1.

0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Meaning of waste
Wastes may be defined as useless, unused, unwanted, or discarded material
available in solid form. According to Merriam-Webster’s- dictionary, a waste is a
refuse from places of human or animal habitation. The World Book Dictionary sees
it as a useless or worthless material; stuff to be thrown away. Different
organizations also have their own idea of what wastes are. According to the Basel
1989 convention, wastes are substances or objects which are disposed of or are
intended to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of
national law.
Waste is any item that is discarded because it is hazardous or seen to have
little or no value. These include solid, liquid and even semi-solid materials arising
from domestic, community, industrial, agricultural or human operations. According
to Reedy (2011), it is any item or object that is no longer appropriate for use in line
with owner’s consideration.
Nag and Vizayakumar (2005), says that with the advent of civilization, an
increase in the waste generation has been seen all over the world. Population
growth and urbanization as a result of industrial revolution brought a shift in the
pattern of waste generation leading to more serious environmental issues and of
late increased global consciousness on issues like global warming and various forms
of pollution are some of the factors driving waste generation. Reedy (2011), Nag and
Vizayakumar (2005), Agboje et al (2014) thus calling for development of an efficient
and environmentally sustainable waste management system. Management of waste
is as old as when animals (including humans) recognized that some items in the
environment are meant to be discarded, while others are good for satisfying the
requirements of existence.
Waste has become an important issue in Nigeria. Piles of wastes are often
found by roads, rivers and many other open spaces in cities, and this is causing

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significant health and environmental problems. The urban population is growing at
an alarming rate. While the Nigerian population is increasing by about 2.8% per
annum, the rate of urban growth is as high as 5.5% per annum (UDBN, 1998). This is
increasing the difficulties associated with providing an effective solid waste
management system. As cities grow, land use becomes increasingly complex and the
wastes generated increase in volume and variety (Omuta, 1987).
Waste (waste sources ad types, generation, disposal, and management) is
reviewed and assessed in this term paper. Problems associated with existing waste
management systems and facilities have been identified. The legal, administrative
and institutional framework and the role of government agencies and private sector
has been analysed, and ways of achieving more efficient and effective waste
management are proposed/sugguested

2.0 WASTE TYPES AND SOURCES

It needs to be emphasized that there are various types of wastes. Domestic
wastes include organic wastes, electronic wastes and other such wastes generated
from residential areas. The various classifications of domestic wastes have defined
by different researcher because the need to apply different treatment to the
materials like glass, plastics, metals and so forth. Industrial wastes are usually the
by-product of manufacturing process, while commercial wastes are sourced from
commercial premises.

3.0 WASTE GENERATION

According to Babanawo (2006), waste generation is greatly influenced by
geographic and physical factors. These factors include: geographic location, season
of the year, the use of kitchen waste food grinders, waste collection frequency and
the characteristics of the service area. There are a number of major risks and
impacts of the dumpsites on the environment. For instance, air pollution from open

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burning, due to emission of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide;
the air emissions and leachates generated as a result of decomposition of waste may
contaminate air, surface and groundwater sources; fire hazards and explosions
cause public health risks as well.
The emission of greenhouse gases, rats and fly infestation and nuisance
effects are among health and environmental impacts of poor waste management.
Scattering of wastes by wind and scavenging by birds, animals and waste pickers
creates aesthetic nuisance. Malodorous emanating due to the degradation of waste
in the dumpsites has nuisance effect and decreases economic and social values in
the locality. In many dumpsites, the waste is directly increasing global concern over
public health impacts attributed to environmental pollution, in particular, the
environmental quality and human health risks associated with the waste dumps.

4.0 WASTE COLLECTION SYSTEM

The process of waste management begins from the source of the waste where
all the disposable materials are gathered in a receptacle from which they will be
evacuated periodically.
Waste collection, which is house-to-house evacuation of domestic waste from
receptacles or bins into waste trucks for onward transportation to the disposal site,
is an integral part of waste management process, and is a key area of environmental
management. The same procedure of dealing with domestic waste applies to
commercial and industrial wastes. Household waste collection systems vary
throughout the world, from no organized collection at all (Mbande, 2003), to the
collection of eight separated recyclable materials at the doorstep in multi-
compartment vehicles (Dahlen et al., 2007).
Household waste collection can be divided into collection of close properties
and collection at drop-off points (bring systems). Source-sorted materials can be
collected separately or commingled. Commingled collection can be designed either

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for manual or mechanical sorting at the material recovery facilities, optical sorting
techniques are sometimes applied, based on the use of colour-code bags for specific
materials collected in the same bin.
The collection of household waste involves many aspects. The perception of
what is important is depends on the stakeholder, e.g the waste management
company/government, the local authority, the national environmental protection
agency, the waste researcher, the environmentalist and the public and they all have
different perspectives.
There are a number of different reasons for evaluating waste collection
systems and they are;
i. To follow up environmental goals
ii. To follow up the ordinance on producer responsibility
iii. To monitor quality of source-sorted recyclables
iv. To plan, collection, transportation and treatment capacity
v. To monitor the effectiveness of the incentives
vi. To evaluate cost effectiveness
vii. To understand recycling potential
viii. To make regional and international comparisons
The evaluation of collection systems depends on the system boundaries and will
always be site-specific to some degree. However, it is possible to considerably
improve the potential for comparisons through stratified investigations and the use
of simple, consistent indicators (Dahlen, 2008).

5.0 WASTE EVACUATION

A critical path of the cycle of waste management is transportation and level of
efficiency. Effective waste transportation involves the transportation fleet (vehicles)
as well as the disposal/recovery sites as well as conveyance of personnel to/fro
offices, waste depots and staff houses (oresanya, 2014).

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 This activity has to do with the movement of the gathered waste to the
disposal site. This is usually done with specialized vehicles, skip-eaters, which
compress the waste within the trunk in order to maximize the space in the trunk
and minimize the number of trips that the trunk will make to get the job
accomplished. In the alternative, regular trucks could be used to convey the wastes
from the source to the disposal destination

6.0 WASTE DISPOSAL

Waste is generally disposed of at designated sites where appropriate
treatments will be given to neutralize their negative impact on the environment and
human beings. Listed below are the waste disposal methods.
6.1 Wastes disposal methods
6.1.1 Open dump
For many people, the way to dispose of waste is to simply drop it someplace.
Open, unregulated dumps are still the predominant method of waste disposal in
most developing countries. The world mega cities have enormous garbage
problems. Until recently, most of this torrent of waste was left in giant pits, exposed
to the wind and rain, as well as rats, flies and other vermins. Most developed
countries forbid open dumping, at least in metropolitan areas, but illegal dumping is
still a problem (Adindu, 1978). We clearly need better enforcement of anti-littering
laws as well as a change in our attitudes and behaviour.
6.1.2 Ocean dumping
The oceans are vast but not so large that it can be treated carelessly as it has
been man’s habit. Every year, it was recorded that some metric tonnes of packaging
and plastic containers are dumped in the sea beaches. Even remote regions are
littered with the non-degradable flotsam and jets of industrial society.

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6.1.3 Landfills
Over the past 50 years, most American and European cities have recognized
the health and environmental hazards of open dumps. Increasingly, cities have
turned to sanitary landfills, where waste disposal is regulated and controlled. To
decrease smells and litter and to discourage insect and rodent populations, landfill
operators are required to compact the refuse and cover it every day with a layer of
dirt. This method helps control rodent population, but the dirt fill also takes up as
much as 20 percent of landfill space.
Since 1994, all operating landfills in the United States have been required to
control such hazardous substances as oil, chemical compounds, toxic metals, and
contaminated rainwater that seep through piles of waste. An impermeable clay
and/or plastic lining underlies and encloses the liner to catch drainage and to help
monitor chemicals that may be leaking. More careful attention is now paid to the
sitting of new landfills. Sites located on highly permeable or faltered rock
formations are passed over in favour of sites with less leaky geologic foundations.
Landfills are being built away from rivers, lakes, floodplains, and aquifer
recharge zones, rather than near them, as was often done in the past. More care is
being given to landfills long-term effects so that costly clean ups and rehabilitation
can be avoided.
Historically, landfills have been a convenient and relatively inexpensive waste
disposal option in most places, but this situation is changing rapidly. Rising land
prices and shipping costs as well as increasingly demanding landfill construction
and maintenance requirements are making this a more expensive disposal method
(Imam, 2008). Suitable places for waste disposal are becoming scarce in many areas.
Citizens have become more concerned and vocal about health hazards, as well as
aesthetics.

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6.1.4 Exporting waste
Although most industrialized nations in the world have agreed to stop
shipping hazardous and toxic waste to less developed countries, the practice still
continues. This affects the health of the people in the recipient countries since the
wastes contain mercury, lead and high level of other toxic metals.
6.1.5 Incineration and resource recovery
Another term commonly used for this technology is energy recovery or waste
to energy, because the heat derived from incinerated refuse is a useful resource.
Burning garbage can produce steam used directly for heating buildings or
generating electricity. There are types of incinerators. Municipal incinerators are
specially designed burning plants capable of burning thousands of tonnes of waste
per day. In some plants, refuse is sorted as it comes in so as to remove unburnable
or recyclable materials before combustion. This is called refuse-derived fuel because
the enriched burnable fraction has higher energy content than the raw trash.
Another approach, called mass burn, is to dump everything smaller than sofas
and refrigerators into a giant furnace and burn as much as possible. This technique
avoids the expensive and unpleasant job of sorting through the garbage for non-
burnable materials, but it often causes greater problems with air pollution and
corrosion of burner grates and chimneys. In case, residual ash and unburnable
residues representing 10-20 percent of the original volume of burned garbage is
reduced by 80-90 percent, disposal is a smaller task.
However, the residual ash usually contains a variety of toxic components that
make it an environmental hazard if not disposed of properly.
6.1.6 Recycling
It is obviously better to have less waste to discard, instead of struggling with
disposal methods, all of which have disadvantages and drawbacks in the
environment. The term recycling has two meanings in common usage. Sometimes,
the term recycling is used for reusing of something, such as refillable beverage

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containers. In terms of waste management, however, recycling is the reprocessing of
discarded materials into new, useful products.
Some recycling processes use materials for the same purposes. For instance,
old aluminium cans and glass bottles are usually melted and recast into new cans
and bottles. Other recycling processes turn old materials into entirely new products.
Old tires, for instance, are shredded and turned into rubberized road surfacing. Old
newspapers become valuable soil amendment materials, and steel cans become new
automobiles and construction materials.
6.1.7 Shrinking the waste stream
Enormous volumes of waste are produced in industrialized societies, and
there is an increasing problem of how to dispose of this material in an
environmentally safe manner. Old landfills were often messy and leaky, but new
ones are required to have impermeable clay or plastic linings, drainage, and careful
sitting. Incineration can destroy organic compounds, but whether incinerators can
or will be operated satisfactorily is a matter of debate. Recycling is growing
nationwide, encouraged by the economic and environmental benefits it brings. Near
major urban centres, land suitable for waste disposal is becoming increasingly
scarce and expensive. Some cities now ship their refuse to other States or even other
countries, but worries about toxic and hazardous material in the waste are leading
to increasing resistance to shipping or storing it.
Hazardous and toxic wastes, when released into the environment, cause such
health problems as birth defects, neurological disorders, reduced resistance to
infection, and cancer. Environmental losses include contamination of water
supplies, poisoning of the soil and destruction of habitat. The major categories of
hazardous wastes are ignitable, corrosive, reactive, explosive, and toxic. Some
materials of the greatest concern are heavy metals, solvents and synthetic organic
chemicals, such as halogenated hydrocarbons, organophosphates, and phenoxy
herbicides.

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 Disposal practices for solid and hazardous wastes have often been
unsatisfactory. Thousands of abandoned, often unknown waste disposal sites, still
leak toxic materials into the environment. Some alterative techniques for treating or
disposing of hazardous wastes include not making the material in the first place,
incineration, secures landfill, and physical, chemical, or biological treatment to
detoxify or immobilize wastes. Shrinking the amount of generated wastes has
become imperative.

7.0 WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste is everyone’s business. We all produce wastes in nearly everything we
do. Waste management methods cannot be uniform across regions and sectors
because individual waste management methods cannot deal with all potential waste
materials in a sustainable manner (Staniskis, 2005; Davison, 2011). Condition
varies; therefore, procedures must also vary accordingly to ensure that these
conditions can be successfully met.
A variety of approaches have been developed to tackle waste issues. A well-
designed framework can help managers address waste management issues in cost
effective and timely manner (Davidson, 2011). According to Davidson (2011), a
waste management framework provides flexibility to frame and analyse
quantitative and qualitative information across different scales; structure to clearly
identify key goals and values; logic to consider the potential probability and
consequences related to a particular option; and communicability to clearly
communicate key ideas to key stakeholder .
The concept of integrated waste management arose out of recognition that
the waste management system comprises several interconnected system and
functions framework of reference

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7.1 STATUTORY RESPONSIBLITIES IN WASTE MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA
A wide range of individuals, groups and organizations are concerned with
waste management as service users, services providers, intermediaries and/or
regulators (Defra, 2011).
The following participants all have some important relation o waste management
and, in some cases, significant levels of responsibility for policies or operations:
households, communities and other services, non-governmental organizations,
governments, private sector enterprises, informal private sector, and external
support agencies.
7.1.1 Government
Governments, at all levels, will generally have final jurisdiction and
responsibility for overall policy and for management of waste system, whether or
not the government itself is performing the waste management functions (UNEP,
2005). The authority to enforce bylaws and regulations and to mobilize the
resources required for solid waste management is, in principle, conferred upon local
governments by higher government authorities.
7.1.1.1 Role of Government Agencies
The landmark Federal legislation on environmental protection in Nigeria was
the decree Number 58 of 1988, which established the Federal Environmental
Protection Agency (FEPA). The specific role of FEPA with respect to solid waste
management is to (Onibokun, 1999):
 Study the most reliable systems that are appropriate for local, domestic and
industrial wastes.
 Specify waste disposal and treatment methods that take into consideration
the geological and environmental setting and encourage recycling.
 Specify waste disposal sites that guarantee the safety of surface and
underground water systems.

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  Set up and enforce standards for adequate sanitary facilities for the disposal
of human and other solid wastes in dwellings, housing estates and public
facilities in both urban and rural areas.
 Establish monitoring programmes including periodic surveillance of
approved waste disposal sites and their surroundings and waste water
systems.
 Establish monitoring stations for the control of the disposal of leachate from
dumpsites into surface water and groundwater systems.

FEPA enacted a number of laws and regulations. These have included:

 The National Protection Management of Solid and Hazardous Wastes
Regulations of 1991.
 The Pollution Abatement in Industries and Facilities Generating Waste
Regulation of 1991.
 The General Guidelines for Pollution Abatement in Industries 1991.

The State Environmental Protection Board is responsible for waste

management in their respective states. Their responsibilities are to:
 Remove, transport and dispose of domestic, commercial and industrial waste.
 Clear and maintain public drainage facilities, street cleaning and clearing of
abandoned vehicles.
 Register private waste collection companies.
 Prepare and periodically up-date the master plan of waste collection and
disposal in the city.
 Approve and monitor all disposal systems in the city.
 Assess recycling as a waste management option for industries and
government agencies.

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  Establish and recommend the basic standard requirements for solid, liquid,
gaseous or toxic waste management provided they do not conflict with, but
complement the standards of the FEPA.
 Establish and recommend acceptable safe methods of collection and disposal
of hazardous and toxic waste products in the state.
 Educate the general public on the various disposal methods acceptable for
domestic and industrial waste products.
 Initiate environmental protection legislation and keep existing legislations
under constant review to reflect the latest discoveries and observations on
the subject.
 Organise and mobilise the public to participate actively in regular clean-up
exercises and beautification of their environments.
7.1.2 Private Sector Enterprises
The formal private sector includes a wide range of enterprise types, varying
from informal micro-enterprises to large business establishments. As potential
service suppliers, private enterprises are primarily interested in earning a return on
their investment by selling waste collection, transfer, treatment, recycling and/or
disposal services (Cointreau, 1994). Operating in various forms of partnership with
the public sector, they may provide capital, management and organizational
capacity, labour and/or technical skills.
7.1.3 Households, Communities and other Service Users
Local residents’ preferences for particular types of waste service, their
willingness to source separate recyclable materials, their willingness to pay for the
service, and their capacity to move waste to communal collection points all have an
impact on the overall waste system. Incentives can affect residents’ preferences and
behaviour (UNEP, 2005). Residential households are mainly interested in receiving
effective and dependable waste collection service at a reasonably low price.

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8.0 CHALLENGES TO WASTE MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA
8.1 Physical constraints
The major constraint to waste management includes physical and economic
problems. Physical constraints to waste management include lack of comprehensive
planning, inadequate infrastructure and development crisis. Comprehensive
physical planning incorporates conceiving the plan and considering various aspects
of the plan of the urban area in terms of waste generation and disposal.
8.1.1 Inadequate infrastructure
Many Local Government Areas lack the capacity to meet infrastructural
services for waste generation in rapidly growing areas. When vehicles to evacuate
waste and other infrastructures are not provided or inadequate from the Local
Government to the State Government, there will be problem in handling the waste
generated by the populace (Agumbnwamba, et al., 1998).
8.1.2 Development crisis
The expansion of urban development to urban fringes poses a threat to
sustainable development and management of environmental resources. Plan
policies to accommodate population growth are inadequately made (Agunwamba,
1998).
8.2 Budgeting
The Federal Government’s budget for environmental protection is
inadequate. This makes waste management allocation to be so negligible, leading to
poor waste management. It was found that a great part of the budget (77%) was
spent on collection and haulage, leaving a minor amount (23%) for waste disposal
(Agunwamba, et al., 1998).
8.3 Over population
When an area is densely populated, the quantity of waste being generated
will be much. The populace disposes the waste both in approved and unapproved

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sites, thereby causing the problem of waste management in the urban areas (Agagu,
2009).
8.4 Environmental education and participation
Environmental Education has been described by Eguabor (2008: 78) as:
“A permanent process in which individuals and the community gain
awareness of their environment and acquire the knowledge, value, skills,
experience and the determination which will enable them to act
individually and collectively to solve present and future environmental
problems”.
There is no environmental education and awareness on the effect of waste
disposal, which will enable the people to known how to dispose of the waste from
the homes and agricultural waste (Adindu, 1990).
8.5 Production of master plans
Master plans of Local Government Areas in Nigeria is not prepared and
enforced as a guide for both private and public authorities. Such policies will protect
environmentally sensitive areas and address the waste management procedures
(Adedibu, 1984). It will be a control approach to environmental management and
will regulate environmental degradation.
8.6 Poverty, underdevelopment and ignorance
Poverty, underdevelopment and ignorance are factors that militate against
environmental quality and waste management in Nigeria. This is evidenced by the
piling of solid waste in various parts of the urban centres. Refuse heaps have
encroached on or completely blocked roads, thereby obstructing traffic in the urban
cities. Uncontrolled refuse disposal has always been associated with serious health
hazards (Dharam and Vivan, 1995).

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9.0 Recommendations
The existing waste management system in Nigeria is affected by unfavourable
economic, institutional, legislative, technical and operational constraints. A reliable
waste collection service is needed, and waste collection vehicles need to be
appropriate to local conditions. More vehicles are required to cope with increasing
waste generation. Waste needs to be sorted at source as much as possible, to reduce
the amount requiring disposal. Co-operation among communities, the informal
waste collectors and the authorities is necessary if recycled materials need to be
encouraged. Markets for recycled materials need to be encouraged. Despite recent
improvements in the operation of the existing dumpsite, a properly sited engineered
landfill should be constructed with operation contracted to the private sector.
Wastes dumped along roads, underneath bridges, in culverts and in drainage
channels need to be cleared. Small-scale waste composting plants could promote
employment, income generation and poverty alleviation.
Enforcement of waste management legislation and a proper policy and
planning framework for waste management are required. Unauthorized use of land
must be controlled by enforcing relevant clauses in development guidelines.
Accurate population data is necessary so that waste management systems and
infrastructure can be properly planned. Environmental education should be
included in the school’s curriculum to enable individuals acquire the knowledge and
bring about sound environment.

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REFERENCES

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