article · The Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management
Solid waste management poses a critical environmental challenge across urban areas in Nigeria. Waste generation rates range between 0.65 and 0.95 kilograms per capita daily, accumulating to approximately 42 million tonnes per year. This volume represents over half of all municipal waste generated across sub-Saharan Africa. An assessment across selected Nigerian cities reveals that state government agencies largely monopolise waste services, despite facing severe capacity constraints. Furthermore, organic materials constitute 52 per cent of the total waste stream, presenting specific disposal difficulties. Operational hurdles include inadequate collection and disposal practices, missing or deficient management databases, limited financial resources, weak law enforcement, and low public awareness regarding sanitary risks. Addressing these systemic difficulties requires comprehensive waste tracking databases, stringent regulatory standards, and well-enforced policies to establish functional municipal waste management systems.
With rapid urban growth generating massive volumes of refuse, inadequate municipal disposal poses severe environmental and public health hazards. Highlighting that over half of this waste is organic identifies specific logistical challenges. Overcoming public monopolies and data deficits can help policymakers design targeted regulations, allocate funding effectively, and safeguard urban communities from the consequences of poor sanitation.
The findings suggest potential opportunities for private operators and technology developers to support overwhelmed state agencies. In particular, the high proportion of organic waste indicates an opening for commercial composting or bio-processing solutions, while missing records create demand for waste-tracking data platforms. However, the abstract focuses on policy, governance, and operational deficits, meaning commercial application pathways remain early-stage and dependent on regulatory reform.
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Solid waste management is a major environmental challenge in most Nigerian cities. Waste generation rate in Nigeria is estimated at 0.65-0.95 kg/capita/day which gives an average of 42 million tonnes of wastes generated annually. This is more than half of 62 million tonnes of waste generated in sub-Sahara Africa annually and where and how to channel these wastes becomes a huge problem for the nation. This study examines the problems and prospects of solid waste management in some selected Nigerian cities using the mixed method of data collection. The findings revealed that waste management in Nigerian cities is largely monopolized by the agencies of state governments (sub-national governments) which have limited capacity to tackle the problems of solid waste management in their cities. In addition, 52 % of wastes generated are organic wastes which creates additional disposal problems. Although the problems of solid waste management in Nigeria range from poor collection and disposal methods; lack or poor waste management database; insufficient financial resources; non-compliance to laws and lack of awareness on dangers of poor sanitary habits, this paper argues that a robust waste data base, strict policies and regulation are important for effective solid waste management in Nigeria.
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DOI: 10.5276/jswtm.2018.163
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