Inclusion of Multi Family Dwellings in Waste Management

Inclusion of Multi Family Dwellings in Waste Management
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Introduction
According to Pioneer Institute of Public Policy and Research (PIPPR, 2004), a Multi Family Dwelling (MFD) includes buildings with three or more dwelling units constructed on a single lot. Multifamily buildings thus can range from a two duplex house to several buildings of varying forms and sizes. MFDs can be storey apartments or a part of multi-purpose building, new constructions or conversions from old buildings such as two family houses, schools, churches or municipal buildings. Multifamily dwellings will therefore provide rental housing to many families (usually more than three) all together. Handling the enormous domestic waste produced in multifamily dwellings is therefore a challenge within a community due to these interrelated structural and social factors in these residential settings. Single Family Dwelling (SFDs) on the other hand, may have similar characteristics within both the family and the residential community at lager and these facilities smooth coordination of waste recycling programs, contrary to the challenges posed by MFDs units. The challenges relates to participation waste disposal programs such as waste diversion and access to collection services. Structurally, many of the MFDs buildings fail to capture the need for recycling in their designs, which bars resident from adopting the existing recycling programs. For instance, where a storey building has an organic bin on the ground floor, families in up-floors the may find it easier to throw away any convenient bin than to carry it all the way. Different building sizes, landscape and layouts require special arrangements to meet those site demands for particular programs.
Social aspects such as level of environmental awareness and education of residents have a role in inclusion difficulty for MFDs. First, MFD are left out by such community programs, which in most cases target individuals. In most cases, the occupants are mostly tenants and not the building owners. The public thus hold the residents less accountable for any inconsistency in the recycling habits and the owners may take the blame instead. The level of education on waste recycling for the residents varies, which affect the consistency of a program across MFDs, thus a successful program in one place may fail in another MFDs calling for re-design of the same based on resident characteristics. Another reason is that private service providers mostly carry out waste management services rather than the local government for the MFDs. Despite these challenges, several solutions exist to achieve effective waste programs for MFD. These include making local government policies, outreach and education programs, mobilizing effective teams, carrying programs research and assessments.
One big stride of overcoming the forth-coming difficulties in MFDs waste management programs is through enactment of local government policies. The policies should spell out the necessary structural measure to put in place for waste diversion during design, construction or conversion of the premises. Policies that define new building codes should be in effect and allow for example loading docks, enough storage space for multiple wastes products, which is a major challenge in older MFD buildings (California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2001). The policies need to offer guidelines to the expected behavior among the residents of MFDs as a common ground irrespective of their differences. For instance, passing an ordinance requiring all persons MFD dwelling in a city to segregate their waste before disposal and provision of required storage containers by owners, managers or collectors are an effective way to ensure participation of residents. As in the case study of Davis city which realized a 50 % waste diversion level in MFDs apartments by passing such ordinances in 1996 which enabled owners to provide residents with recycling services and educational information (California Integrated Waste Management...