Abstract
Despite the active participation of informal waste collectors (IWCs) in waste management in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria, a major observed challenge to effective operation of this group of workers is the variation in the seasons of the year and their accompanying weather futures. This study investigated the effects of seasonal changes on the types and volume of waste handled by the informal waste collectors, level of patronage and income earned in the five municipal local government areas of Ibadan. A cross-sectional survey approach was adopted and both primary and secondary data were sourced. Through questionnaire survey and field observations, data were collected from 253 informal waste collectors operating in the study area. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (ANOVA) were used in analysing the data obtained from the field work. The study established that the types and volume of waste collected and income earned by the informal waste collectors varied from season to season. Patronage of the informal waste collectors was found to be reduced by about 25% in the dry season owing to less volume of waste generated and increased burning. The low patronage reduced the income by about 25% on average. The implications of this are that the job security of IWCs is threatened and increased burning of waste increases the atmospheric carbon content, which depletes the ozone layer and consequently results in global warming. The study, therefore, recommended financial and technical assistance to the waste collectors by either government or non-governmental organisations to establish small waste merchandising business to cater for the period of low patronage.
Highlights
Informal waste collection is an economic venture which involves using unorthodox means of waste collection and transportation such as cart, wheelbarrow, head pan or basket, to collect, transport and dispose of household waste for a fee
It has been shown that variation existed in the types and volume of waste evacuated by the informal waste collectors (IWCs) in the wet and the dry seasons, with maize husks and polythene being the dominant wastes in both seasons
With a waste collector making an average of four trips in the wet season and realizing about ₦2000 in a day (₦197 = 1 USD), the reduction in the volume of waste in the dry season led to a drop in the number of trips and reduction in the income accruable from the waste collection business by about 25%
Summary
Informal waste collection is an economic venture which involves using unorthodox means of waste collection and transportation such as cart, wheelbarrow, head pan or basket, to collect, transport and dispose of household waste for a fee. Studies have shown the effectiveness of informal waste collectors (IWCs) in waste management despite the rudimentary nature of their operation (Zelalem, 2006; Slackman, 2009; Ola, 2016). They have been especially responsible for waste collection in the high-density neighbourhoods of cities, where formal collection is virtually non-existent (Jerie, and Tevera, 2014; Wahab and Ola, 2016). The tropical rain belt lies in the southern hemisphere roughly from October to March During this period, the northern tropics have a dry season with sparser precipitation and days are typically sunny throughout. From April to September, the rain belt lies in ep.ccsenet.org
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