ArticleScientific reports2026
Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards persistent organic pollutants among informal waste recyclers in Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Informal waste recycling is a primary pathway for exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in developing nations, yet safety practices in this sector remain under-researched. This study assessed safe practices toward POPs and identified associated factors among informal recyclers in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 informal recyclers selected via a snowball sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured face-to-face interview questionnaire. Knowledge, attitude, and practice were measured using standardized items, with Bloom’s cut-off point used to define good knowledge and safe practice. Data were analyzed using bivariable and multivariable logistic regression. Statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05 with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). The response rate was 98.8%. The proportions of participants with good knowledge and favorable attitudes toward POPs were 35.5% and 42.7%, respectively. Regarding practice, only 40.8% of the informal recyclers demonstrated safe practices, while the majority (59.2%) engaged in hazardous handling. In the multivariable analysis, good knowledge of POPs (AOR = 11.84; 95% CI 5.89–23.79), tertiary educational status (AOR = 5.47; 95% CI 2.39–12.53), and having > 5 years of work experience (AOR = 2.41; 95% CI 1.29–4.50) were identified as the independent predictors of safe practices toward POPs. Safe practices toward POPs among informal recyclers were low, with over half the population operating under high-risk conditions. The study highlights that specialized knowledge and formal education are the most critical drivers of safety compliance. Interventions should prioritize POP-specific occupational health training and the integration of the informal sector into formal waste management frameworks to mitigate long-term toxicological risks such as endocrine disruption and cancer.
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