Influence of Household Awareness on Effective Plastic Waste Handling Projects in Eldoret City, Kenya
Abstract
The challenge of plastic waste management is still relevant in urbanising communities like Eldoret City, Kenya. Household awareness is of particular importance, as they are directly engaged with the segregation, recycling and disposal of plastic waste. This study evaluated the effect of household awareness on successful plastic waste management projects in Eldoret City, Kenya. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive research using a mixed-methods approach. The target population was 121,795 households, of which 399 households were sampled using stratified and systematic sampling. Structured questionnaires and interview schedules were used for data collection. A total of 399 questionnaires were given out, of which 353 questionnaires were recovered, giving a recovery ratio of 88.47%. Quantitative data was analysed through descriptive, Pearson correlation and regression analysis and qualitative data through thematic analysis. It revealed that overall, the awareness of the households was good (M = 3.75, SD = 1.25). The respondents had fairly good knowledge of plastic waste management. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between the awareness of households and effective plastic waste handling (p<0.01, r = 0.566). Additionally, the regression analysis found household awareness to be a positive and statistically significant contributor to effective plastic waste handling (Beta = 0.566, p < 0.001; B = 0.516). These findings were also confirmed by the qualitative findings, which revealed that environmental education and public sensitisation are important pillars of responsible plastic waste management, but that there are some areas that still lack proper information access. The study results show that there is a significant and positive relationship between household awareness and handling of plastic waste in Eldoret City. It is, therefore, essential to have continuous environmental education, sensitisation to the public and follow-up to turn knowledge into consistent practice in the household.
Keywords: Household Awareness, Plastic Waste Handling, Environmental Education, Waste Segregation, Eldoret City, Kenya
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