FEKEDE GELETA HORA2025-12-032024-05https://etd.hu.edu.et/handle/123456789/124With an emphasis on the potential threats hospital solid waste poses to healthcare personnel, the public, and the environment if improperly managed, the study assessed the solid waste management practices at St. Paul's Millennium Medical College and Girum Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study's objectives were to characterize the types, determine the generation rates, assess the KAP of the hospitals administrative and health care workers, and investigate the challenges and opportunities in hospital solid waste management’s of the study Hospitals. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess HCW management methods and generation rate using direct observation, interviews, questionnaire surveys, and weighing scales, with data analyzed using SPSS 22. The Government Hospital (St. Pauli's) generated 882.30±49.54 kg/day of total solid waste, with an average of 1.757 kg/patient/day (1.6 kg bed day‒1 and 0.157 kg/outpatient/day) of 61.25% being classified as hazardous waste, and the remaining 38.75% being general waste. The private hospital (Girum) produced 124.81±65.24 kg/day of total solid waste, with an average of 2.12 kg/patient/day (1.8 kg bed‒1day-1 and 0.32 kg/outpatient/day) of 57.05% being classified as hazardous waste, while the remainder, 42.795%, was general waste. High hazardous waste generation rates exceed the WHO's 10–25% estimate, primarily due to inadequate waste source segregation. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences in waste generation rates between hospitals for all the HCW categories (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the mean generation rate of the HCW within the government hospital wards as well as within the private hospital wards (P˃ 0.05). Ward chiefs, medical directors, and department heads all have high KAP scores; however, "hospital administrators have a medium, and waste handlers have a low." The KAP scores of the private hospital outperformed that of the government. St. Paul's intermediate storage area converts all forms of waste (excluding sharp waste) into hazardous waste. St. Paul's inadequate placenta disposal, as well as Girum Hospital's feeding all types of produced trash into a low-combustion incinerator, may have endangered both the population and the environment. Inefficient waste management is caused by a lack of legislation and failure to follow guidelines.General wasteHealth care waste: Hazardous wasteHospital solid waste management’sGovernment hospitalPrivate hospitalwaste generation ratesThesis