Management of Biodegradable Waste among Rural Residents in Southern Nigeria: Implications for Environmental Public Health

Abstract

This work investigated the management of biodegradable waste among residents in a South-East Locality of Nigeria. The design adopted was descriptive survey design. The population size was 270,902 residents in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area. The sample for the study consisted of 840 respondents selected using a multi-stage procedure. Four objectives guided the study. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency tables and simple percentages. The study revealed that majority(706; 84&%) of the residents agreed on the common types of biodegradable waste generated; majority use broom and bare hand (hand picking) to collect biodegradable waste with the frequencies of 648 (77%) and 560 (67%)respectively; majority agreed on the methods of transporting biodegradable waste with an overall frequency of 584 (70%) and that majority agreed the methods of disposal of biodegradable waste with an overall frequency of 632 (75%). Based on these, it was recommended among others that health educators should be employed in the ministry of environment with mandate of organizing health talks for the residents to enlighten them on the management of biodegradable and that government should provide adequate means and facilities for the management of waste in our surroundings.