INTRODUCTION

Waste management (generation and disposal), according to Flaomo (1995), are

part of the functions of any developing economy. Waste, both from domestic and
commercial sources has grown significantly in the society in the past decade. Each
time an individual shops at the store and open market, he contributes to the
mountain of waste. Production of waste amounts to millions of tons. The
management of waste in Nigeria in general and in Enugu state in particular has
become a fundamental issue that needs to be addressed in order to achieve desired
success. The problem of waste management is the deficient of proper and adequate
policies, plain legislation, and an environmentally stimulated and enlightened
public. Government policies on the environment are peace-meal where they exist,
and poorly implemented. Public enlightenment programmes lacked the needed
courage, intensity and continuity to correct a pathetic attitude towards the
environment. The Federal Ministry of Housing and Environment FMHE (1983),
observed that the activities of the environmental authorities have been hampered
by poor funding, inadequate facilities and human resources, inappropriate
technology. Successful waste management in Nigeria requires a holistic
programme that will integrate all the technical, economical, socio-cultural and
psychological factors that are often ignored in waste management exercise.
However, there is the need for everybody to join hands in management of solid and
liquid waste in Enugu state through ensuring a clean and sustainable environment
for the good health and well-being of the people of the state. Waste generation and
its management has become a major issue in urban aareas in Nigeria such as in
Enugu city because of increasing gap between the prolific level of generation and
the limited technology and capacity of evacuation. Managing waste involves
collection, keeping, treating and disposing of waste in such a way that can make
them not to be harmful to human beings and animals as well as the ecology and
environment (Adeniji, 1989). Waste management has become an issue of great
concern in Nigeria today. It looks as if the nation is losing the battle against the
harmful consequences of unguided waste and the attainment of clean and healthy
environment.

1
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In Enugu and many urban and rural cities in Nigeria, waste management and
procedure of waste disposal have been ineffective. Waste is often indiscriminately
dumped in open plots of land and particularly along the roads and streets. Some of
the affected streets are sometimes impassable for several weeks or months as a
consequence. The entire people living around the affected areas hardly stay
confortable in their houses due to offensive stench that emanates from these refuse
dumps. All the people living in such areas are often exposed to and may be
affected by any type of disease the mess might cause. Those living very close to
the area are the most affected and most vulnerable to diseases such as: cholera,
typhoid, malaria etc. what are the causes of this poor management of waste in
Enugu state? What are the challenges and prospects from Enugu state waste
management authority? How would government motivate ESWAMA to perform
its duty with dedicated effort and without much stress? How will ESWAMA make
sure that Enugu metropolis will be Clean and a healthy environment? It is these
problems that gave rise to this study.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The specific objectives of the study include the following:
1) To identify the challenges encountered by Enugu State Waste Management
(ESWAMA) in managing waste in Enugu.
2) To evaluate the type of waste generated and the disposal systems of
ESWAMA
3) To identify the effects of waste disposal on the peoples’ health and on the
environment.

2
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is significant in many respects:
Firstly, it will help organizations and individuals to know about waste disposal
systems and appreciate the importance of waste management to their
environment and peoples’ health.
Secondly, it will be very valuable to any student who wants to carry out a study
on the field of environmental and waste management as it will serve as a
reference point to them.
Thirdly, it will help organizations as well as various individuals to know much
about and how the wastes should be put into use.

DEFINITON OF TERMS
The operational terms used in this study are defined here, in order to give the
reader of this work the exact meaning adopted in this study. This is because
some words are used in peculiar or specialized ways. They are as follows:
1) SEWAGE:
These are waste substances that are produced by human body such as human
faeces and urine, as well as the effluents from the bath and kitchen and
industrial waste water that are carried away from factories and houses through
special pipes (sewers).
2) SOLID WASTE:
These are classified into garbage and rubbish.
a) Garbage: these are putrefied waste food like: fruits, vegetable, meat, etc.
b) Rubbish: these are non-perishable wastes that are combustible or non-
combustible such as: papers, woods, cloths, polythene, iron, glasses, ceramics,
etc.
3) GASEOUS WASTE:
These are waste generated from the house-holds domestic activities and
industrial sites that are gaseous in nature. They also include the following:
sulphide(s), carbon dioxide, etc.

3
4) HAZARDOUS WASTE:
These are the by-products that fit into hazardous waste, which can be classified
into: radio-active, chemical, biological, flammable and explosive substances.

4
 CHAPTER TWO:
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 THE CONCEPT OF WASTE
According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of current English (1995),
waste is a material, food, etc. that is no longer needed and is (to be) thrown away.
It is also any material lacking direct value to the producer and so must be disposed
of. Waste can also be described as a substance produced in our daily (consumption,
recreational, production and living) activities, which is unwanted and no longer
useful to man. (Federal Ministry of Housing and Environment of Nigeria.
Monograph Series No. 2, 1989). The substance must be handled and disposed of
with care, so that it does not constitute danger to public health.
Waste could be said to be relative especially in the manufacturing sector. What
can be regarded in this sector as waste by certain groups may become premium
raw materials to another group.
Furthermore, a good number of authors have defined ‘waste’ in own perspectives.
Tehbanoglous et al (1977) defined waste as any unavoidable materials resulting
from domestic activity or industrial operation for which there is no economic
demand, which must be disposed of. They went further to state that waste
management in all its ramifications, is a planned system of effectively controlling
the production, storage, collection, transportation, processing and disposal or
utilization of wastes, in a sanitary, aesthetically and other environmental
considerations that is also responsible to public attitude.
Ezekwesiri et al (2001:307) noted that wastes, both solid and liquid must be
handled and disposed of with care so that they do not constitute damages to public
health. According to them, solid wastes if not properly disposed of will lead to
offensive conditions such as bad smell, flies and mosquito breeding, proliferation
of rats and other vermin and the spread of infectious diseases. Indiscriminate
disposal of refuse can lead to fire outbreak and injuries.
According to Gilpin (1976), waste can be any garbage, sludge, gaseous and other
discharge materials resulting from various communities’ activities. Waste consists
therefore of discarded materials, resulting from domestic and community activities
and from industrial, commercial and agricultural operations.

5
However, in the works of Feachan et al, (1978); Anderson Morton and Hreen,
(1978), grouped wastes into two major categories; solid and liquid wastes. There
would have been a third category, gaseous waste, according to them but the
problem is that there are not yet conclusive studies to ascertain effects on health of
some toxic chemicals discharged into the atmosphere.
Liquid waste is associated with waste water or sewage while solid wastes are
associated with refuse of discarded materials that arise from Man’s activities and
are of free-flowing (WHO-Expert Committee, 1971). The term solid waste
disposal means collection, storage, treatment, utilization, processing, or final
disposal of solid waste.
URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA
Waste management in Nigeria has become a major problem in the past 3 decades.
Man’s unguided developments and ineffective solid waste management especially
in Urban Centers of Nigeria result in degraded urban environment and outbreak of
diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, etc. As it stands, effective waste management in
our urban centers need to be addressed to achieve sustainable development.
Basically, waste is broadly classified into solid, semi-solid and liquid wastes. For
us to achieve effective urban waste management in Nigeria, efforts of
governmental and nongovernmental organizations are highly needed. These
agencies include; women’s organizations, private and public agencies. The joint
efforts of these organizations will help to keep a sound and healthy environment,
thus giving room for sustainable development in our nation, Nigeria.
WASTE MANAGEMENT DISPOSAL SYSTEMS
Solid, liquid or gaseous disposal is seen as the final lapses of waste management.
The effective waste management depends on how effective the stages are carried
out. Different methods of waste disposal system can be categorized into on-site and
out- site disposal techniques. (1) On site disposal-here, home grinder, compactors
and incineration operate like those of out- site disposal method. They are only
suitable for a small number of households and are generally more susceptible to
pollution because of the use of unskilled manpower. Also some methods are
actually not a final disposal system. The highly notable waste disposal system
includes the following: Hog feeding, open dumping, incineration, resources
recovering, composition and pyrolysis (Aina 1989).

6
 (i.) Hog Feeding
Hog feeding with waste is a form of resources recovery. In America, swine is fed
with edible garbage, but with legislation that garbage should be processed before it
is fed to swine. Most operators have stopped it because it was found to be
uneconomical due to the cost of the materials for processing of garbage Hog feed
is really constrained because it cannot be used for the disposal of the non-edibles
which constitute a bulk of domestic/industrial waste.

(ii) Open Dumping;

This is highly practicable in developing countries. Open dumping is the cheapest
form of waste disposal but it is a source of a number of public health and safety
problems such as diseases, air and water pollution, fire etc. it is not recommended.
Sanitary Landfill:
Sanitary landfill is a disposal method whereby refuse is buried in trenches, or
quarry sites after the site has been properly designed. It is the most widely used
system in both the developed and developing countries. Deposited wastes are
usually spread and covered with a required quantity of earth material which are
also spread and compacted after each days tips (Wilson 1981). In order not to
allow sanitary landfill to look like an open dump, it needs to be strictly monitored
scientifically in order to meet the criteria for eliminating or minimizing
environmental nuisance such as odours, flies, fires, insects, wind-blown litters etc.
This includes the full utilization of available void space by good compact of waste,
minimization of problems of water pollution and gas generation and the use of the
reclaimed land for specific purpose.
Incineration
Incineration is a method of disposing waste by a controlled combustion of
combustible wastes at a very high temperature. Refuse from collection trunks is
dumped on a changing floor or in a storage pit from where the refuse is transferred
into the furnace in which temperature and draft are carefully controlled.
Incineration needs to be disposed into the landfill area. On the contrary, the
difficulty in its use in most developing countries is its high capital and operation
cost and the need for highly skilled manpower. (De chira 1975).

7
(v) Resources Recovery
Resources recovery is the process of turning what has been considered as waste
into useful product for use. Wilson (1981) observed that we are going into the
period of energy crisis and the possible way of remedying the situation is the
process of converting what are called wastes and other sources of biomass to useful
materials. In this regard, different methods are employed in resources recovery.

(vi). Composition
In composition, refuse can be buried with or without light soil to produce humus
that could be used as fertilizers, carbon dioxide water and heat. The standard
composition practice is not carried out in developing countries. Even the developed
countries that practice the method are gradually withdrawing from the practice due
to the disadvantage such as difficulties in separating the organic materials,
transporting the compost to farms and separating it is usually expensive and it can
lead to offensive.

(vii) Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis though not practiced in developing countries is a technique of thermal
decomposition of organic materials in the absence of oxygen and is seen as an
alternative to incineration. The by-products of pyrolysis are organic and inorganic
solid oil and gases that can be used as fuel and are marketable. Pyrolysis has
advantage over incineration because it produces more energy than it consumes and
it does not produce flies.
(viii) Recycling
Recycling of refuse and other waste is currently the most pursued method of waste
disposal. The materials are sorted out before recycling can be carried out
effectively. Transportation is a major factor in the realization of recycling and can
adversely affect the willingness of manufacturers to use the second grade raw
materials if the cost is high. Waste materials like glass, paper, plastic types etc. can
be recycled into such products, Okoli (1986) aptly stated: ...whilst the developed
countries experiment at the desirability of refuse recycling and reclamation, the
practice is at a very high degree in poor parts of developing countries of the world,
not done as part of any national disposal plan but scavengers and beggars....
8
 CHAPTER THREE
WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ENUGU.
Waste management in Enugu city is becoming an increasing problem daily and a
complex task. The Enugu state waste management agency (ESWAMA) was
established to develop and implement policies on the management of solid and
liquid wastes that would promote the health and wellbeing of the people. To this
end, ESWAMA has the responsibility to ensure effective and efficient collection,
removal, treatment and disposal of all kinds of wastes. It also has a mandate to
check the illegal dumping of refuse at roadsides, enclosures, streams in
neighborhoods and in drains. The agency is further empowered to prosecute
defaulters of sanitation laws, while providing waste management facilities. The
state’s sanitation laws compel residents to cooperate with ESWAMA in efforts to
keep the environment clean. This they are required to do by cleaning up their
environment, bagging wastes and disposing them at nearby designated dump-sites.
The residents are also required to pay approved sanitation rates through designated
banks in various zones. In Enugu, human activities have generated waste in
various forms in gaseous (abattoirs), liquid and solid. These wastes have often
been discarded because they were all considered as negative value goods.
COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL
The more prevalent method of disposal of these wastes have been to first collect
them from their source and then burn them in a landfill site or throw them in the
surrounding deep erosion gullies in the state. However, the steady increase of
landfill site, deposition in the gullies, and waste generally has caused a lot of havoc
to the potable water being extracted from downstream and ground water. In most
parts of Enugu urban, there are no public facilities for disposing refuse within
reasonable distance, dump sites or waste bins are non-existent and in locations
where dumpsites are made available, they are observed to overflow with refuse
within few hours of disposal due to the rate of waste generated by populace within
the area constituting health hazards. However, the Government of Enugu State of
Nigeria adopted different methods of solid waste disposal. One time, the
incinerator machines were used and recently solid waste conversion vehicles are
used and yet solid waste still constitute a major health hazard in the Enugu Urban.
It is believed that the refuse disposal vehicles are insufficient to cover their
designated areas. Burning of waste was the order of the day with the attendant
hazards associated with it. Dump sites or waste bins are non-existent and where

9
dumps are sited overflow with refuse, constituting health hazards. The areas that
are more susceptible to the endemic problem are areas within the Enugu metropolis
of Abakpa-Nike, Trans-Ekulu, Ogbete market, new market, Obiagu, Achara layout
owing to the highly populated nature of the areas. Some people who were recently
arraigned in the Environmental Court for waste disposal related offences claimed
to lack knowledge of where and how to properly dispose or manage their wastes.
In recent times, Solid waste management problem has become a major concern in
an industrialized developing country, like Nigeria and in Enugu in particular,
considering the high growth-rate of population and industrialization in the city, It’s
in this regards that this study seek to investigate and examine the current state of
the waste management strategy being employed by the waste management agency
(ESWAMA) in the study area (Enugu metropolis) to actually ascertain the state of
waste management in the area to help the government and planners take adequate
steps and decisions towards ensuring an improved standard of living the health
safety within the study area.
Furthermore, in the Curse of this study the waste management practices in Enugu
metropolis, it is discovered that most inhabitants, especially those in the major
markets; Ogbete market, Abakpa market and new market disposed their wastes at
the designated waste management/dump sites , it can be deduced that; the waste
management strategy practiced by the Government approved waste management
agency in these area is so poor and inefficient that huge waste dumps are found in
most available dump sites at every time and much volume of refuse are constantly
found littered all around the streets within the area with the gutters blocked with
wastes causing flooding during the raining season. With the findings above, it is
being noted that the agency responsible for waste management in the area has
succeeded to do more harm than good to the overall sanitation status/situation of
the area and it is discovered that the offensive odor emanating from such sites or
the rubbish dump in most cases resulted to a depletion in the atmospheric condition
and health challenges on residents of such areas.

10
 RECOMMENDATION
It is concluded that the waste management practices in Enugu city is unsatisfactory
and good strategies / measures needs to be employed to salvage the situation. Two
different waste management options must be combined intelligently in a way as to
reduce the environmental, social impact of waste and improving the aesthetic of
the city and living conditions of residents within the area. This combined option is
called integrated solid waste management and system approach which should be
used for the assessment of the competing options. It is in this regards that this
study here suggest the following recommendations;
1. Solid waste management should be provided in the yearly budget with a separate
head for the purpose of adequate revenue allocation, implementation and
monitoring.
2. There is need to enhance environmental education program and public
participation as it affects solid waste management not only through the radio,
television and print media but also through grassroots enlightenment campaigns
via the chiefs, community leaders.
3. Effective solid waste management requires the involvement, participation and
cooperation of local communities and the government.
4. Public private partnership is highly encouraged in solid waste and
environmental management.
5. Government should commit itself to sponsoring more research projects into the
reduction of solid waste at source, collection and efficient disposal.
6. Primary, secondary and tertiary schools curricula should inculcate detailed
topics on solid waste management.
7. There should be adequate and proper town planning for effective solid waste
management for example, there is a need to provide good access, roads, which
should be properly linked to one another. Other needs are streetlights and good
drainage system. All these will ease the evacuation of solid waste from all the
nooks and crannies of the state.
8. There should be comprehensive environmental legislation that relates to
environmental sanitation offences. The cases should be tried in environmental
courts.

11
9. Refuse bins provided in all compounds with a frequent waste collection turn-
around time.
10. The agency responsible for waste management and collection in the area
should operate a door to door system of waste collection.
11. The access road to the entire street around the metropolis be constructed and
put in good condition to aid accessibility of the waste collection trucks to all the
streets and compound in the area.

12
 CONCLUSION
Although the use of waste disposal systems such as hog feeding, open dumping,
incineration, etc. had contributed to much improvement in waste management in
Enugu state, and has consequently brought about clean environment and better
health condition of the people which actually constitute the prospects of
ESWAMA, poor management and insufficient waste disposal facilities still remain
the major challenges that affect ESWAMA negatively.

13
 REFRENCES
Afroz, A., K’ Hanaki and K. Hasegawa-Kurisu (2009). Willingness to Pay for
Waste Management Improvement in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Journal of
Environmental Management. 90 (2009): 492-503.
Aka, E.O. (1993). Town and Country Planning and Administration in Nigeria.
Altaf M. A. and J. R. Deshazo (1996). Household Demand for Improved Solid
Waste Management: A Case Study of Gujranwala, Pakistan. World Development.
25(5): 857- 868. Bartone, C. (2000).
Bartone, C.R. (1995). The Role of the Private Sector in Developing Countries:
Keys to success. Paper presented at ISWA Conference on Waste Management -
Role of the Private Sector, Singapore, and 24-25 September
Ezema, T. O. (2009). The Problems of Managing Solid Waste in a Depressed
Economy. Journal of Sustainable Development, 5(2) 45-55
Flaomo, A.A. 1995, City Waste as a Public Nuisance, a Paper Presented at the
1995 Annual Conference on Environmental Society, in Lagos.
Federal Ministry of Housing and Environment. 1983, the State of the Environment
in Nigeria. Monograph Series No. 2.
Mccabe, L.C. 1961, Identification of Air Pollution And Problems In Air, WHO
Monograph Series No. 46, Geneva.
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of current English (1995).

14