Project Plan: Solid Waste Management in Rural Areas - Altona District

This report presents a comprehensive project plan for solid waste management in rural areas, focusing on the Altona District. It addresses the increasing issue of solid waste in rural settings due to changing consumer behavior and lack of government policies. The plan aims to establish a waste management system that meets current and future needs, using the state-adopted hierarchy of waste management strategies. The report includes an executive summary, introduction, aims and objectives, research questions, hypothesis, literature review, research methodology (qualitative using surveys), data analysis methods, experimental setup, and project plan with a Gantt chart. It emphasizes community involvement, education, and the use of existing waste management mechanisms. The report also reviews current practices and suggests improvements for effective waste collection, storage, and disposal, including recycling and the use of divided bins. The research employs a qualitative approach, collecting primary and secondary data to analyze and propose solutions for efficient solid waste management in rural areas.

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Executive summary
Solid waste management has been a menace for people living in urban areas. Local
authorities and governments globally have struggled to manage solid waste in most
cities and towns. There are various methods that are used to manage solid waste in
urban areas and some of them have been highly successful. In the recent past, the
problem of solid waste management has been moved to the rural areas as well. This
has been influenced by changing consumer behavior of rural populations where more
people are consuming processed foods. This has immensely contributed to increase in
solid waste in rural areas. Some of the methods that have been modified to help in
solid waste management in rural areas include use of bins that are divided into
sections, contracting private solid waste management companies and community
mobilization to minimize solid waste in the rural areas. Households are also
encouraged to empty their organic dumping sites regularly to avoid the effects that
excess garbage may bring to the locality. Electronic waste materials should be re-used
or dumped as advised by the local authorities. The report evaluates the research
questions and the aims and objectives of the research study. The research methods
and data collection tools are also stated. The report also contains a detailed literature
review as well as project schedule which shows the time lines that will be followed in
undertaking the research.

Table of Contents
Executive summary........................................................................................................3
Introduction....................................................................................................................5
Aims and objectives of the study...................................................................................6
Research Questions........................................................................................................6
Hypothesis......................................................................................................................7
Literature review............................................................................................................7
Research methodology...................................................................................................9
Data analysis methods..................................................................................................10
Experimental set-up.....................................................................................................11
Expected outcome and relevance.................................................................................11
Project plan...................................................................................................................12
Gantt chart....................................................................................................................13
Conclusion....................................................................................................................14
References....................................................................................................................16

Introduction
This project plan aims at establishing a waste management plan that is able to meet
the current needs and future demand when it comes to solid waste management in
rural areas. The plan will use the state adopted hierarchy strategies of managing solid
waste. The project is motivated by the need to reduce solid waste which has become
an issue in rural areas. Previously, the biggest concern for environmentalists and the

government alike was management of solid waste materials in urban areas. The urban
areas have high population density and there is a lot of use of manufactured goods
which explains why there is a lot of solid waste in urban areas. However, management
of solid waste in rural areas is becoming an issue of concern for the government and
other stakeholders concerned with environmental sustainability. The government has
not been able to formulate policies and finance solid waste management in rural areas.
There is lack of sanitation facilities in most rural areas and hence causing
uncontrolled disposal sites which are located close to households and water bodies
(Zarate, Slotnick and Ramos, 2008). Municipal, agricultural, construction and
demolition waste is common in rural areas. This project aims at developing a waste
management plan that has the support of the public and that which involves the public
in minimization of solid waste. Recycling will also be used to minimize solid waste.
Storage for solid waste will be provided using existing mechanisms such as dust bins.
Aims and objectives of the study
The aim of this study is to establish a solid waste management plan that is able to
meet current and future needs pertaining solid waste management using the states`
adopted hierarchy of waste management strategies.
Objectives
To secure maximum support from the public by carrying out educational programs
and by encouraging public participation.
To provide a solid waste collection and storage throughout Altona District by
adopting existing mechanisms that have been found to work in other areas

Research Questions
What are the differences between urban and rural solid waste management systems?
Can urban solid waste management plan be used to manage solid waste in the rural
areas?
What main improvements and changes can be made to the urban solid waste
management to be used in rural solid waste management?
How do activities such as educational campaigns, use of good quality bins with covers
and collection of waste on a daily basis contribute to positive change in environment
and health?
Hypothesis
H1.Improper disposal and littering of waste can be reduced through education
campaigns and use of volunteers
H2the use of proper covered bins can cause the least damage in terms of adverse
ecosystem and habitat changes, and negative impacts on natural resources.
Literature review
Solid waste management in rural areas is a subject that has been researched highly by
researchers and academicians in different fields. Interest in research in solid waste
management in rural areas began in the 1990s. Countries were becoming more
industrialized and the environmental effects of industrialization had spread wings to
the rural areas (Wu et al., 2014). Before then, solid waste management was not a
concern in rural areas since the waste from the rural areas mainly composed of
agricultural refuse. With increasing industrialization and use of processed goods, solid

waste especially polythene has become an issue in rural areas and it needs to be
addressed urgently. Most rural household have been found to dump their solid waste
in open dumping sites. This is because, the local governments have abandoned these
areas since they believe that the solid waste management in rural areas is not their
responsibility and that every household should take responsibility. The situation is the
same globally with only 30% of the global rural population getting access to solid
waste management services (Makarenko and Budak, 2017).
In Australia, the composition of solid waste in rural areas is mainly agricultural and
kitchen waste which can be used as manure. This is due to the consumption patterns
of people in rural areas where the consumption of fresh vegetables, fruits, roots and
other food items is very high. However, there is an increase in consumption of
processed food which is packaged and hence resulting to solid waste that is inorganic.
One of the techniques used to manage solid waste in rural areas is encouraging people
to acquire bins that are divided into two sections. This bins are to be situated inside or
near the house to enable the family members to dispose off their waste before its
dumped at the main facility (Khatib and Al-Khateeb, 2009). The bin should be
divided to enable separation of solid waste. Organic solid waste is disposed in one
section while inorganic waste is disposed in the other section. By doing this it makes
it easier for the authorities collecting the waste to separate the waste by either using
different tracks or by having garbage trucks that are subdivided into sections.
Means of solid waste collection in large scale is another critical issue in management
of solid waste in rural areas. Effective means of collecting solid waste in Australia
depends on type of vehicle and staffing. The local authorities however have failed to
give attention to rural solid waste management. Some communities have contracted
private solid waste management companies. These households contribute a monthly

fee which is used to pay the companies to collect the waste on a regular basis. In most
cases, collection is made three times in a weak. Adequate staff is important to manage
rural solid waste effectively. This is because, the waste is bulky and this requires a lot
of labor to load this waste (Food waste for fuel in rural Australia?, 2013).
Management of common areas the disposal areas also requires staff.
Community mobilization is identified as a major technique of effective rural solid
waste management. Rural communities are closely neat and it is easy to bring people
together and come up with common goals regarding environmental conservation and
precisely solid waste management (Godura, Aggarwal and Bhatia, 2017).
Communities are mobilized and educated on the methods they can use to manage
solid waste in their households and in their locality in general. The sensitization
programs have been found to be very effective in reducing solid waste in rural areas.
Communities have also been able to come together and hire people to assist them in
management of solid waste in their areas.
Most households in rural areas have dumping sites near their homes where they dump
their solid waste materials. Research indicates that most households do not separate
waste when they are dumping the solid waste in these dumping sites. Dumping sites
should be used to temporarily store solid waste before its collected for dumping to
other areas. The dumping sites need to be maintained from time to time to ensure that
they do not overflow and become hazardous to the environment (He, 2012).
Households need to empty the dumping sites whenever they get full. They can seek
the services of garbage collecting authorities to collect non-decomposable solid waste.
Dumping sites for organic farm waste becomes compost manure and can be used as
manure in the kitchen garden or can be sold to farmers to generate income.

Research methodology
This research will use qualitative research methods to collect and analyze data. The
research involves investigating methods that can help to reduce solid waste in rural
areas as well as contribute to proper storage of solid waste in rural areas in the district
of Altona. The study aims at involving the public to help reduce and manage solid
waste in rural areas by educating the public on the need and importance of conserving
the environment. The qualitative research method is very suitable for this research
since the nature of this subject requires descriptive data. The method is also justifiable
for this study since the research mainly involves investigating the solid waste
management methods used in urban areas and adjusting them to fit the current and
future needs of solid waste management in rural areas. The research will collect
primary data using survey method. Data will be collected using structured
questionnaires. The population will be composed of community members who are
keen on the environment as well as other stakeholders like the local county council,
environment management authority nongovernmental organizations involving
themselves in environmental conservation efforts (Chandrappa, R., & Das, D. B.
(2012 . Simple random sampling technique will be used to select sample population
for the study and 55 respondents are needed to conduct this study successfully. The
research will use secondary source of information to provide additional information
required in this study. The secondary data sources that will be used include books,
peer reviewed journals, thesis and dissertations, newspaper articles and internet
sources of data. These sources are expected to provide enough information to answer
the research questions.

Data analysis methods
Analysis of the data will begin with content analysis where the hypothesis identified
at the beginning of the study and comparing the hypothesis with the data collected.
The ideas that are closely related are grouped together and those that do not fit the
profile are discarded.
The data collected in this study is also analyzed using the historical data on the solid
waste management methods that have been used in various places across the world.
This data is compared with the waste management methods that have been identified
as effective for rural areas Australia (Davis, 2014). The data will be presented using
reports, graphs, tables and pictures where necessary.
Experimental set-up
The study will involve visiting the field to identify the extent of the solid waste
problem in the locality so as to understand the real situation and what is exactly
needed to solve the problem. Almost every aspect and activity that is undertaken in
this research requires collaboration with the locals in the community (Kumar, 2009).
The objectives of this study cannot be achieved unless the community is able to
understand the reasons why the study is being carried and later support the solid waste
management plans when implementation begins. The researcher will hold sections
with environmental conservation groups in the regions to help organize the people to
be involved in the study. The group will also be used to provide assess to amenities
such as the hall where the respondents will meet and be briefed on the purpose of the
study before they filled the questionnaire. The researcher will also visit the county
council that is concerned with collection of solid waste in urban areas ( Ibrahim,

Quaik & Ismail, 2015). Information on the statistics on solid waste in the rural areas
of Altona is collected from the county council.
Expected outcome and relevance
The study expects to come up with a detailed plan on how solid waste can be
managed in the rural using with an adjustment of the methods used to manage solid
waste in the urban areas. There are different types of solid waste in rural areas. Solid
waste materials in rural areas are a bit different from those in urban areas. In the rural
areas, solid waste may be composed of plant materials cut from bushes, solid kitchen
waste, polythene materials used as food wrappers as well as old household
items(United Nations Human Settlements Programme.2010).The plan is expected to
come up with means of separating household waste into various waste categories to
make it easier for the authorities in charge of managing the waste. Bins will be
donated to all households and the households will be encouraged to dig composts
where they can dispose off agricultural waste materials which are biodegradable and
they can be used later as manure (Anand, 2010). Solid waste will be collected on a
daily basis by the local authorities. The local community will be involved in monthly
community cleaning to clean the streets and maintain good environment in the rural
areas.
Project plan
Task/Activity Start date Days to complete
Preparation of research
materials
1/10/2017 7
Visiting and familiarizing 8/10/2017 6