Residents’ Attitudes Towards Waste Management After Exposure to Public Awareness Campaigns in Mbeya City

Author

Stella Wadson Shihenga

Abstract

 Public awareness campaigns are increasingly used to promote responsible waste management, although their effectiveness partly depends on residents’ attitudes towards environmental practices. This article presents findings from the second objective of a study conducted in selected wards of Mbeya City, Tanzania, which examined residents’ attitudes towards waste management following exposure to public awareness campaigns. A quantitative descriptive design was employed, involving 90 household respondents and 20 community leaders. Household data were collected using a five-point Likert scale and analysed using frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed generally favourable attitudes towards waste management. The highest agreement was recorded for the belief that proper waste management is everyone’s responsibility (85.6%), followed by positive changes in attitudes towards environmental cleanliness (82.2%). Encouraging others to practise proper waste management and motivation to participate in community cleaning activities each recorded 81.1%, whilst support for household waste segregation reached 80.0%. Community leaders generally confirmed these findings, reporting strong perceptions of shared responsibility, increased concern for hygiene and health, greater cooperation in sanitation activities and positive attitudes towards waste segregation. The findings suggest that public awareness campaigns are associated with favourable waste-management attitudes, although continued mobilisation and adequate facilities are necessary to sustain these attitudes and support their translation into practice.

Keywords

Public awareness campaigns; residents’ attitudes; waste management; environmental awareness; environmental cleanliness; waste segregation; community participation; Mbeya City; Tanzania.

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