Assessing household plastic waste management, disposal practice, and adverse impacts on the environment in Gondar City, Ethiopia

Plastic waste poses a serious threat to the environment as well as health issues in human and animal. The situation is aggravated in sub-Saharan countries like Ethiopia. Plastic waste management has become the biggest challenge in the study area. This study assessed the management of plastic wastes, disposal practices, adverse impacts on the environment, and identified associated factors in Gondar City, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design using a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview was used to gather data. Using multistage sampling techniques, 393 households and 20 key informants were selected for questionnaire and interview, respectively. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models, whereas narrative analysis was used for qualitative data. Results showed that plastic bags are among the most (48.9%) discarded plastic waste products. Respondents reported that they reused old plastics for water storage or fetching (66.5%) and oil storage (45.1%). Only 16.8% of respondents recycled their plastic waste. Most households (80.9%) confirmed that plastic wastes were disposed of in open dumpsites. The findings indicated that gender and years of stay have a significant association with plastic waste management, disposal practices, and adverse effects on the environment. The practices of plastic waste management and disposal are poor in the study area. The study recommended that community-based environmental education is required to cope with the poor management and disposal practices of plastic waste.