The impact of fostering public participation in improving waste quality in a comprehensive solid waste management system

Abstract

A variety of factors, such as efficient waste management techniques, community awareness and attitudes, laws that promote community involvement, and the active involvement of important stakeholders such as local governments and formal and informal partners, all contribute to the facilitation of community engagement in solid waste management. The benefits and active involvement of communities such as Atlantis in South Africa in decisions regarding solid-waste management were explored from this perspective. It has been found that community involvement can occur at different stages and levels of intensity throughout the project lifecycle, with the aim of strengthening community members’ ability to sustain project services once the facilitating organisation concludes its operations. Profitable community initiatives include residential waste segregation prior to municipal waste collection, recyclable marketing, and community decomposition programs. However, community participation can be crucial for addressing the complexities of sustainable solid waste management and the unique characteristics of indigenous low-income suburbs, such as Atlantis in South Africa.