Environmental Impacts of Solid Waste Management Practices in Kiharu Sub- County, Murang'a County, Kenya
| dc.contributor.author | Murunga, P. K | |
| dc.contributor.author | Muriuki, S. W | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-01-13T09:09:59Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-01-13T09:09:59Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-08-28 | |
| dc.description | Journal Article | |
| dc.description.abstract | Waste management is a global concern due to the amount of waste produced. Globally, 2.01 billion tons of solid waste is produced annually with 33 percent of waste not managed safely. By 2050 waste generated is predicted to increase to 3.40 billion tons annually. Despite the weight of these threats on ecological balance, limited research has been conducted regarding the evaluation of the degree of which poor solid waste management practices influence the environment. Understanding the scale and seriousness of these effects is essential for planning powerful waste administration procedures, strategy execution, and local area commitment initiatives. This research therefore assesses the environmental impact of waste management in Kiharu Constituency in Murang’a County, Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional quantitative research design. The study targeted 19,404 households in Kiharu-sub-county and from it a sample of 200 was obtained. A total of 186 responded translating to a 93.0% response rate which was sufficient for analysis. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire where collected data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 27.0. Descriptive statistical analysis was then conducted where statistics such as mean, frequency, standard deviation and percentage were produced. Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis were used under inferential analysis to examine the significance, strength and direction of the association between waste management practices and the environmental impact. The findings of the study established that there were various wastes that were disposed in Kiharu where food wastes, construction wastes, tire wastes and agricultural wastes were identified as the most common types of solid wastes disposed. Others included Chemical and electronic wastes while industrial and biomedical wastes were present but not very common in the area. The study also established that the community used open landfills and burning waste management practices although they were not effective as they led to degradation of the environment. However, they had adopted reuse, recycling, avoidance and minimization of waste disposal, composting and energy recovery as effective waste management practices. The study also established that there was significant and positive association between solid waste management practices and the environmental impact. The findings indicated that if the wastes generated by humans were well managed through practices would lead to a better environment that is clean and healthy. The study recommended adoption of recycling and re-use methods by setting up recycling centers, awareness creation such as public training and campaigns to the community encouraging households and communities to manage their wastes efficiently, and also reduce reliance on burning and landfills. Lastly, the study recommended the use of modern waste handling equipment to enhance the efficiency and safety of waste management operations | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Murunga, P. K., & Muriuki, S. W. (2024). Environmental impacts of solid waste management practices in Kiharu Sub-County, Murang’a County, Kenya. Quest Journals: Journal of Research in Environmental and Earth Sciences, 10(8), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.35629/2532-100894103 (doi.org in Bing) | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2348-2532 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/32044 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Journal of Research in Environmental and Earth Sciences | |
| dc.title | Environmental Impacts of Solid Waste Management Practices in Kiharu Sub- County, Murang'a County, Kenya | |
| dc.type | Article |