Identification and Prioritization of Influential Factors in Scavengering With Using Mixed Method (Case Study Mashhad)

Abstract
Scavengering is one of the hobbies of citizens and officials. In order to solve this problem, it seems necessary to know the roots and causes that have created this problem and contributed to its expansion and survival. For this purpose, this study, in a descriptive and analytical way, sought to identify and prioritize effective factors in the formation and development of garbage collection in Mashhad city. The required data was collected in the first stage through interviews with 20 experts. The limit of this number was determined based on the principle of theoretical adequacy. Data coding was done with the qualitative content analysis method and with the help of Atlas ti software. The results led to the identification of 12 main categories. In the next step, in order to prioritize these factors, the triangular fuzzy method was used. The findings showed that the factors affecting littering are: Access to garbage, legal vacuum, high benefits, poverty, unemployment, addiction, illegal immigration, inconsistency of devices, municipal income intervention, power mafia, social acceptance and lifestyle. Based on this, if these conditions are resolved in a suitable way, a significant part of these problems will be resolved.
Key words: Scavengering, Illegal immigration, lifestyle, social acceptance, Mashhad.
 
 
Identification and Prioritization of Influential Factors in Scavengering With Using Mixed Method (Case Study Mashhad)
Rostam Saberifar[1]
Associate Professor, Payam –e– Noor University, Tehran, Iran
Extended Abstract
 
Introduction: Scavengering is one of the hobbies of citizens and officials. In order to solve this problem, it seems necessary to know the roots and causes that have created this problem and contributed to its expansion and survival. The present study was also carried out in this direction. This study has pursued two main goals. First, the factors affecting the formation and expansion of the phenomenon of scavengering were identified. In the next step, these factors have been prioritized. In fact, the main effort was to find a suitable answer to the question, what are the factors influencing the formation of the phenomenon of scavengering? And which factors have the highest effects and their control can speed up the management of this problem.
Materials & methods: This study was based on the practical purpose and in terms of the type of method, it was in the field of survey-type descriptive studies. The approach of the present study was mixed. Qualitative data was obtained from a sample of 20 people and for a small part of 50 participants. The target sample was selected by snowball method. The collected data were analyzed by combining qualitative and quantitative methods with the help of Atlas ti software. Based on this, the present study was carried out on two levels, including the identification of the factors and areas of occurrence and expansion of the phenomenon of scavengering and the prioritization of the identified factors. The main factors were identified using semi-structured interviews. The analysis of the data obtained from the interview was coded using the qualitative content analysis method. The participants in this survey in the qualitative part were university professors and researchers who had studies or experiences in the field of garbage and garbage collection. The validity of the relative content of the questionnaire of this study was estimated to be 71% by using the expert opinions of ten people informed about the research. Also, the correlation of the answers based on the test-post-test method was obtained at the rate of 79%, which brought the reliability of the questionnaire.
Discussion: The findings showed that the most effective factor in garbage collection is access to existing garbage. The next effective factor, whose role and position in the occurrence of scavengering and its spread was confirmed in this study, was legal loopholes in the control and management of scavengering. The variable of high benefits has taken the third place among the factors affecting scavengering in Mashhad. Among the prioritized factors in this survey, poverty has been assigned the fourth place. In this study, unemployment was determined to be another factor affecting scavengering in Mashhad. Addiction, as a serious problem of today's society, was also influential in the category of scavengering. Because a significant part of the garbage collectors have entered this area only to supply the drugs they need. Maybe this is the reason why in this study, the addiction factor has been assigned the sixth place. Indiscriminate immigration is one of the most important factors that has caused many of the current urban disturbances. In this study, it was found that this factor ranks seventh. Finally, the 8th and 12th positions in the continuation and development of garbage collection are respectively assigned to these factors. Inconsistency of institutions, municipal income intervention, power mafia, social acceptance and lifestyle. In general, in the current situation, the gap between income and quality of life among citizens has widened. This factor has created two completely different worlds among the residents of the same city. When the poor see the created income gap, they feel so disgusted. As a result, this group is willing to do anything to free themselves from the created conditions. In this situation, they either commit violent crimes or at least collect and sell abandoned valuables. In this way, they try to provide the minimum of life for themselves and their families. In fact, the consumption of the benefits proposed by Veblen, Dusenberry and Maslow for the rich has produced a lot of waste and discarded consumable goods. Poverty, unemployment and the inability to provide the basic necessities of life for the poor group have forced them to gather these tools and materials for daily consumption or sale through scavenging. These conditions have also caused that scavengering is not limited, but its dimensions and scope are increasing every day.
Result: The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize factors affecting the formation and expansion of scavengering. Based on this, the current study was carried out at two levels including the factors affecting the formation and prioritization of these factors. The findings showed that the most effective factor in this process is access to existing waste. In fact, if there is no garbage available, there is no point in picking garbage. In other words, the organizations in charge of waste management and control cannot collect waste properly and dispose of it in a timely manner. For this reason, needy or profit-seeking people can easily access these materials and collect them and sell them. Therefore, as long as garbage is available and can be easily collected, garbage collection will continue. Based on this, the results of the current research, in line with other researches conducted in this field, showed that scavengering is a multidimensional phenomenon. For this reason, this problem cannot be solved by emphasizing one of these dimensions. In fact, scavengering is a problem that has challenged all effective organizations in urban management, and its solution depends on the presence of all these organizations.
Key words: Scavengering, Illegal immigration, lifestyle, social acceptance, Mashhad.