**11. Conclusions**

The study evaluated the practice of waste separation and 3R's which are critical for attaining sustainable SWM. The challenges for implementing these principles on the part of households, private providers and local administrations perspective are identified.

The research upheld the theoretical base of sustainable SWM. As shown in the literature, a waste management system needs to be tuned to the local conditions and feasible from a technical, environmental, social, economic, financial, institutional and political perspective [46]. It should be able to maintain itself over time without exhausting the resources upon which it depends. This is highly dependent on the preparation of an enabling environment and implementation of waste separation and

3R's principles. The finding shows that waste minimisation is not really adhered due to lack of knowledge at the household level. More importantly, the households, private solid waste collectors and informal waste collectors are not mobilised towards waste separation and 3R's implementation. The current SWC contractual obligation fails to enforce waste separation and 3R's principles and achieve sustainable SWM. However, economic incentives play a more important role than ecological considerations in separating and channelling reusable and recyclable items from the waste stream at household level. Informal waste pickers and households selling recyclable waste are driven by their need of earning money. These actors supply materials for reprocessing with the absence of legitimate strategy and regulations. The recyclable rejects could have been eventually alight into usable products and fertilisers for which there is unending demand. This has made the market for recyclable materials insufficient and the recycling loop unclosed. Thus, mostly it remains in the dark.

There is no integration for implementing waste separation and 3R's principles among actors. In each city, there is a practice of waste muddling which affects environmental sustainability. There are gaps to apply waste prevention and reduction principles through utilising composition and suitability of the waste for certain types of treatments. Consequently, against the popular sustainability concept of people, planet and profit (as shown in the conceptual framework), the waste in the disposal site in each city forms a large pile. This poses health risks to the society that ultimately could affect the air and water supply on planet sustainability. Besides, the existing SWC is not profitable financially for it disregards the potential prevention of pollution by reduction of waste and other reasons. Such phenomenon is stated by [47] as it is poorly committed to prolong the lifespan of landfills [48]; and nor does it help to succeed at bringing down the cost of waste collection, transporting, recycling and disposal [49].

Local governments lack of committed account for the failure to implement waste separation and 3 R's. Policies aimed at encouraging waste reduction, reuse and recycling are not effectively implemented. This is consistent with our hypothesis that the current SWC practice through PSI fails to assimilate waste separation and the 3R's principles and make use of the role the actors could play for sustainable SWM. Also, it coincides with the theoretical implication of the absence of waste separation, implementation if 3R's principles and the missing of the productive use of waste damage ecological sustainability, socio-economic equality and improvement of health.

The large heaps of solid waste left uncollected in Ethiopian cities are still dangerous. This implies that treating waste as a useful resource seems far-reaching. In other words, SWC and SWM are not yet improved. We have felt that the term 'sustainable waste management' has been used as an alibi rather than as a guide for strong action in Ethiopian cities. Unfortunately, its effect is already taking its toll on us. In the situation where there are heaps of waste generated from our cities, overlooking waste separation and 3R's principles implementation risks a replica of the 'Koshe' horrific disaster.

This finding implies the need for an institution specifically responsible for gluing the actors together. The Ethiopian government should not procrastinate to implement full-scale sustainable SWM.TV programmes and social media could play a role in disseminating information. The environment is a joint resource which everybody needs to care for. Particularly, since waste reduction is critical to avoid waste collection cost public education needs to be a priority.

A system of SWM which harmonises the technical requirements with the objectives of environmental protection is essential. Waste should be kept in manageable

## *Waste Separation and 3R's Principles for Sustainable SWM: Practice of Households… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108327*

plastic waste bins that could be easily moved and comfortable for collection. This could reduce the time it takes for waste collection and service facilitation.

Given waste separation and 3R's principle's disregarded, disposal sites in the cities should be at least plotted in the master plan, demarcated, fenced, equipped with waste incinerator. They need to have leachate treatment so that they might not have negative impact on the people and environment. Moreover, after finishing their service life, the disposal sites could be used for other purposes. National project of evacuation of waste from illegal dumpsites into newly constructed sanitary landfills all over Ethiopia is strongly recommended for a better and more healthy environment. Laws to ban import of raw materials made up of plastic waste need to be implemented.

With all the challenges, however, maximising the existing opportunities could serve as a threshold to meet the aspired sustainable SWM. Further studies that could contribute to environmental awareness and local governments' commitment need to be conducted.
