Waste reduction and utilization strategies to improve municipal solid waste management on Nigerian campuses

Abstract

Universities bear the important responsibility of training capable individuals and imbibing into the society plans, programs and policies that are sustainable. However, they have failed to live up to this expectation/responsibility in developing nations like Nigeria. As a result, various publication domains like the Elsevier, Engineering village, Science Direct, Taylor and Francis, Springer books, Research gate, etc. were explored to understand different approaches by various authors on the strategies of managing solid waste generated in universities around the world so as to recommend better strategies for managing the solid wastes generated in Nigerian universities for a sustainable development. The solid wastes that are prevalent in most studies reviewed include organic, plastic, polythene, paper/cardboard, e-waste, metal/cans, sanitary, wood, leather/textiles, glass/bottle, polystyrene food pack, medical and rubber. However, there are four major categories that pose the most challenges to the environment, the atmosphere, the entire populace and during all stages of management because they contribute the most percentage both by volume and weight. They include: organic, paper, polythene and plastic. Consequently, the strategies for the four major categories were discussed in this work. Some of the strategies include prevention of the generation of avoidable wastes, reduction of the generated waste through recovery, reuse of the recovered wastes, recycling of the recyclables, composting of organic wastes for energy/electricity generation, and eventual disposal at sanitary landfills. The strategies were based on the principles of the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) approach (3Rs) of an efficient and effective sustainable waste management, viz; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.