Economic factors that determine the quantity and Characteristics of Solid Waste in Bauchi Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The rapid growth of urbanisation due to industrialisation has brought astronomical increase in anthropogenic activities with their attendant huge generation of wastes, thus the need for a systematic management of an ever-increasing trend of municipal solid waste generation complicated by complex waste characteristics has become an urban challenge The research is carried out to determine the implication of economic variable (income) on the composition and quantity of solid waste generation in Bauchi metropolis. Systematic random sampling technique was adopted for the selection of the samples and 4% of the study population was taken as the sample size. The major instruments used for data collection were questionnaire, interview and direct measurement of household solid waste at source and the data is presented in tables and charts. The spearman rank correlation was used for statistical analysis to determine the degree of relationship between income level and quantity of solid waste generation. The result of hypothesis shows that the calculated value of r = 0.871. This indicates that there is high positive correlation between the two variables, that shows that the quantity and composition of solid waste generation is influenced by level of economic development It is recommended that the roles of income in determining the quantity and composition of solid waste, are to be identified and integrated in the solid waste management strategies with a view to achieving a clean and healthy living environment in Bauchi metropolis