Influential Factors Affecting Solid Wastes Management in Kigali City, Rwanda

The study shows some challenges that hinder effective solid waste management in Kigali City including social behavior, financial, technical, low technology factors, and limited support and subsidies which affect solid waste management. Data were collected from staff working in different waste collection companies in the city of Kigali. Eighty workers responded to the questionnaire. The interviewed people were divided into two groups, owners or managers and field workers. Workers were selected from all the 14 wastes companies operating in Kigali. The study shows that the solid waste collection has encountered many problems: no proper sorting of waste, low willingness to pay, inadequate training and awareness-raising on solid waste management, insufficient budget, low level of technology in recycling which is still at 2%, and low income for staff working in waste collection companies. Hence, the government of Rwanda must revolutionize its support of the sector and promote as system like the South Korean pay-as-you-throw model, not by merely imitating it, but by motivating the private sector to invest in recycling. The study also recommends that Nduba landfill be rehabilitated and transformed into a model landfill capable of accommodating all waste efficiently.