Integrated Solid Waste Management Practice and Households ‘Willingness to Pay for Improved Solid Waste Management: The Case of Addis Ababa

Abstract

The study herein identifies the household’s solid waste handling practice in Addis Ababa, their attitude towards it, and their awareness about solid waste. It also examines their willingness to pay and the associated factors. The study selected the Kolfe Keranyo sub-city, and four weredas from the sub-city were selected, which represent all types of residents: high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups. The study employed a semi-structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews to collect data from 388 households. A contingent valuation model is selected to analyze the data. According to the findings, 65% of households are willing to pay BRL 30 for improved solid waste management services. The willingness of the households is influenced by economic variables such as direct income, other side income, and expenditure. The result indicates that the integrated solid waste management system in the city is very weak, and the institutional setup is inappropriate for supporting the system. Moreover, the finding shows a strong link between integrated solid waste components and willingness to pay. Based on the analysis, the study recommends that household awareness about solid waste management should be enhanced, their solid waste handling should be improved, a separate pay system for solid waste should be introduced, and an improved solid waste service accompanied by a new pay system and charge should be realized. Regarding the integrated solid waste management system, the institutional setup should be revised to support the system.