KENYATTA UNIVERSITY
NAME: MUTURI KAMAU
REG.NO:N80S/17828/2011
UNIT CODE: ESU 304
UNIT NAME: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
SCHOOL: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
LECTURER:
TASK: Select a research topic of your own choice from the field of environmental studies.
, WASTE MANAGEMENT IN MAJOR URBAN CENTRES IN KENYA
INTRODUCTION
Waste is an unwanted or undesirable material or substance. It may consist of the unwanted
materials left over from a manufacturing process or from a community and household activities.
The material may be accumulated or discarded or recycled. Waste management is the collection,
processing or disposal, managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to
materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their
effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Management of non hazardous commercial and
industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the waste generator subject to local, national or
international authorities. This is due to the use of the polluter pay principle where the polluting
party pays for the impact caused to the environment. Major urban centers in Kenya are very
densely populated leading to high volume of wastes released from numerous households within
the cities and effluent from factories and industries.
THE PROBLEM
The problem intended to be solved with this research study is poor waste management practices
in urban centres in Kenya. It is therefore important to find better practices of waste management
in Kenya. The waste products created by a natural process or organism quickly becomes the raw
products used by other processes and organisms. Recycling is predominant, therefore production
and decomposition are well balanced and nutrient6 cycles continuously support the next cycles
of production. This ensures stability and sustainability in natural systems. On the other hand
there are manmade systems which emphasize the economic values of materials and energy, and
production and consumption are the dominant economic activities. Such systems tend to be
highly destructive of the environment as they require massive consumption of natural capital and
energy, return the end product t to the environment in a form that damages the environment and
requires more natural capital to be consumed .The presence of waste is an indication of
overconsumption and that materials are not being used efficiently. This is carelessly reducing the
earth’s capacity to supply new raw materials in the future. The main problem is the sheer volume
of waste being produced and how we deal with it.
POOR WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN URBAN CENTRES IN KENYA
While poor management of solid wastes is a general problem in Kenya, it is probably worst in
Nairobi. It is also the most suitable urban centre for collection of data due to the many sources of
data as compared to other centres in the country.
NAME: MUTURI KAMAU
REG.NO:N80S/17828/2011
UNIT CODE: ESU 304
UNIT NAME: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
SCHOOL: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
LECTURER:
TASK: Select a research topic of your own choice from the field of environmental studies.
, WASTE MANAGEMENT IN MAJOR URBAN CENTRES IN KENYA
INTRODUCTION
Waste is an unwanted or undesirable material or substance. It may consist of the unwanted
materials left over from a manufacturing process or from a community and household activities.
The material may be accumulated or discarded or recycled. Waste management is the collection,
processing or disposal, managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to
materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their
effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Management of non hazardous commercial and
industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the waste generator subject to local, national or
international authorities. This is due to the use of the polluter pay principle where the polluting
party pays for the impact caused to the environment. Major urban centers in Kenya are very
densely populated leading to high volume of wastes released from numerous households within
the cities and effluent from factories and industries.
THE PROBLEM
The problem intended to be solved with this research study is poor waste management practices
in urban centres in Kenya. It is therefore important to find better practices of waste management
in Kenya. The waste products created by a natural process or organism quickly becomes the raw
products used by other processes and organisms. Recycling is predominant, therefore production
and decomposition are well balanced and nutrient6 cycles continuously support the next cycles
of production. This ensures stability and sustainability in natural systems. On the other hand
there are manmade systems which emphasize the economic values of materials and energy, and
production and consumption are the dominant economic activities. Such systems tend to be
highly destructive of the environment as they require massive consumption of natural capital and
energy, return the end product t to the environment in a form that damages the environment and
requires more natural capital to be consumed .The presence of waste is an indication of
overconsumption and that materials are not being used efficiently. This is carelessly reducing the
earth’s capacity to supply new raw materials in the future. The main problem is the sheer volume
of waste being produced and how we deal with it.
POOR WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN URBAN CENTRES IN KENYA
While poor management of solid wastes is a general problem in Kenya, it is probably worst in
Nairobi. It is also the most suitable urban centre for collection of data due to the many sources of
data as compared to other centres in the country.
