Facing up to waste: how can hotel managers in Kerbala, Iraq, help the city deal with its waste problem?

摘要

Every year, religious festivals attended by around 20 million pilgrims, take place in the city of Kerbala, Iraq. Management of the large amounts of waste which are generated pose severe problems to city authorities due to the negative impacts on the environment, human health and the attractiveness of the city. Minimization of the generated waste is one of the most economical approaches and one in which the public plays a key role regarding its success. However, waste management system currently applied in Kerbala lacks the use of source separation as well as recycling. Therefore, this study aims to investigate hoteliers' knowledge and willingness to participate in waste source separation and recycling scheme during major festivals, which represent a new contribution to the knowledge. To achieve this goal, a survey was conducted with 150 respondents during one major religious event, over 20 days. Interviews and questionnaires were employed to collect the data. Questions were designed to collect information about knowledge of the environment, willingness to participate, preferred sorting alternatives and the actions that can motivate hoteliers and pilgrims to be involved in the program. The outcome of this research clearly indicates that the majority of respondents have poor environmental awareness. However, 68% were willing to participate in the WSS program. The provision of recycling containers was identified as the highest priority to encourage waste separation. Therefore, a set of actions has been proposed to support the Kerbala waste management authority adopt a waste separation plan during religious events.