Households are among the major contributors to municipal solid waste, making household-level waste data important for local waste-management planning and circular economy transition. This study examined household solid waste generation, disposal practices, and socioeconomic correlates of per capita waste generation in Butuan City, Philippines. Data were collected from 427 households across 44 urban and urbanizing barangays using a structured household survey questionnaire and WACS-based physical waste measurement. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize household waste composition and disposal practices, while Probit analysis was used to examine selected socioeconomic variables associated with the binary waste-generation outcome. Results showed that plastics accounted for the largest share of household daily waste, followed by organic and biodegradable materials. Some households also reported non-compliant practices such as burning, mixing wastes, and indiscriminate disposal. The Probit results indicated that education, age, length of residency, household size, and number of income earners were significantly associated with the waste-generation outcome. However, these results should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects because the study used cross-sectional data. The findings provide a local empirical baseline for improving waste-management planning in Butuan City, particularly in relation to plastic waste reduction, organic waste diversion, segregation, material recovery, and circular economy planning.
Balanay et al. (2026) studied this question.