An Assessment of Solid Waste Management in Lingwala, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

This research assessed the solid waste management policy in Lingwala Municipality, Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The main objective of this research was to assess the effectiveness of the existing solid waste management strategies and identify challenges affecting their implementation. The research was conducted in Lingwala Township. This study adopted a qualitative research approach. Data were collected from 60 respondents through questionnaires. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to select participants from the study area. The study contributes to providing information for decision making since the management of solid waste play an important role in the daily life of the Congolese people. The study aims to find failures in the implementation of the policy in order to give recommendations of how it may be improved for the wellbeing of both the government and the stakeholders, but also to find successes in the implementation in case the government decides to modify the existing policy. The findings revealed that residential areas are the major sources of solid waste in Lingwala. The study also found that waste collection is irregular, with most waste being collected once a month, which contributes to environmental and public health risks. Furthermore, the results indicated inadequate infrastructure, insufficient municipal vehicles, lack of waste separation practices, and poor enforcement of waste management regulations. Institutional challenges such as limited financial resources, lack of technical capacity, weak stakeholder coordination, and low public awareness were also identified as major barriers to effective policy implementation. The study concluded that although solid waste management policies exist, their implementation remains inadequate in Lingwala Municipality. The gap between policy formulation and execution has led to inefficient waste collection, poor disposal practices, and environmental degradation. The research recommends strengthening policy enforcement, improving waste collection systems, promoting waste separation at source, increasing public awareness, and enhancing collaboration between government, private sector, and community-based organizations. These measures would contribute to sustainable solid waste management and improved environmental health in Lingwala Municipality.