Solid waste management practices and its associated factors among households in Debre Markos town, Northwest Ethiopia

Effective solid waste management (SWM) is crucial for environmental sustainability and public health; however, improper practices in developing countries, including Ethiopia, pose significant risks to both the environment and community well-being; therefore, this study aimed to assess SWM practices and associated factors in Debre Markos town in 2023. A community-based cross-sectional study of 564 households in Debre Markos town used multi-stage sampling. Data were entered into EpiData (Denmark) and analysed in SPSS Version 25 (IBM Corporation, USA). Bivariate and multivariate analyses identified predictors of good SWM practices, with statistical significance set at p  < 0.05. Most households, 387 (68.4%), had poor SWM practices. Households with higher education levels showed better waste management, with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 3.12 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02–7.56). Income (AOR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.48–5.98). A positive attitude towards waste management was crucial (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.06–5.26), and participation in cleaning up campaigns (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.34–3.88). Households willing to pay for waste management services were likelier to engage in proper practices, with an AOR of 4.82 (95% CI = 2.46–7.58). This study revealed that the majority of households (68.4%) practised poor SWM, influenced by factors such as education, income, attitudes, family size, clean-up participation and willingness to pay. Based on these findings, the authors recommend that the town administration implement training programmes, awareness campaigns and financial incentives to improve waste management in Debre Markos town.