ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the problem of the governance of waste management in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. It is based on a study of various documents, observations carried out throughout the city, as well as on interviews conducted with the general public, central and local government officials, politicians, businessmen, community leaders, private collectors, scavengers, and other individuals and institutions connected with waste management. The chapter focuses on the management of solid waste, including the storage, collection, transfer, recycling, resource recovery and final disposal of waste. Unlike in rural areas, uncollected urban waste is a danger to health, pollutes the environment, is a nuisance, erodes civic morals and can be a major social problem. Due to the high concentration of population and economic activities in urban areas, the waste generated cannot be disposed of efficiently on an individual basis.
