Solid Waste Management Hazardous Waste Management

Solid Waste Management

A community needs assessment is a relatively straightforward procedure that begins with pre-planning, planning, and organization. The most difficult aspect of the needs assessment is communication. The needs assessment depends on communicating with various organizations, and could entail dealing with bureaucratic barriers. It may be necessary to establish partnerships with organizations that can assist the needs assessment, such as grassroots groups, NGOs, and universities (Sharma, Lanum & Suarez-Balcazar, 2000). Thus, it is important to identify relevant stakeholders during the early phases of the needs assessment. Any existing infrastructure, institutions, and organizations can be assessed and discussed in meetings with the primary stakeholders. During the needs assessment, an evaluation of organizational cultures as well as social and cultural values and norms is also helpful. Research on best practices related to the target community can also help develop the most effective needs assessment. Finally, it is crucial to identify the specific goals and objectives (Sharma et al., 2000). Target population demographics, roles and expectations of participating partners, time schedules, and methodologies can be outlined. At the needs assessment stage, a sort of business plan can evolve. This plan will be effective for presenting and proposing solutions once the needs assessment has been conducted.

In the case of waste management in a developing nation's urban core, existing resources and services need to be evaluated in terms of their effectiveness and the value of their materials. Human and other resources also need to be weighed. This way, the needs assessment can also take into account the financial variables that might impinge upon the development of the program. Therefore, the steps in the needs assessment are as follows: communication; coordination; research; and strategic plan development.

2. Involving the community in the needs assessment process would entail raising awareness about the importance of source reduction, recycling, and composting in the community (EPA, 2012). As the WWF (n.d.) points out, "Changing lifestyles, the increasing use of disposable materials and excessive packaging are all contributing to an increase in the amount of waste being created." Therefore, an educational seminar about how to change lifestyle habits in order to benefit the community would be helpful in strategizing about the needs assessment. If the community members are responsive and attendance in seminars is high, then it might be possible to propose solutions that entail personal responsibility.