**10. Challenges and opportunities for waste separation and 3R's implementation**

An interview with an official in the EPA disclosed that even though the underlying principles to establish a waste management hierarchy in the order of priority of importance: (a) waste avoidance, waste minimisation and waste reduction; (b) reuse; (c) recycling, reprocessing and treatment; and (d) disposal is already documented nationally. Yet, the implementation of these principles has not been feasible due to constraints, mainly a failure to execute strict rules, such as fining residents for not separating waste. In fact, this issue is politically sensitive according to the informant. The way out as he suggested is educating the public. It is being planned to include sustainable SWM in school curriculum and other sectors' programmes. However, the FGD with service users shows that the local administrations are not committed. The capacity of the CAA and CADs to

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


*Filed*

#### **Table 2.**

*Companies' views on regulation of quality of service and 3R implementation.*



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

facilitate, regulate and monitor 3R's principles implementation is hampered by a number of factors. According to one of the CAA official, 'The main constraints for implementing waste separation and 3R's are weak capacity of CAA and lack of political will as officials are busy with other urgent routines'. Not only is there less concern for SWM, but also setting inadequate budget is one of the main challenge. In this regard, the survey shows that there is very low service payment for SWC providers in Ethiopian cities. The FGD with CAA officials in Addis Ababa unfolds CAA collects more than 30 million ETB or 1,421,800 USD per month through water bill from the city residents. Other FGD results have also shown that all cities, but Adama, collect service charge in the same way.

No matter how much the service payment in each city is, all companies and SMEs complain about the under payment. Interviewed CAA officials in Addis Ababa said that only 2 million ETB from the total of 30 million ETB collected is allocated for SWC. This implies that the rest 28 million ETB is not used for SWC. This is true in all the other cities.

The interview with SMEs' members indicated that the monthly income members get is unsatisfactory even to afford medical and education expenses. In connection to this, Wilson et al. [45] confirm that low salary is paid typically between US \$25 and 50 per month for primary waste collectors. This means that SWC is given less priority by local governments in developing countries. From the interview with SMEs' associations and private companies, we noted that there was low service payment. This practice discourages private providers from becoming vigorous towards waste separation and 3R's and even not pursue in SWC business. The findings in the FGD indicate that despite government's plan concerning achievement of food security through forming SMEs' associations and involving them into waste collection, the practice in each city shows the needy people who work in waste management are not beneficiaries of social safety net.

As opposed to the challenges discussed so far, the FGD uncovers some opportunities to carry out waste separation and 3R's. To begin with, uniquely in Ethiopian cities, SMEs are already organised in the form of association to readily embark on the implementation governed by the existing by-laws. Secondly, the growing industries to be fed by recyclable materials have created potential market. Thirdly, the recent national horrendous waste-slide event at 'Koshe' disposal site which was a cause for the death of dozens of poor people could serve as a wakeup call for the nation as far as 3R's and SWM are concerned. Fourthly, the Kaizen strategy which is being preached and practised presently to systematically remove recyclable office waste, such as used papers, ink cartridges, packing canvases, irrecoverable machines, broken furniture in government organisations is likely to be explored in waste separation and 3R's.
