Investigating the Status of Citizen Participation in Urban Waste Separation from Origin and Barriers to Performing it from Their Perspective (Case Study: city of Babol)

Abstract

Introduction: The best way to recycle municipal waste is when the material is separated at home by the manufacturers themselves. Achieving this goal requires the participation and cooperation of all citizens and providing the necessary infrastructure in the field of waste segregation. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the status of citizens' participation in the separation of urban waste from the source and the obstacles to their implementation.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 on 476 households in the city of Babol which were randomly selected as clusters.The information was collected through a researcher-made questionnaire in the form of 21 specific and general questions. For data analysis, t-test, analysis of variance and logistic regression with 0.95 confidence level were used.

Results: Of the total households involved in the waste segregation scheme, 27.5% were frequently involved and 15.3% were sometimes involved.  91.8% of households were aware of waste separation and 8.2% were unaware of the issue of segregation.A significant proportion of urban households said that lack of patience (61.3%) and sufficient space to separate household waste (59.5%) prevented segregation, and from the point of view of municipal-related factors, non-delivery of dry waste on holidays (94.7%) , The low number of barracks (95.8%) and the lack of continuous training (95%) were reported as obstacles.

Conclusion: Major urban households reported poor municipal performance, facilities, and planning, as well as lack of patience and adequate space as barriers to separation. Planning for urban waste management is essential. .In order not to waste a country's natural resources and reduce the productive waste of citizens, it is necessary to motivate people and provide public education to citizens.