Assessment of Solid Waste Management in Samaru Zaria, Nigeria
Assessment of Solid Waste Management in Samaru Zaria, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
This study examines the existing solid waste management structure in Samaru, Nigeria with a view to recommending strategies that would usher in efficient solid waste management techniques and culture. The research gathered data from two main sources: Primary and secondary sources.
Data were collected through the use of questionnaires administered to the waste generators and interviews of employees of relevant waste management agencies such as: Kaduna State Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA), Private Environmental Care Takers (PECT) while four hundred copies of structured questionnaires were distributed randomly among selected households.
Also obtained from field work were data of samples (solid waste) from selected dump sites. The result indicated that the state agencies in charge of solid waste management are not functioning properly.
This could be closely linked with the lack of equipment, trained and skilled manpower, coupled with poor funding of these agencies and also the attitude of the waste generators towards solid waste management.
At the moment, 73% of the residents in Samaru use self-collection and disposal methods. The result also indicates that 50% of the residents are willing to pay for improved solid waste management system.
Waste segregation takes place mostly at the final dumpsite. Solid wastes are not dumped at the designated sites. 60% of the residents are aware of the public health risk of improper waste disposal.
Most of the wastes generated are Food and fruit remnants, Paper and cardboard, Textile materials, Plastic materials, Metal scrap Bottle and Glass, Polythene; Nylon and Tin cans.
The study also suggests ways by which solid waste management can be improved upon in Samaru and beyond and also proposed a conceptual frame work for waste management.
INTRODUCTION
Waste is defined as materials of solid or semi solid character that the possessor no longer considers of sufficient value to retain (Gilpin, 1976).
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ( 2007 ) also defined solid wastes in simple words as any discarded (abandoned or considered waste-like) materials.
There are different types of waste: municipal waste (including household and commercial waste), industrial waste (including manufacturing), hazardous waste, construction and demolition waste, mining waste, waste from electrical and electronic equipments, biodegradable municipal waste, packaging waste, and agricultural waste.
Solid wastes can be solid, liquid, and semi-solid or containerized gaseous material. Also, there are various sources of waste: residential, industrial, commercial, institutional, construction and demolition waste; municipal services manufacturing process, agriculture.
Municipal solid waste (MSW) is defined to include refuse from households, nonhazardous solid waste from industrial, commercial and institutional establishments (including hospitals), market waste, yard waste, and street sweepings.
MSW is defined by Cointreau (1982) as non-air and sewage emissions created within and disposed of by a municipality, including household garbage, commercial refuse, construction and demolition debris, dead animals, and abandoned vehicles. Municipal solid waste is generally made up of paper, vegetable matter, plastics, metals, textiles, rubber, and glass (USEPA, 2002).
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