Attitude and Pattern of Solid Waste Management Practices among Residents of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Indiscriminate disposal of solid waste pollutes the environment and poses a health risk to the public. This study therefore examined the attitude and pattern of solid waste management practices among the residents of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government area, Lagos State. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. A Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 600 respondents for the study. A validated semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to give statistical responses to the research questions and hypotheses using SPSS version 23. The mean age of respondents was 38.28±12.48years. More than half (51%) of the respondents were male. Majority (91%) of the respondents had positive attitude towards solid waste management. More (61.8%) of the respondents’ reported that they had waste bins in their houses. Less than half 247(41.2%) of the respondents did not separate their wet and dry waste before they disposal. Few (15.8%) of the respondents’ burned their waste. There is a significant relationship between resident’s attitude (r =0.14, p=0.00) and their solid waste disposal practice. Most of the respondents had a positive attitude towards proper waste management and poor practice of solid waste management. It is recommended that the government through the federal and state ministries of Health and Environment should create awareness via seminars, radio, televisions, and social media to teach best practices in waste management.