Author(s)

Patrick Fayia Kanty¹, Mohamed Yateh¹, Yongji Zhang^1,2*

¹College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
²State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

Freetown which is the capital city of Sierra Leone is facing challenges with population growth, urbanization, and industrialization, leading to an increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. The study aims to evaluate MSW generation, composition, and disposal methods, as well as the impact of collection fees, policy implementation, and women’s participation in municipal solid waste management (MSWM). The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection and analysis. The study administered 393 structured questionnaires in three selected sections to collect data on variables such as family size, education, level of knowledge, etc. The study used door-to-door data collection to determine the rate of solid waste generation, composition, and disposal in 66 households from two of the selected sections and 34 households from the other section to evaluate the current situation of MSWM practices among households in Freetown. The study used a descriptive statistic to analyze the data collected using Origin-Pro9 and MS Excel software. The findings showed that with a 4.2% urban growth rate, Freetown had a population of 1,467,543 in 2023, generating 851 tons of MSW per day, with organic waste accounting for 78% of the total MSW generated. Plastic waste generation also increased from 7.6% in 2020 to 13% in 2023. The study emphasizes the need to sustain the MSWM system by prioritizing solid waste collection fees, policy enforcement, and women’s participation in the MSWM sector. It further suggests and provides recommendations for developing an efficient and sustainable MSWM system in Sierra Leone, including knowledge transfer from countries like China and the US.

Freetown, Municipal Solid Waste Management, Waste Composition, Waste Disposal, Waste Generation

Kanty, P. , Yateh, M. and Zhang, Y. (2024) Current Situation Analysis and Suggestions for Solid Waste Management Practices among Households in Freetown. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 12, 95-109. doi: 10.4236/gep.2024.123006.