A review of solid waste management in Nigeria

Abstract

Inappropriate disposal of these untreated trashes can be injurious to humans and the environment. Air pollution, underground water contamination, land degradation, soil contamination and habitat deterioration can be caused by inappropriate waste disposal. The poor state of the management of solid wastes is accompanied by poor implementation of policies and lack of proper sensitization of the public which worsens the situation, resulting in pollution of urban surface and ground water resources. The review shows that municipal solid waste is made up of residential or household waste; commercial wastes/ institutional trash and municipal services wastes. Values for solid waste generation in two States are found to vary from 0.13 kg/capita/day in Ogbomosho, Oyo State to 0.71 kg/capita/day in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Typical composition of municipal solid waste in Nigeria is found to consist of paper, metal, glass, textile, plastic, ash dust, organic content and other micro-elements. Waste reduction is presented to be the most efficient way to reduce the negative health impacts and environmental influence of a waste. It is imperative that inappropriate method of solid waste management should be addressed through effective implementation of policies and proper sensitization of the public.