Solid waste characterization and quantification for assessment of its potentialsfor resource recovery: case study of itigi district council, Tambukareli ward

This study was conducted to examine the potentials available in the solid waste for resource recovery such as composting by-products using a case study of Itigi District Council, Tambukareli ward. The study started by assessing the current reuse of solid waste and future demand of composting by-products in order to benchmark available solid waste management strategy. To this context, the study determined the average quantities and the composition of food waste from total solid waste generated; it determined the compostibility of the sorted waste through short-term composting experiments and assessed the potentials available in solid waste desired to result into composting by-products. The study collected data by using Questionnaires, Key Informants Interviews, Direct Waste Analysis, Composting experiments and laboratory analysis. Findings revealed that, 1,952 kg of food waste is generated in a day, which constitutes 61.4% of the total solid waste generated in the study area at an average rate of 0.15 kg/cap/day. The study concluded that the potential characteristics of the solid waste and composted materials, in terms of its pH, C: N ratio, EC, moisture content, TK, TN, TC, and TP are within required ranges for resource recovery, and therefore a potential resource to be used as a soil conditioner in agriculture. Furthermore, it was recommended that solid waste reuse education should be provided to both the Local Government leaders and the community so as to enhance investment of projects that use solid waste as raw materials for production.