State of solid wastes in Ambo city: some observations and comments

A brief survey report

Submitted to

Ambo University

Done by: M.I. Zuberi, Akhila S. Nair, S. Hossain Environmental Sciences, Ambo University, Ethiopia

Introduction
Ethiopia is known for its natural beauty and wealth of natural resources. The high mountains and green valleys give the cities and villages a picturesque look. The beautiful city of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is known to the tourists all over the world. The historic town of Ambo is located in the Highlands of Ethiopia. When one roams around the streets of Addis or Ambo, often one faces the unwanted presence of solid wastes along the roads or roadside verges. Except in Addis Ababa, there is no record of solid waste collected regularly from any Ethiopian city and town. Like Addis Ababa, solid waste management is a major challenge facing many of the cities in the developing world. The waste management is poor and solid wastes are dumped along roadsides and into open areas, endangering health, reducing the aesthetic quality and attracting menacing animals. There are few studies on the effects of demographic factors, economic and social status, waste and environmental attributes on household solid waste disposal in Ethiopia or other developing countries.

The Ambo City Waste Pilot Survey

This pilot survey was intended to provide information for the Ambo city community and local government concerning the negative impact of wastes around the roads and surroundings of our city, and to create awareness and to take necessary action for efficient solid waste management. The main road (Ambo Addis Ababa) and the side roads in the City of Ambo were surveyed and the total amounts and types of wastes found were estimated on field visits during the March May of 2011 by a team of four observers. Detail notes were recorded and the resulting data were tabulated. Tables 1 and 2 give the summery of the findings.

Survey team recording data

Results of the survey

The tables indicate that there are appreciable amounts of solid wastes in and around the main and side roads of the city thus creating a big nuisance. The photographs are evidence. Major constituent of the roadside solid wastes are (a) organic domestic materials (above 55 %), (b) plastics (around 22%), (c) paper (around 16 %) and (d) metals, bones, glass etc (only about 4 %). Table 1 Solid waste in Ambo: Main Road both Sides Starting from Traffic Box and ends at Ambo University Gate and from AU Gate to Tele-Communication Road Junction Left Side
No. of Transacts/ Length No. of Spots Clean stretch Total weight (Kg) Plastic total (Kg) Paper total (Kg) Organic total (Kg) Bone, metal, glass total (Kg)

4 Transacts, 400 Meters

17

190 m

174.5

30.5

18.5

118.5

7.0

Percentage
No. of Transacts/ Length Clean stretch Total weight (Kg)

17.5
Plastic total (Kg)

10.6
Paper total (Kg)

67.9
Organic total (Kg)

4.0
Bone, metal, glass total (Kg)

Right Side
No. of Spots

3 Transacts, 300 m

12

350 m

97.0

25.0

22.5

45.5

4.5

Percentage

25.77

23.2

46.91

4.64

Table 2 Solid waste in Ambo: Side Roads from the main road off: telecom office, Microfinance college, bus station, Ambo University gate
Transect (100m x 5m) Spots within transects Total weight (Kg) Plastic total (Kg) Paper total (Kg) Organic total (Kg) Bone, metal, glass total (Kg)

12

69

901.1

112.0

60.0

613.0

110.0

Percentage

12.4

6.7

68.0

12.3

Dumping may lead to death of a river that enlivens Ambo.

Implications of the observations

As common in other developing countries, a large part of the municipal solid waste in Ambo is organic (more than 55%) biodegradable wastes, which originate from households, including peelings from fruit and vegetables, food remnants and leaves.When organic waste decomposes at open spaces, drains, landfills and gets infiltrated with rain a leachate, containing dissolved organic waste extracts, is produced.The organic content of the leachate results in a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), which is a measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed during microbial oxidation of the organic content. Leachate with a high level of BOD may deplete oxygen from receiving groundwater, surface water or other water bodies that the leachate comes in contact with.The suspended organic particles in the leachate may also contribute to the transportation of heavy metals and other pollutants. All these results in surface and ground water pollution, also emissions from degradation of organic material in landfills mainly consist of methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2), but also nitrogen dioxide (NO2) hydrogen sulphide (H2S), and other trace gases, many are harmful and contribute to bad smell. On many occasions signs of open burning was evident, open burning of organic waste

contributes to emissions of methane, CO2, nitrogen oxides and other poisonous gases. Open burning of organic yard waste also results in emission of complex organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are organic particles, which consist of aromatic molecules and some are carcinogenic. The dumping of organic wastes in drains and open landfills serve as a feeding ground for disease carrying pathogens, as well as attracting disease-carrying vectors and rodents. Of concern is, for example, the anopheles mosquito, which transmits malaria. Apart from contamination of air, soil and water, as well as spread of diseases, dumping of organic waste in the streets and other places has an negative impact on the overall landscape picture and results in the place being unattractive rather repulsive. Another important impact of unmanaged solid waste is the emission of Green House Gases. Emissions inventory for all sources recommended by IPCC, emissions from landfills, municipal, and industrial liquid waste is significant especially when left unmanaged like in most developing countries.

Plastic materials becoming deadly to environment

Plastic items are becoming more and more common in all developing countries, Ethiopia not being an exception. Plastics are synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of a wide variety of goods used very commonly nowadays in every households of Ethiopia including Ambo. The property that plastics are durable and light in weight is behind their popularity. But the same reason, they degrade very slowly made them number one enemy of environment.This chemical property that makes plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation and thus create many problems

when they are discarded in the environment. It has been estimated that since the 1950s, billions of tons of plastic have been discarded and may persist for hundreds or even thousands of years in our environment. In many cases we notice people burning plastics not knowing that burning plastic can release very toxic fumes, like commonly used plastic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may create dioxin, a deadly poison. Many different dangerous toxins are released through the fumes which can cause damage to the respiratory system.The damage usually occurs in the nasal, throat, and lung lining and can result in dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing. Prolonged exposure to the fumes can lead to long-term respiratory illnesses, coma, and death. Plastic bags are so common nowadays in Ethiopia, they are given free by every shop owners and we found them in every places scattered, they are the most common item of nature now.These, when in soil stop water percolation and many other natural processes in the soil. Burning the plastic bags is dangerous because they release toxic fumes that lead to impotence, an expert in toxicology has revealed. Dumping that blocks drainage The fumes also lead to birth defects in human beings and wild animals, because toxic agents like dioxins and furans are formed which are very toxic substances, so people around are exposed to dangerous , dioxins and furans are listed among the 12 deadly chemicals, which are referred to as the dirty dozen or POPs, because they have ability to damage and kill living organisms. Other complications that can arise from exposure are cancer, skin and teeth defects. The toxins also affect the endocrine system, which produces hormones that influence biological and chemical reactions in the body.

Other cities and towns in Ethiopia no exception

There are also many reports that solid wastes are the main problem of all Ethiopian towns and villages. Poor solid waste management is causing serious environmental and health problems in Addis Ababa and also in other cities like Bahir Dar, Hosainia. Reports from other towns like Mekelle are also very similar. A recent study made in 2007 indicated that willingness of the community to participate in waste management is weak. . The study indicated that inadequate supply of waste containers and

longer distance to carry increases the probability of waste dumping in open areas and roadsides.Also higher household income decreases the probability of using open areas and roadsides as waste destinations.

What we should do or Recommendations

The management of organic household waste management should be regarded as every ones responsibility in the city, and only an integrated system will be successful. We have to change our behavior our culture, when aiming at changing a common behavior in society it is important to consider to whom we should direct the information. For example some people are more likely to embrace new behaviors and information, and some may have a larger influence on the majority. It is, therefore, our best interest to assess the main groups in the community and find out which group the, awareness generation, education and attention should be focused on. A study from Cameroon, Africa, showed that young men averaging 34 years, were the most motivated to compost organic household waste on a community plant (Folefack 2008). Another study from Ghana revealed that the opinion leaders such as chiefs and elders, youth and womens groups were most successful to influence the households to source-separate of waste and composting. It is clear that gender equity and social status are important aspects that might differ between countries and cultures. Moreover, to enhance co-operation and understanding from different interest groups, benefits should be communicated to all stakeholders even though some might not have a key role in the dispersion of new behaviors. The local government should fortify their waste disposal activities and Federal Government should help with funds and projects. The should be education program: spread of information about urban agriculture to households and city officials, environmental awareness raising, teaching of source separation and management of technologies to all stakeholders, and promotion of compost to farmers. As part of the education program, visits to households are an important way to reach the target

group. It is also recommended that waste management practices be given attention in the formal school education as children are more easily influenced and may take their new knowledge home. There are two favored options for dealing with organic solid waste: composting and biogas production. The benefits from these practices are many. They do not only decrease possible contamination of the environment and reduce health hazards; they also save valuable space at landfills, as well as serving as valuable resources. Using compost as a soil improvement may decrease the need for chemical fertilizers, as well as help to reduce soil erosion and improve the soil structure in agricultural. From a household perspective compost could also improve the conditions for private farming in the backyard and urban agriculture.And biogas provides very needed fuel for domestic and commercial use, plus organic manure. For the sustainable management of organic waste to be long-term successful partnerships, including combined financing from governments and the private sector is essential. Since decentralized management of organic waste often reduce the cost of transportation and disposal for municipalities, the local authorities should share their benefits. The response from households regarding composting activities and waste separation at source is generally low initially.This is commonly associated with land availability, confusion about the separation process and socio-cultural behaviors. It is also a common misconception that the compost always attracts flies and rodents, as well as cause nuisance. Household participation is a crucial aspect for decentralized schemes to succeed and therefore needs to be addressed with heart.Another constraint is relation to household and community participation is how waste is regarded.

Let us try to keep our city Ambo clean and beautiful.

Just a thought to ensure sustainable development as Ethiopia in general and Ambo in particular is joining the developmental race.

State of solid wastes in Ambo city: some observations and comments Submitted to Ambo University By M.I. Zuberi Akhila S. Nair S. Hossain Environmental Sciences Ambo University, Ethiopia Layout K.P. Sivakumar