Evaluation of Solid Waste Storage and Disposal Practices in Nsukka, Enugu State

Abstract

Poor waste management has remained a nagging environmental issue for many developing countries. This paper examined the mode of solid waste storage and disposal in Nsukka, with the aim of providing and synthesizing data needed for waste management planning and policy making. A total of three hundred (300) well-structured questionnaires were administered to households cutting across ten communities to generate quantitative data on demographics as well as waste storage and disposal practices. The qualitative methods such as oral interviews, observation surveys, and secondary data were also employed. An initial environmental quality assessment of the selected households showed that 58.5% of houses surveyed were littered with waste and 71% had bushy surrounding. The study reveals that the distribution of waste storage container sizes are: 0 – 5 L (4%), 6 – 10 L (43%), 11 – 20 L (51%) and > 21 L (2%). It was also observed that the prevalent types of waste storage containers in Nsukka are: plastic bins (49%), polythene bags (15%) and cartons (10%) with volume ranging from 0.1 to 0.625m3. The remaining twenty-six (26%) was distributed among other unconventional waste storage types. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of the residents in the study area can access waste dumps within a radius of 1 km or five minutes walking distance. The waste storage containers in the study area were of varying types and capacities which makes waste management more tasking. Indiscriminate solid waste disposal is necessitated by perceived non proximity of waste dumps to residents. Door to door services should be provided to residents by integrating private sector into waste management. Material such as aluminum should be used in manufacturing of waste containers because of it lightweight and durability.