Household solid waste management in Ea Sup district, Dak Lak province

Abstract

This study meticulously assesses the prevailing status of Household Solid Waste Management (HSWM) within the administrative boundaries of Ea Sup District, Dak Lak Province. Employing a mixed-method approach—combining policy analysis, extensive field observation, and a large-scale quantitative survey across three primary stakeholder cohorts—the research uncovers significant systemic limitations. Notwithstanding a moderate collection efficiency ranging between 75% and 80% in the urban core, the overall waste management hierarchy is structurally impaired by severe infrastructural deficits. Critically, the primary disposal modality remains unsanitary open dumping, characterized by a complete absence of fundamental environmental safeguards, notably a dedicated leachate treatment system, which serves as a major contributor to local ecological degradation. Furthermore, resource recovery mechanisms are nascent, yielding an empirically low recycling rate of approximately 10%. A central finding underscores a profound governance failure in communication: an alarming 66% of surveyed households report a lack of awareness regarding existing HSWM regulations and mandatory source separation protocols. These deficiencies collectively elevate the marginal social cost of waste management and fundamentally compromise the district’s pathway toward environmental sustainability. The paper concludes by proposing a transition from rudimentary waste disposal to an integrated waste resource management model, underpinned by the Circular Economy principles, technological modernization, and intensive community socialization.