Abstract
Hazardous waste materials and their management are of prime importance to society. This article gives an overview of the current practices that relate to hazardous waste management. It looks at issues concerning the transboundary or international movement of harmful materials from industrialized nations to the developing and emerging world. This study has shown that Africa, most notably Nigeria, has become a dumping ground for hazardous waste materials as a result of the high importation of scrap computers and electronic devices into the country. The public health hazards, such as birth deficiencies, cancers, and even infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B and C, respectively, have been traced to the improper management of these waste materials. The review highlights a few models on hazardous waste management as developed by previous literature, which gives a hierarchy, ranging from source reduction, recycling, and landfill options. Studies reveal that hazardous waste management in Africa must revolve around wealth creation, economic, and environmental sustainability. The study provided evidence that the recycling option has high potentials in the areas of energy recovery. The data collected show South Africa to be the most advanced in the African continent in the field of hazardous waste management. For a sustainable environment, keen attention must be paid to hazardous waste management globally.
Highlights
The day to day generation of hazardous waste in many parts of the world poses tremendous threats to humans, animals, and the ecosystem at large
Several studies have been conducted on hazardous waste materials, which have indicated the rate of generation of unsafe contaminants
By utilizing a basic model, this review provides a process flow of hazardous waste materials that could be adopted by African nations based on the peculiarities of their countries
Summary
The day to day generation of hazardous waste in many parts of the world poses tremendous threats to humans, animals, and the ecosystem at large. Most of Africa still shows a low hazardous waste in the world, at about 139,194,000 tons per annum, with the United States following behind at waste generation rate [13,14]. Other similar activities by developed nations include the storage of nuclear waste in Sudanese desert locations by the Americans and Germans in 1985 [31], the construction and operation of a toxic waste incinerator by a Swiss-based firm in Mozambique in 1992 [31], and the shipping of tons of mercury by the British and Americans into South Africa, leading to unacceptable mercury standards (1000–1900 times higher than the World Health Organization standards) [31]. This contract did not pull through due to public concerns, the contract amount was reported to be roughly four times
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