Women participation in municipal solid waste sorting and recycling

Abstract

Women play an essential role in improvement activities and also in environmental and community urban services. Municipal solid waste management is one of the essential services that any healthy community must have. The objective of this research is to assess the Women Waste Practices (WWP), behaviors, socio demographic conditions, social and economic circumstances and their attitudes toward municipal solid waste sorting and recycling in low-, middle- and high-income areas with a comparison of their quality of waste generated. Collaboration among the Municipality, local NGOs and the private company collecting the solid waste in realizing the pilot project objectives were made. The link between behavior, practices, perception and management of municipal solid waste in the three districts was studied. The results showed that women' cooperation is essential for the longterm success of any project concerning urban services. Positive changes were obtained in terms of behavioral patterns of the households, in particular those who lived in the high- and middle-income areas, while solid waste sorting was not a felt need in low-income area. Moreover; the level of household income is a determinant of the level of education and which is an ingredient in the level of understanding and actual behavior.