Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management in developing countries is facing many challenges. Most MSW is disposed of in landfill areas that are uncontrolled and overloaded. Under budget constraints, the governments encourage residents in rural areas to treat municipal organic waste (MOW) by themselves. Evidence from Hoi An, Vietnam has shown the potential for residents practicing MOW treatment at the source which may divert large quantities of biodegradable waste away from landfills. Logistic regression analysis showed that various factors influence residents treating MOW by themselves, including the gender of the person in charge of waste management, household size, presence of garden, type of city collection methods, care of collectors, and participation in compost training. Several factors are largely insignificant, including age, household income, number of children less than 15 years old, schooling years, and potential for high collection fees in the near future. The results further suggested that local authorities should encourage residents to practice MOW treatment at the source by enhancing the role of local women’ groups, gardening clubs, composting training classes, and paying attention to communal collectors’ roles.

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