AN ASSESSMENT OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN KADUNA METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

Abstract

A persistent challenge in the modem city is the safe management of municipal solid waste. This has been a widespread global problem especially in developing countries where it has adversely affected the quality of life and the natural ecosystem. Solid waste has deep cause-consequence interdependency with the human environment - the causes can be attributed to issues as diverse as urbanization and massive backlog of neglects, while the consequences can be gleaned from the severe threats it poses to human lives and infrastructure. It is against this background that this thesis tends to assess the management practices evolved in abating municipal solid waste in Kaduna Metropolis- one of the most urbanized centres in Nigeria. The data for this research which are mainly primary in nature were obtained through intensive reconnaissance survey of authorized and unauthorized dumping sites so as to determine the types and magnitude of the waste generated and the adequacy of the dumping sites in the study area. This data were further augmented with structured questionnaire to determine among others the residents' perception of waste management in the city, factors responsible for indiscriminate waste dumping as well as management practices put in place by the Government to curb the menace of waste in Kaduna metropolis. Consequently, the results reveal that in spite the provision of additional dumping sites and landfills by Kaduna State Environmental Protection Agency, the menace of waste has remains unabated for over a decade in the area to the extent that the severity can be minor from the drastic upsurge in waste generated in Kaduna metropolis, which rose from 11,243 cubic metric in 1996 to 42,349 cubic metric in 2008. Furthermore, evidence shows that high incidence of waste and indiscriminate dumping are associated with areas of high population density (For instance, Kawo area within the metropolis has the highest severity of waste, amounting to 17,046 cubic metric as at 2008). This research concludes that a pragmat ic approach to waste management should suffice to integrate on one hand, active private and community involvement in municipal waste management as well as the 3R approach to waste minimization - Reuse, Reduce and Recycle - on the other hand.