METHODOLOGICAL APPENDIX
A variety of methodologies were used to carry out the study at the two locations. The
following paragraphs describe the choices and limitations of the study, the methodol-
ogies used to collect data at the local level, and an assessment of planned versus actual
methodologies used.
The fieldwork methods used are grouped according to the three themes taken up in the
study: the institutional arrangements for collection and transportation of solid waste,
the system of trade and recycling of inorganic waste, and the system of trade and recy-
cling of organic waste.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES FOR INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
Theme 1 concerned the institutional arrangements for collection and transportation of
solid waste. The main aspects covered in the study were:
- overall organisational structure:including operational characteristics of public
and private sector organisations involved in generating and dealing with solid
waste collection (including NGOs and CBOs), labour conditions of employees,
financial aspects and division of costs among stakeholders, operational efficiency
and effectiveness, and geographical spread of activities; - individual employee level: personal information on contract and working condi-
tions, and aspects of waste handling (storage, sorting, selling of waste fractions by
individual employees, collection, transportation, intermediary disposal); - household-levelgeneration of waste, perceptions of waste, actual dealing with
waste, attitudes toward other waste actors; - policy aspects through semi-structured interviews with key people in waste activi-
ties and partnershipson notably policies of privatisation, CBO and NGO involve-
ment and resource recovery at local level.
The main methodologies used to obtain the data on the aspects above were the
following. A literature study was carried out to obtain information on the international
debates on waste management and resource recovery, as well as the basic data on the
situation in Kenya and India with respect to SWM. This was followed by a field study
among the various groups generating and dealing with waste. This included bulk
generators of waste, a stratified household survey (see below), strategic interviews
with officials and private sector entrepreneurs, and a stakeholder workshop to discuss
the results of the fieldwork surveys done during the course of the study.