Sixteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

Indigenous practices of solid waste disposal in the rural communities has long been a public and a legal concern. This also is recognized as one of the greatest challenge facing the society. The aim of this study was to document indigenous systems of solid waste generated in the rural communities of Lesotho. The study was conducted for four weeks through semi-structured interviews and unstructured observations. Sample population of one hundred fifty from a total number of four hundred ten households was randomly selected in five clusters of communities. The results of this study revealed that culture amongst indigenous African communities plays an important role. The communities used an open burning method to manage their generated waste. The communities collected product –ash to a specific identified spot within individual’s premises where it was dumped and with time mixed with hot homemade porridge to make a traditional paint for their inner walls of their houses. There were no waste collection services in these communities. Bad roads was another reason for lack of waste collection. The third reason was that the communities found no need for waste collection as they use it for various reasons such as making a traditional paint and garden manure. The study recommends that the government of Lesotho ensure that while these communities strongly believe in their culture, they should be empowered to create sustainable projects out of their waste, the projects that will not harm the environment and that will generate income for them.