Socioeconomic Drivers of Household Plastic Waste Mismanagement and Implications for Water Resource Sustainability in Guyanese Communities

This research investigates the socioeconomic factors that lead to ineffective plastic waste management in household areas and their consequences for water sustainability in four villages in Guyana: Mon Repos, Lusignan, De Endragt, and Good Hope. The study uses a household survey (N = 384), chi-square tests, and a binary logistic model. It finds that labour status, schooling, and earnings affect unsafe disposal practices like dumping, incineration, or leaving garbage. The risk of inappropriate disposal is 20%, higher than the 6.8% among university graduates. The unemployed are at highest risk, with 32.7% at high risk. Low-income individuals (≤GYD $85,000) have a 21.9% rate, which is 2.5 times higher than the 7.6% rate among higher-income individuals. Strikingly, 63.2% of the high-risk households reported seeing “some” or “vast” amounts of dumped garbage in the close vicinity. It suggests a greater possibility of water contamination. Lacking direct proof of water quality, the strong correlation between socioeconomic disadvantage, litter visibility, and proximity to drainage infrastructure is one of the environmental justice concerns. The findings show plastic littering to be a structural issue associated with inequality, rather than purely individual behaviour, beyond the lack of access to sound waste management services. From a sustainability perspective, there needs to be a priority on straightforward strategies that encompass waste infrastructure development alongside poverty reduction and sustainable management practices. If these intrinsic disparities are not addressed, efforts to protect community water resources and realise SDGs 6, 10, and 12 will likely be futile.