Municipal Solid Waste Management in Low
Income Countries: Urban Management Program Working Paper No. 9, Nairobi Kenya.
• Schubeler, Wehrle and Christen, (1996). Conceptual Framework for Municipal Solid Waste
Management in Low-Income Countries: Urban Management Program Working Paper No.9,
Kenya.Retrievedfromhttp://www.worldbank.org/urban/solid_wm/erm/CWG
%20folder/ conceptualframework.df
• Sileshi Abbi, (2004). The Effect of Landslides on the Urban Development of Dessie, Southern
Wollo: a Case Study in Physical Geography, Ethiopia
• Smith, (2010). What is Solid Waste Management? Retrieved from(http://www.wise greek.com/
what-is-solid-waste-managment.htm) web page accessed, august15)
• Solomon Asrat, (2006). Solid Waste Management: A Case Study of Household Solid Waste
Management in Arada Sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
•

• Techobanglous George, (2002).Handbook of Solid Waste Management. 2th edition, McGraw hill
International Edition, USA
UNEP, (1996). International Source Book on Environmentally Sound Technologies for Municipal
Solid Waste Management. UNEP Technical Publication 6, Nov. 1996.Retrieved from
(http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/estdir/pub/msw/). web page accessed, august18
• UNEP, (2009). Developing Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan: Training Manual for
Assessment of Current Waste Management System and Gaps therein, Volume 2, Osaka/
Shiga, Japan.Retrievedfromhttp://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/publications/spc/ISWMplan-vol2.pdf
• United Kingdom (UK) Environmental Protection Act, (1990). Definition of Waste: Wikipedia, the
Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/waste
• Uriate J. and Filemon A, (2008). Solid Waste Management and Practices
• Watson Adam,(2004) An Examination of Vietnam’s Urban Waste Management Capacity: A
Research Paper Submitted in Conformity with the Requirements for the Degree of Master
of Arts, University of Toronto
• Zebenay Kassa, (2010). The Challenges of Solid Waste Management in Urban Areas, the Case of
Debremarkos Town, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
• Zerbock Olar, (2003). Urban Solid Waste Management: Waste Reduction in Developing Nations:
for the Requirements of Field Engineering, in the Developing World School of Forest
Resources & Environmental Science, Master’s International Program ,Michigan
Technological University. Retrievedfromhttp://www.cee.mtu.edu/ sustainableengineering/
resources/technical/wastereduction-and-incineration.FINAL,pdf\
• Zurbrug C., (2003). Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries. Retrieved from
http://www.eawag.ch/organisation/abteilungen/sandec/publikationens-swm/downloads
swm/basicsofSWM.pdf