Implementation of Ecological Solid Waste Management City Ordinance: The Case of a Component City in Southern Negros

Aims: This study determined the extent of implementation of ecological solid waste management activities: waste generation and storage, waste processing and resources recovery, collection and transportation, and disposal of solid wastes in communities in a component city in Negros Occidental as assessed by the city implementers, barangay implementers, and residents when taken as a whole and when barangays are grouped according to geographical location, population, land area, and income classification. Lastly, the findings of the study were utilized in the formulation of a strategic plan for enhanced implementation of the city's comprehensive solid waste management program.

Study Design: The study utilized the quantitative design particularly the descriptive-comparative approach.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the barangays of a component city in Southern part of Negros Occidental Philippines during school year 2022.

Methodology: The study used a descriptive-comparative research design utilizing a survey questionnaire for data collection. Only Five hundred thirteen (513) respondents participated in the study and the seven (7) others refused to answer the survey questionnaire. Total enumeration was employed for city implementers. Stratified random sampling was used to identify the respondents for barangay and community leaders for each stratum to be well represented. Purposive sampling was used in data collection. In the same way, purposive sampling was used in the conduct of interviews. To analyze the descriptive data, Mean, Standard Deviation, and Frequency Count were also used. Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were utilized for comparative analysis. More so, general moral principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice to ensure the ethical soundness of the study are addressed in the study.

Results: The result shows no significant difference in the implementation when communities are grouped according to population. However, a significant difference was found when communities were grouped according to location, land area, and income. When it comes to demographics of the respondents in the component city in Southern Negros. In terms of respondents, 1.8% (f=9) were city implementers, 25.0% (f=128) were barangay implementers, and 73.3% (f=193) were community leaders. Among the three (3) implementers, the majority were the community leaders in the component city. Meanwhile, in regards to location, 40.0% (f=205) of respondents came from upland location, 37.6% (f=193) stayed at mainland, and 22.4% (f=115) lived in coastal location. Dominantly, respondents from the upland location obtained the highest percentage among the location. When it comes to population, 73.9% (f=379) belonged to the smaller population with 5933 and below, and 26.1% (f=134) was from a bigger population with 5934 and above. The majority belonged to a smaller population that dominated the study. Similarly, in terms of land area, 73.9% (f=379) of the respondents were from a smaller area (1931 and below), while 26.3% (f=135) were from a bigger area (1932 and up). Finally, in terms of income classification, 68.6% (f=352) of respondents belonged to the barangays with a lower income of 806880 and below, while 31.4% (f=68.4) belonged to the barangays with a higher income of 8068808 and up. Respondents residing in lower-income areas have fewer sources of living, income, and resources.