Access to Information about Solid Waste Management: Implications on Residents’ Attitudes in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya

Access to information about Solid Waste Management (SWM) is critical in changing the negative attitudes of urban residents towards proper handling of waste. This paper focuses on the influence of access to information about SWM on proper solid waste handling by residents in Eldoret Municipality. A survey design was adopted, 170 households were randomly selected, questionnaire and observations used in data collection and analysis done by Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 16.0. The results indicated that 53.53% of the respondents were accessible to information about SWM. The friends, neighbours, schools, radio and television were the common source of information. Most respondents sought information less than 1 km away. The major challenges hindering access to information included lack of interest, few National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA)/Eldoret Municipal Council (EMC) officers, inadequate time, inadequate funds to seek information, and unsupportive legal and regulatory frameworks. Access to information about solid waste mainly promoted separation of solid wastes before disposing, use of dust bins and landfills, reuse and recycling of solid waste, willingness to pay for waste disposal, and enhanced good rapport among stakeholders concerned with SWM. This paper recommends participation of all stakeholders in promoting access to information about solid waste to enhance sustainable SWM.