Pollution Research Paper

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA: IMPEDIMENTS AND OPTIMIZATION STRATEGIES

A.H. ONONUJU, L.I. ABUGU, A.N. OBAYI, C. N. BOSAH, S.I.C. DIBIA AND N.K. ENEMUO

Abstract

The study was aimed at identifying impediments to solid waste management in Anambra State, Nigeria with the view to determining optimization strategies for effective solid waste management in Anambra State. The study area included two major cities in Anambra State. The study utilized the descriptive cross-sectional research design. Population for the study consisted of all the workers in Anambra State Waste Management Agency. Questionnaire was administered to the workers using purposive sampling technique to select workers who are engaged with solid waste management. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences version 22. Mean, standard deviation and percentages were used to answer the research questions while t-test statistic was used to test the null hypotheses. Results show that financial constraints and ineffective collection methods are the major impediments to solid waste collection. Non-compliance of people to disposing waste at designated dumpsites is the major impediment to solid waste storage while bad road network poses highest impediment to solid waste transportation. Absence of appropriate technologies and poor recycling methods pose greater impediment to solid waste treatment and disposal. The study found a significant difference in the impediments to solid waste management based on gender unlike job status and job experience. Also, majority of the respondents proffered organizing seminar, workshops and in-service training for workers as educational optimization strategy, and upgrading workers’ working conditions as attitudinal optimization strategy for solid waste management in Anambra State. Based on these findings, the study recommends that: solid waste management should be well funded and workers’ welfare improved; roads and inter streets road networks should be improved; modern technologies should be provided and adopted and inservice training given to workers on how to use them.