An Exploratory Study of Community Involvement in Communication for Sustainable Solid Waste Management: A Study of Migori County, Kenya

Sustainable solid waste management (SSWM) is intended to reduce impacts of solid waste on the environment and achieve of sustainable development goals on sustainable cities and communities. Past research focused on the role of mass media in awareness creation and influencing attitude towards solid waste management. However, studies show that awareness and attitude do not translate to positive behaviour towards solid waste management. Objectives of this study were to explore community involvement in the communication of SSWM, establish media used to involve community in the communication of sustainable solid waste management and examine community awareness on SSWM. Qualitative data was collected using face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions from162 participants sampled using purposive, snowball and stratified sampling techniques. Results show minimal community involvement in the communication of SSWM due to lack of structures for community involvement in communication. There was minimal communication of SSWM through radio, public fora and stakeholder meetings which resulted to limited knowledge of SSWM among the community. The study recommends community involvement in the communication of SSWM using participatory media so as to improve their understanding and participation in SSWM. Keywords: Sustainable solid waste management, Communication, Community involvement, Dialogue, Social change. DOI: 10.7176/JEES/11-5-04 Publication date:May 31st 202