Evaluation of current solid waste disposal site based on socio-economic and geospatial data: a case study of Wolkite town, Ethiopia

Wolkite is a town like many developing countries, faces problems associated with poor solid waste management. The town has only one major landfill site, which is found at Gasore kebele, near to the town. However, the waste dumping in this site has been affecting the surrounding community. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the current solid waste deposal site and socioeconomic impact of the current solid waste disposal site in the study area. The data were collected through field observation, key informant interview, focus group discussion, and household survey. Geospatial data were also used to evaluate the current solid disposal site. In this study, fifty-two household and two focus group discussion were participated. The quantitative data coded and analyzed using SPSS software. The data described using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were also expressed using narrative description whereas the geospatial data were analyzed by ArcGIS. The study result showed that the landfill site is proximate to stream and river, church, mosque, rural settlement, main road, and vegetation. The disposal site has affecting negatively to the local community; besides, the municipal waste is disposed arbitrarily on open field, roadside, dumped everywhere and solid waste disposed jointly with liquid at the landfill site, therefore, this study recommends to select suitable landfill site in the of the town.