Solid waste generation is an inevitable consequence of production and consumption activities in any economy. Generally, it is positively related to the level of income and urbanization with higher income and more urbanized economies generating higher levels of solid wastes per capita. Metropolitan cities in developing countries are usually beset with solid waste management-related problems such as flooding, uncollected garbage and inadequate or inappropriate disposal sites which pollute the environment and ground water.

Among the metropolitan cities in India, Chennai has been purposively selected for the present study. The data and information were collected from 200 households by adopting random sampling technique pertained to the year 2009-10. The foregoing analysis indicates that about 45.00 per cent of households belong to the age group of 31-50 years followed by other groups in lesser per cent, the majority of the households are employed in teaching (20.50 per cent) and the majority of households are undergraduates. The results also indicate that about 38.00 per cent of households belong to the income group of Rs. 20001-30000 and the majority of the families are nuclear (55.50 per cent).

It is observed that about half of the households dispose waste in the evening and about 55.50 per cent of the households use plastic bucket with lid. About 84.00 per cent of households sort waste before disposing and about 37.00 per cent of households use open burning for disposing waste. The impact on aesthetic of the environment, water pollution, flooding, water stagnation, human health, bad odour, drainage, vested interest, availability of trained personal and social effects are high as perceived by households.

The survey results of the present study indicate that mandating households to segregate their wastes through local ordinances are important to promote compliance. In addition, it is necessary that the community residents are made aware of the benefits of waste segregation so as to engage themselves in a waste management programme. It is important too, that the problems in implementing waste segregation and resource recovery are considered when designing community programmes.

Key Words: Factor Analysis, Solid Waste, Waste Disposal and Resource Recovery