Recycling and Reuse: Alternatives to Waste Management in Nigeria
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The main objective of this study is to examine the process of recycling and reuse as alternatives to waste management in Nigeria. Specifically this study aims to
- gauge public opinions towards reducing, reusing and recycling solid waste in the Makurdi Metropolitan area of Nigeria;
- reveal public awareness of waste management options; and
- identify appropriate avenues for strategic policy improvements.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Certainly, it would be an incomplete work, or perhaps meaningless, if we fail to get ourselves acquainted with the subject matter of discourse- waste management. In order to describe, summarize, evaluate and clarify the related works of other scholars as related to this work and also to establish a fundamental basis for this research, the literature will be reviewed under the following sub-themes:
(i) The concept of waste
(ii) The concept of waste management
(iii) Waste Management Techniques
The Concept of Waste
The sixth edition of the Oxford Advanced Learners‟ Dictionary categorizes the term “waste” into two broad perspectives. They are; waste as “Not use well” and “Not good use”. The former has to do with doing, using, giving, or saying something than its necessary or useful or perhaps where it is not valued in the way that it should be. Thus when one hears things like: why waste money on the clothes you don‟t need? You‟re wasting your time trying to explain it to him because he will not understand? You‟re wasted as a sales manager- you should have been an actor? One should bear in mind that the term is being used in the context of notuse-well category. On the other hand, the latter sees waste from the view of materials that are no longer needed and are thrown away. In this study, our discussions will take it base from the latter‟s view point as it regards waste.
Nigel Bell in Akinwale (2005) defines wastes as rubbish or materials that are not needed and are economically unusable without further processing. Here, Nigel emphasis is that to ascertain something as a waste, it has to be economically unusable- in other words, it is unproductive since it has lost the economic value(s) therein. However, Nigel’s position can be questioned because recent practices have shown that what one party considers as unneeded materials, and of course economically unusable, may be the most needed and of economic importance to another party. This is to say, what is waste in a place may turn out to become non waste in another place. For example, after drinking the liquid contents of a bottle of champagne, the empty bottle is considered as a waste by the person who drank the liquid content and perhaps is thrown away. But, another person may pick it up from the point of disposal and either reuse or recycle the empty bottle for containing another liquid substance or some other item of economic importance. The bone of contention here is that it is not clear to say at what point an item constitutes a waste.
Defra in Ogwueleka (2009) succinctly posits that there is no definitive list of what is and is not waste. It goes further to state that whether or not a substance is discarded as waste- and when waste ceases to be waste- are matters that must be determined on the facts of the case and the interpretation of the law. Defra is of the opinion that whether or not a substance is discarded s waste rests, on one hand, with the producer or holder of such substance to decide whether it is being discarded as waste and, on the other hand, with regulations or laws stipulating a such.
Contrary to Defra‟s position that there is no definitive list of what is and is not waste, the Council of the European Communities had on the 26th of March, 1991, adopted that waste shall mean any substance or object in the categories set out below, which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard. The categories include:
- Production or consumption residues not otherwise specified below
- Off-specification products
- Products whose date for appropriate use has expired.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
The study was conducted by staff and students from the University of Ibadan, between July and September 2008, and employed a methodology that integrated literature search, questionnaires, formal and informal interviews and the use of observational checklists.
Population of the study
The study area was partitioned (Table below), using population density and income levels, into three distinct areas (designated as Zone I, Zone II and Zone III); with Zone I having a very high density and Zones II and III having medium and low densities, respectively, and Zones I and II having low income levels (mean monthly income of $100), while Zone III has a high income level (mean monthly income of $500).
The following criteria were then used to define the specific study sites within each zone: (a) management of solid waste had been identified as a problem; (b) populated by people from different ethnic backgrounds who share different beliefs on many issues; and (c) contains politicians, public servants and literate residents that would be able to participate in filling-out questionnaires. The questionnaire (n = 560) was then distributed across the three zones (in compliance with the University of Ibadan ethics code). Upon return of the data (n = 545; 97.3% response), descriptive statistical analysis was applied.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS
Compositional analysis of solid waste in the Makurdi Metropolitan area (see Table 4.1 ) indicated a high percentage of waste throughout all the zones is putrescible (57.5, 53.7 and 36.4% of solid waste composition in Zone I, Zone II and Zone III, respectively). The vast majority of the respondents (~90%), more so in Zones I (>95%), are firmly aware of the health consequences of poor waste management and disposal. The results reported here reveal the levels of awareness and acceptance of the need to cutback, reuse and recycle of waste as effective tools in redressing the dysfunctional waste management systems in the study area.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusions
The promotion of sustainability within the waste management sector is imperative to achieve resource conservation and a healthy environment. Within Nigeria, and the Makurdi Metropolitan area in particular, there remains a more traditional strategy in place that involves collection and storage of solid waste in uncontrolled landfill areas close to human habitation. Whilst the Government at a national and local level has put many policies in place, these policies appear to have minimal impact where funds are not available to provide the correct technical resources for supporting the management initiatives. As such, this study reveals that throughout all three zones, awareness of the reduce/reuse/recycle strategies was fairly high. However, the accompanying facilities and training that would allow residents to implement waste behavioural improvements was lacking. In order for the Nigerian Government to uphold its commitment to the implementation of Agenda 21 and for its policies to become effective, it is deemed necessary to ensure the physical infrastructure and training is in place to support its sustainable waste management strategies and respond to public opinions on solid waste.
Recommendations
In order to assist other Nigerian waste management agencies in general and BENSESA in particular, achieve their main objective of maintaining a clean environment, and also in view of our analysis and findings of this study, we hereby recommend the following:
Enugu state government should increase (up to above 50% of the agency’s required revenue) and improve on the supplementary funds allocated to BENSESA to carry out its waste management responsibilities. It would go a long way at assisting them to procure better equipment for waste collection and disposal; pay staff salaries as and when due, make for the training of their staff and better staff motivation without mostly depending on revenue generated from unstable sanitation rate.
BENSESA should strengthen and regularize their training programme for the both senior and junior staff generally and monitoring/control staff particularly, taking them to task to their job. This would enhance effective monitoring and control of waste from collection to disposal.
Sanitation/Environment protection courts should be established to try all environmental pollution cases as obtainable in other jurisdictions. This would require serious policing in the neighborhood but would go a long way reduce or eliminate indiscriminate dumping of refuse by clients.
BENSESA should, from time to time, organize a comprehensive public sensitization programme to enlighten and re-orientate its client’s attitude towards their environment and ESWAMA as well.
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