THE IMPORTANCE OF GENDER IN WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANNING: A CHALLENGE FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGERS T.T. Poswa Durban Institute of Technology (DIT) (former Technikon Natal), Department of Environmental Health, P.O. Box 953, Durban, 4000, South Africa. Tel: (031) 2042949. Fax: (031) 2042038. E-mail: thobilep@dit.ac.za ABSTRACT Solid waste management practice in South Africa has been largely focused on the technical issues of waste disposal with little or no attention paid to the social and economic aspects of households. The new demands for equitable rendering of community services requires some paradigm shift in the approach of the service providers. Solid waste planning is crucial for providing effective and acceptable service delivery. This paper discusses the outcome of a holistic investigation into how gender affects solid waste planning and the importance of this in addressing service delivery. This is based on the effect of different social status of the communities in particular the role of households. It has been concluded that the solid waste planners should always consider the effect of demographics of the households as an integral part of planning when designing a domestic waste management system. Particular attention should be given to the effect of gender on the choice of a collection system and the designed of equipment. Keywords: Waste management, demography, gender, households. INTRODUCTION There is consensus throughout the world that local governments’ greatest tasks in urban areas is to ensure provision of healthy and stimulating environments for their inhabitants. This entails the provision of municipal services that include adequate water supply, sanitation, local roads, stormwater, drainage refuse collection, other infrastructure and essential health services (Hardoy, et al, 1992; Department of Constitutional Development (DCD), 1999). Local government is entrusted with this responsibility because it is the sphere of government closest to the people and responsible for the delivery of municipal services to all its citizens. In practice, more often than not, local governments are unable to meet this responsibility due to a number of reasons, one of which is urban population growth arising from the migration of people from rural to urban areas. People migrate to urban areas with the aim of enjoying better employment opportunities, improved food supplies, better sanitation, higher incomes, access to health care, emergency services and educational opportunities. Towns and cities thus find difficulties in providing infrastructure and services that can keep pace with the fast growing urban population. The rapid urban population growth is posing serious challenges for the policy-makers in the local government to periodically adjust their service programmes. The adjustment of service programmes requires thorough planning based on holistic investigation for policy alternatives involving a combination of techniques/strategies. The process of realigning municipal operations with the increasing demands and expectations on delivery is however complicated by the lack of or no resources coupled with poor planning. It is for this reason that it is imperative for local governments to determine the needs of its citizens for municipal services and to decide how best to provide those services. This exercise involves the determination of the priorities for improving the services; the quality of the present service; the needs of the community and planning how to deliver improved and affordable services (DCD, 1999). This paper provides findings on the social and demographic aspects (in particular gender) of a research project conducted in the city of Umtata. The focus of the investigation was to determine the possible role that households can play in the planning and operation of a domestic solid waste management system. This was done by evaluating the perceptions and current practices of households towards solid waste management in three suburbs with different socioeconomic status in a developing urban area (Umtata). Proceedings: 8th World Congress on Environmental Health; Produced by: Document Transformation Technologies Organised by SB Conferences 22 – 27 February 2004 Durban, South Africa ISBN: 0-9584663-7-8 One of the aims of the evaluation was to assess the effect of socio-economic factors in the planning and operation of a solid waste management system. Hence, the selection of three areas with different socio-economic backgrounds. This study was designed to provide information on local socio-economic conditions of the community and how this influences solid waste management services. The fundamental belief is that information on the socio-economic status is critical to the solid waste management planning process. To this end, the study assumed that when household waste disposal practices are known, it will be easy to introduce measures to reduce the amount of waste generated by the affected community. Added to this, the belief that the understanding of the diversity of the local culture of home-owners can assist the planning of a domestic solid waste management system. The ultimate goal of the research initiative was to make a contribution to the improvement of service provision, in particular solid waste management, to the residents in developing communities. SIGNIFICANCE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITY IN THE PROVISION OF DOMESTIC SOLID WASTE SERVICES Mayet (1993) has provided a comprehensive description of socio-economic factors. These factors relate to the state of infrastructural development in a residential area, lifestyle and value systems, aspirations and attitudes, migratory patterns, levels of education and a willingness to recycle or reduce waste output. This includes the ability of people to pay for services based on income and willingness to pay (Sadler, 1997). The South African Constitution (1996) has tasked the local government with the responsibility of promoting the social and economic development of communities by empowering them and developing their capacity to enhance service delivery process. The White paper on local government, has suggested that municipalities should promote job creation and boost local economy by providing good quality cost-effective services and making the local area a pleasant place to live and work (DCD, 1999). Implied in this statement is the provision of appropriate and satisfactory services to consumers. Experience has shown that solid waste management practice in South Africa like in most developing communities has largely been focussing on the technical issues of waste disposal with little or no attention paid to the social and economic aspects of households. Attempts to address the social and economic issues are always constrained by limited resources and expertise. These limitations require an in-depth review of the existing situation and a thorough planning in order to develop performance management plans. The involvement of the affected communities is vital for the understanding of priority areas. Some communities for example, may prioritise the amount of time it takes the municipality to answer a query, while others might prioritise the cleanliness of an area (DCD, 1999). It is therefore imperative that municipalities adopt a responsive and sensitive attitude to people’s needs, coupled with effectiveness to its responsibilities. One of the critical areas that need to be addressed when reviewing the impact of social factors on service delivery is the gender issue. In all societies, women have a different role from that of men. As mothers and homemakers as well as educators, entrepreneurs and producers, women more than men, have to play multiple roles. The demands of these multiple roles in poorer countries place women, particularly the non-elite ones, at a special disadvantage (United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNDFW, 1998). This problem is huge considering the fact that women constitute 60% of the world’s one billion poor and out of 1/3 billion people living in absolute poverty, over 70% are women. Research according to Scheinberg et al. (1998) has shown that across many cultures, women handle waste in their homes although the richer women delegate this task to servants. In general, women are not paid to handle waste, while men only do so when they are to be paid. Due to their less mobility and access to public spaces, some women, who cannot leave their homes for cultural or religious reasons, will find it difficult to deliver waste to a neighbourhood collection point. Therefore, in orientating and directing policies, is important to take into account the specific needs of women to ensure that they can have equitable and affordable access to facilities and services (UNDFW, 1998). All these are issues that need to be addressed when planning waste management systems. SAMPLING AND METHOD OF THE STUDY The research sample consisted of an initial sample size of 400 households obtained by a stratified random sampling technique coupled with proportional allocation to select the sample size and population groups. The sample distribution was selected such that it reflected both a representative sample size and the heterogeneity of the study population due to different socio-economic circumstances. A descriptive survey across the section of the population involving personal interviews was used to collect data. The analysis of the survey revealed a response rate of 370 households, which translates to 92.5%. The proportional distribution of the sample size to the three sites of study has shown that 10.3% of respondents were from Fortgale (high income); 40% from Northcrest (middle income) and 49.7% from Ngangelizwe (low income) respectively. The selected areas represented the heterogeneity of the population in the study area. The geographical characteristics of the three strata were internally homogeneous and externally heterogeneous. The rationale for the selection of households was based on a number of reasons. Household is one of the most important institutions in a society and within which the gender norms are expressed, reinforced and reflected in larger institutions of society. It is a basic unit of society where individuals both cooperate and compete for resources (World Bank, 1999). Therefore the understanding of effects of social factors on service programmes can be examined through households. KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY For the purposes of this paper, only findings pertaining to the effect of gender on solid waste management planning will be reported. GENDER OF HOUSEHOLDS AND ITS RELEVANCE TO SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OPERATION Women respondents represented 70% and men 30% of all the 370 respondents. Figure 1 below depicts the gender distribution of households according to the strata in the study area. There was a proportional high number of males in Fortgale. The high number of men in Fortgale compared the other two sites of study might on one hand be associated with their understanding of the activities pertaining to cleanliness and other activities in their homes and equal sharing of roles with their partners. On the other hand, it is highly possible that the foreign residents on work contracts who resided in Fortgale were most men. The second important observation was that women in most homes in the middle and low socio-economic status suburbs in the study area were more active in the enquiry. This was interpreted as indicating their active role in family affairs including waste handling in their respective homes. The study found that women predominantly from the low socioeconomic suburb constituted 81% of the total unemployed respondents in the study area. The high number of women in Northcrest and Ngangelizwe was also attributed to the fact that during the survey most male respondents in these suburbs were assigning female respondents to answer questions, claiming that the women knew more about the home environments. This kind of practice might have been perpetrated by the existing norms in the society which widely regard women, due to their lower economic and social status as responsible parties for handling domestic responsibilities in particular those, associated with cleanliness (Scheinberg, et al, 1999; World Bank, 1999). Figure 1. Gender of households in the study area. There were great differences between men and women on the choice of type of waste collection service system. Women preferred a door-to-door waste collection system unlike men whose choice was a drop off centre. This difference can be attributed to the cultural traditions, which govern gender relations in the households. Women in most societies are responsible for the domestic work, which include many tasks including childcare, shopping, cooking, cleaning and wellbeing of their husbands (World bank, 1999). This obviously affects their mobility and suggests a convenient waste disposal method. One of the symptoms of conflicts of collection schedule with home activities (which relate to gender) is the setting out of waste at the wrong times. This is often regarded as the lack of cooperation without an in-depth investigation of family settings in the area. It is thus imperative, that waste managers understand gender relations in their areas of operation in order to design gender sensitive solid waste programmes. The understanding of the mobility of households is paramount for the design of waste collection points. A gender sensitive waste service programme is the one that accommodates those family members who cannot leave their homes to dispose of waste at a distant waste collection points. Added to the above is the need to design user-friendly waste collection systems/containers that are accessible to all users. Experience has shown that in some urban developing communities in South Africa large communal skips placed at strategic positions by local authorities were too high for children to reach the sides and perhaps too far for some women to travel to. This has resulted in the dumping of waste next to the skips (Blight and Mbande, 1994). SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS This paper has highlighted important aspects that need to be taken into consideration in the design and delivery of domestic solid waste services. The ideas raised emphasised the fact that solid waste services should be managed in context. This requires a paradigm shift from the traditional approaches that are technological biased and often prejudice to the socio-economic aspects of the community. A need to shape the operation of domestic waste services to accommodate the realities in the communities is inevitable. The concrete facts are that: • • Solid waste management services forms the core of municipal services and cannot be sustained without community cooperation and participation in all operations. The designed system should be user friendly and sustainable. To this end, efforts are needed to assess the profiles of each community as each one is unique and so are the needs, aspirations and challenges. The understanding of the demographic characteristics of communities within the local authorities’ operational area is vital for the delivery of accessible, affordable, relevant, acceptable and effective services. Gender relations are equally important. Women form the larger proportion of society worldwide and constitute the most vulnerable population groups to inappropriate service system designs in particular, solid waste collection systems. One of the shortcomings of the current solid waste collection systems is their male bias regardless of the fact that women constitute the majority of the service recipients. Waste is not a neutral concept but should be understood within the cultural context realising that within the same society, same household, men and women and children may have differing perceptions and views about what is regarded as waste. For this reason it is essential to define what constitutes waste and could be put out for collection with the ultimate aim of final disposal in a responsible manner. Knowledge of what households regard as waste is important for planning analysis surveys. • Socio-economic factors are significant in South Africa as it is a developing country with a diverse society. Most developing countries are characterised by a large lifestyle gap between the elite and the poor (Hossain and Moore, 1999). However, conditions in South Africa are different, in that it is difficult to distinguish between the elite and the poor in the informal settlements because some well-to-do individuals are happy to live in the these areas for various reasons including the self enrichment through rentals and non-payment of essential services. The current solid waste service programmes were designed based on known formal residential settings. The increasing informal settlements and their incorporation into the formal areas presents a great challenge to solid waste authorities to come up with alternative solutions. All the above calls for the designing of appropriate solid waste systems that are equitable and affordable by all sectors of the population especially those that were historically disadvantaged. 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