The Impact of Community Participation on Solid Waste Management Practices in Rwanda: a case of AGRUNI Company in Rwamagana District (2023-2025)
University of Lay Adventists of Kigali (UNILAK), P. O. Box 6392, Kigali, Rwanda.
* Corresponding Author: Email: suwimpuhwe@gmail.com
Research Article
International Journal of Life Science Research Archive, 2026, 11(02), 083–089.
Article DOI: 10.53771/ijlsra.2026.11.2.0074
Publication history:
Received on 12August 2026; revised on 15 October 2026; accepted on 17 October 2026
Abstract:
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of community participation on solid waste management in Rwanda, a case of AGRUNI Company in Rwamagana District (2021-2025)”. Research design to be used was descriptive and explanatory research design. The study used the population of 12,008 people and the sample size of 388 clients of AGRUNI Company. Questionnaire, interview were used to collect primary data and documentary review was used to collect secondary data. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse data with a help of SPSS version 26. The study found that community participation significantly influences solid waste management practices in Rwamagana District, with decision-making and monitoring being the strongest predictor (B = 0.659, p = 0.000), followed by clean-up activities (B = 0.100, p = 0.000) and communication (B = 0.081, p = 0.000), while awareness and environmental education was not significant (B = 0.020, p = 0.203). Secondary data show high waste generation of 36 MT per month, only one dumping site, 324 waste bins, and low collection coverage of 40%. Transportation challenges and poor rural recycling systems further reduce efficiency, despite 80% biodegradable waste and 20% recycled materials. Regression results clearly indicate a significant positive relationship between community participation and waste management performance. Community participation significantly improves solid waste management in Rwamagana District, but its impact is uneven due to weak awareness and infrastructural limitations. The study recommended that Rwamagana District, AGRUNI, and REMA should prioritize strengthening decision-making participation, improving waste infrastructure, and enhancing practical environmental education programs.
Keywords:
Community participation, Decision making, Waste generation, Community communication, Solid waste management
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Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0