THE EFFECT OF DOMESTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN SELECTED SOUTH WEST STATES NIGERIA: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
Waste Management is a local and global concern. In reality, it is natural for waste to be generated. This does not pose any problem but the deficient capacity of individuals and government to strategically and sustainable manage these waste within the environment in which they are generated becomes an issue.
Solid wastes are referred to as waste which are neither liquid nor gaseous , generated through various daily human activities and are ultimately regarded as not useful. Solid waste could therefore be garbage, refuse, or sludge which are residues of liquid effluent. (Leton and Omotosho, 2004). It could also include refuse from households, non-hazardous solid waste from industrial and commercial establishments, refuse from institutions market waste, yard waste, and street sweepings (Alabi, 2004). Broadly, Household wastes otherwise known as residential or domestic wastes are made up of wastes that are consequences of household activities. These according to [6] include food preparation, sweeping, cleaning, fuel burning and gardening wastes old clothing, old furnishings retired appliances, packaging and reading materials. The problem of solid waste management is about the second largest issue after water quality in developing countries; (Senkoro, 2003). This is due to poverty, population explosion and high urbanization rate. The immensely increasing waste generation has been witnessed by heaps of municipal solid waste (MSW) which has appeared indiscriminately all over the cities. These has therefore being linked to prominent factors such as increasing population that has been aggravated by rapid urbanization and industrialization, basically resulting into a significant increase in the volume of wastes generated and consequently, its management. Solid waste management (SWM) is a multidimensional challenge faced by urban authorities in developing countries like Nigeria. Waste generation, collection and disposal is an innate or core part of any industrial or developing society. Domestic waste management, collection and disposal have on its own global problem amongst other type of waste. According to studies, it was noted that for years, the major problem in Israel was the accumulation of tens of thousands of tons of organic wastes. This was also the case in the U.S until the 1970’s when Federal Agencies had little authority to regulate hazardous and solid disposal by often taking in an unsafe manner at landfills or in inclined lagoons, with some wastes simply dumped on the ground or in surface waters. (references)
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