Solid household waste in the city of Derna - A study in environmental geography

Abstract

The city of Derna, like other Libyan cities, suffers from the problem of waste accumulation, which is one of the most prominent sources of environmental pollution. The study area, like most areas of the country on its way to growth, witnessed economic and social development, which contributed to the emergence of new lifestyles that led to an increase in human requirements and their diversity. This development was accompanied by an increase and diversity in the amount of waste, but this increase was not accompanied by measures in the development of waste management in a way that makes cleaning devices unable to control this environmental problem. The study showed that the volume of organic waste is affected by the economic, social and cultural level, while its impact decreases with the number of family members. Also, the components of solid waste in the study area vary spatially and temporally under the influence of economic and cultural levels, social occasions and daily, monthly and seasonal climate differences, as the summer months are generally the months of the year with the highest production of solid household waste, especially in June and July. The behavioral aspects of the population also have a great impact on solid waste management, as disposing of waste, whether in containers or in front of the house, is the method used. Poor management and distribution of waste workers and collection containers in the study area are factors that contributed to the aggravation of the problem of pollution by solid household waste. It also showed that houses adjacent to main roads are more fortunate in having containers. It became clear to us through answering the questionnaire that the efficiency of containers in the study area is weak, due to the large shortage in their numbers and poor geographical distribution. Poor distribution of waste workers and collection containers in the study area are factors that contributed to the aggravation of the problem of pollution by solid household waste. Through the study, the researcher finds that every 12 homes need a container with a capacity of 1 cubic meter / day in the case of a residential area, and therefore every 12 homes in light of industrial and commercial uses need a container with a capacity of 10 cubic meters / day .