On a piece of paper, write down each of the key words printed in bold in this study session. Cut the paper into strips with one word on each strip; fold them and put them in a bowl. Take a strip, read the word and write a definition in your notebook. Then check your definitions with those in the study session.

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This game is intended to familiarise you with the terms you will meet again in subsequent study sessions. To find the right answer, you can check the definition written in your own words with that in the study session.

Arrange the following phrases under the correct heading in the table below.

aims to protect people from disease
management of e-waste
mainly concerned with solid waste
options are described as a ladder
management of industrial wastes
aims to prevent pollution
mainly concerned with liquid waste
options described as a hierarchy
management of human excreta.

Sanitation

Waste management

Both sanitation and waste management

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Sanitation	Waste management	Both sanitation and waste management
Mainly concerned with liquid waste	Mainly concerned with solid waste	Aims to protect people from disease
Options are described as a ladder	Options described as a hierarchy	Aims to prevent pollution
Management of human excreta	Management of e-waste	Management of industrial wastes

Rearrange the following into two separate lists, one in the correct order to form the sanitation ladder and the other in the correct order for the waste hierarchy. Put the best option at the top of your lists.

pour flush toilet
old cardboard box, flattened out, used as door mat
defecating on waste ground
broken wooden box used for firewood
simple pit latrine with no ventilation or slab
refilling a plastic bottle with cooking oil

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The sequence for the sanitation ladder is:

pour flush toilet (improved latrine)
simple pit latrine with no ventilation or slab (unimproved latrine)
defecating on waste ground (open defecation).

The sequence for the waste hierarchy is:

refill plastic bottle with cooking oil (reuse)
old cardboard box, flattened out, used as door mat (recycling)
broken wooden box used for firewood (recovery – if the fire is used to keep warm or to cook food. If just burned without benefit then this is classed as disposal).

Name three ways in which urbanisation creates challenges for effective sanitation and solid waste management.

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There are several possible answers to this question, but the main challenges from urbanisation are caused by many people living very close together which puts pressure on all urban services. The rate of increase in population is very fast and the development of infrastructure for water supply and sanitation services cannot maintain the same pace of change. People arriving in cities often live in informal settlements which are developed without planning or control and lack essential facilities for the people who live there.

There have been significant improvements in sanitation provision in Ethiopia in recent years, but progress is not so good for solid waste management. What reasons can you think of that might explain this difference?

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There are several possible reasons, but you may have thought of the following:

There is a well-known and direct link between poor sanitation, a lack of safe water, poor hygiene and human health. The impacts from poor solid waste management, however, are more environmental, social and economic and less directly linked to health so corrective actions are not always considered urgent.
There is limited data available about current solid waste production which makes it more difficult to manage.
There are many different policies and laws that relate to sanitation that have been in place for many years. Legislation about solid waste management is more recent and enforcement is not yet complete.