Data on solid waste generation rates and waste composition are the basic information to plan andrnimplement solid waste management systems. Jimma town like other developing country townsrnhas poor solid waste management. This is mainly because of lack of information on therngeneration rates of the waste. To fill the gap this study has been conducted. The objective of thernstudy was therefore to identify the compositions of householdâ€™s waste and analyze its generationrnrate, and assess solid waste management systems of the town and suggest some wasternmanagement options.rnThe study was conducted on randomly selected 138 households, which are expected to representrnall categories of income levels (Low, middle and high income levels) from systematicallyrnselected 3 Kebeles of the town. Daily waste from those households was separated in to itsrncomponents, weight and volume of each component was recorded. This has been conducted for 7rnconsecutive days to have better average per day domestic waste generation rate.rnThe household solid waste generation rate study indicates that in Jimma the per capita generationrnrate is 0.157 kg/c/d which makes the total daily, monthly and annual generation 25, 750 andrn9,125 tons respectively. The physical composition of the solid waste of the city is mainlyrnorganic, which constitutes 60.3% and recyclable waste is 7.3% which assures that 67.6% of therntotal waste is a resource to generate more income for employment. As a result proper wasternmanagement can contribute its share in the poverty reduction and sustainable developmentrnprogram of the government.rnThe result shows that due to inadequate solid waste management system, Jimma town has facedrna problem related to solid waste collection and disposal. The existing infrastructure for solidrnwaste collection in Jimma town is not proportional to the amount of solid waste generated fromrninstitutional, commercial and residential sources. In addition the number of municipal containersrnand only one truck for collection and transportation of waste is not adequate.rnThe existing solid waste management experience in the town is investigated and it is found to bernnot environmentally friendly as the solid waste is disposed indiscriminately on open field andrnroadside. In addition to this the liquid and /or excreta collected from the town is also dumpedrneverywhere, which has created additional health hazard and reduce aesthetic value of the town.rnIXrnThe major sanitation problems in Jimma town are basically related to the lack of properrncollection and disposal system of both solid and liquid wastes in the town.rnThe result of this study will provide the documentation of baseline data of the solid wasterngeneration rate of the town, which is prerequisite for further design of proper disposal systemrnincluding sanitary landfill. The responsible body for solid waste management of the Jimma townrnmunicipality is Health and Environmental sanitation section in collaboration with the townrnHealth office. Nevertheless, the office does not have the necessary technical, financial andrnhuman power resources to cope up with the increasing demand of the growing population.