Household Level Solid Waste Management Assessment: The Case Of Barangay Lugay - Lugay, Bagua I, Cotabato City

     The impact of improper solid waste disposal and management roots to numerous severe crises. These include all types of pollution including air, soil, and water among many others. Being the seat of government for Central Mindanao, as well as the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) the city of Cotabato in the province of Maguindanao is no exception to the number of' cities all across the developing world where the problem on solid waste is raging. This problem is evidently perceived in the city due to the concentration of people, improvement of living standards and industrialization. Thus in an effort to address this problem, it is vital to assess the degree of implementation and participation of the residents with regards to the solid waste management in the household level.

     This study principally aims to describe and understand the rate of generation and means for managing solid wastes present in Barangay Lugay - Lugay, Bagua I, Cotabato City, one of the thirty seven (37) barangays comprising the city. This study also examines the current condition of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, a downstream water body found within the area of the target barangay that is believed to be at risk of possible contamination and degradation. The thirty seven (37) housing units located at the length of Rio Grande de Mindanao serve as the subjects of this study, Data and information necessary for this paper are gathered through key informant interview, field visit and use of research materials such as survey questionnaires and solid waste samples collected from each of the housing units.

     A concluded in this study a majority of the residents do not observe proper solid waste management in their respective households due to accustomed practice, laziness, and absence of garbage pick -up points in close proximity and despite having enough knowledge on the bad effects of improper solid waste management. Throwing at the Rio Grande de Mindanao is the most practiced method of disposing solid waste with a total of 47,413 g of solid waste that find its way to the river every day. Regardless of the various measures set by the city government to combat the solid waste problem, such measures are poorly implemented most especially at the barangay level and much less residents are well - informed about the existing rules and regulations, fines and penalties, and programs on solid waste management. Consequently, this paper proposes a number of recommendations that may prove to be useful in combating the existing problem on solid waste in the city.

     These recommendations include possible options for garbage collection process such as curbside collection and handcart collection, the establishment of a transfer mechanism including the scheduling and routing, composting as an option to dispose solid waste, proper education, efficient information dissemination with the use of creative promotional novelties such as fliers, brochures and pamphlets, and the strict implementation of the existing rules and regulations, fines and penalties, and programs on solid waste management.