An analysis of domestic solid waste management practices in Ivory Park, City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng Province

• Main Author: Rambuda, Konanani
• Other Authors: Mashilo, Konanani
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2021
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10539/31092

A research report is submitted to the Faculty of Science, at the University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Science degree in Environmental Science, 2020 === Poor domestic solid waste management poses several risks to communities, both directly and indirectly, related to human health and environmental impacts including injury, infection, visual pollution, degrade the land and pollute the ambient air and watercourses. Ivory Park is one of the overcrowded former townships within the City of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, that are rapidly developing due to urbanization and immigration. Overcrowding within Ivory Park has resulted in more poorly managed waste which has attracted rodents, cockroaches and flies, and deterioration of the natural environment (land, air and watercourses). Despite measures such as awareness and recycling programs that have been undertaken to address the issue, poor domestic solid waste management continues to be a problem within this township as it is elsewhere. Questionnaires, key informant interviews and field observations were conducted to investigate the drivers of poor domestic solid waste management and to determine measures to be implemented for sustainable domestic solid waste management within Ivory Park. It is demonstrated in this research study that the main source of poor domestic solid waste management includes domestic overcrowding, insufficient capacity and resources for waste management service provision, and lack of participation of the public in awareness programs and their unwillingness to pay municipal rates. The study also demonstrates the impacts of poor domestic solid waste management within the area, which include environmental pollution, illness associated with waste and pests, and the inability of the area to attract business investment. Several measures have been previously proposed to address the issue of domestic waste management in South Africa. Results from this study suggest the most important measures include the allocation of more funds towards waste management, amendment of existing waste management policy, conducting awareness programs, enforcement of municipal By-laws, timely collection of waste, increase the frequency of waste collection (i.e. twice a week), and placement of waste skips at open spaces that are prone to littering. This study highlights the different possible actions of addressing domestic solid waste management, and the need for collective efforts and participation of different stakeholders === CK2021