Household preferences for improved solid waste management - a case study of Nairobi city

Abstract

This study sought to employ non-marketed goods valuation technique - Choice Modelling (CM) - to determine consumers' preference for improved solid waste management option with different (better) service attributes. This was done through a survey on selected households of Mathare North estate in Nairobi who were interviewed about their socio-economic and demographic characteristics, attitudes and existing situation about solid waste services in the area, and their preference or willingness to pay for improved solid waste services. Analysis of the data employed the use of probit regression to determine the probability of a household with a given set of characteristics choosing the improved solid waste service. The results from the study show that the three sets of characteristics i.e. socioeconomic, demographic and attitudinal factors jointly influence households' preference for improved solid waste management option with better or improved service attributes. Specifically, the number of years of schooling of the household head, household's access to information, household's perception on solid waste, household size and perceived problem associated with the dumpsite in the neighbourhood were statistically significant factors in determining households' preference for improved solid waste management option. An important contribution of this study is to minimize the problem of mismatch in terms of services that can be supplied by service providers (i.e., sanitary landfills vs. open landfills options, less and regular vs. more but irregular collection frequencies, conventional open trucks vs. compactor e.t.c.) and what the public really wants and is willing to pay for. Therefore public and private policy-makers should incorporate the demand-side information into the design of municipal solid wastes (MSW) services/attributes and, fee schedules. They should also design programs to increase households' participation to reduce wastes at source