Household Solid Waste Generation: A Case Study of Misrata City in Post-War Libya

The city of Misrata (Libya) needs to quantify its Household Solid Waste (HSW), as data pertaining to this aspect is scarce. In certain cases, this missing data render it difficult to analyse the relative increment rate of waste generation, culminating in the under-provision of collection services and disposal facilities. This study aims to evaluate waste generation in post-war Libya to provide data for the estimation of factors affecting the rate of HSW generation. We also intend to explore how the factors such as family income, family size, and house type influence the rate of waste generation in Misrata. This will help in the planning, design, development, and implementation of waste management approaches. 90 samples of solid waste from 30 households were weighed for three days, and the demographic information of those households was recorded. The results confirmed that the average generation rate of household solid waste in post-war Misrata is 0.440 - 0.808 kg/capita/day, with its mean reported to be 0.552 kg/capita/day. HSW generation is directly proportional to family income, family size, and house type.