Solid Waste Segregation as a Strategy for Improved Waste Management in Okaka Community, Bayelsa State.
CHAPTER ONE
Broad Objective of the Study
The main objective of the study is;
to assess solid waste segregation as a strategy for improved waste management in theOkaka Community, of Bayelsa State.
Specific Objectives
The specific objectives of this work are to;
- assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of waste segregation at source at pre- intervention;
- assess the effects of training on the knowledge, attitude and practice of waste segregation atsource;
- assess the effect of the provision of labelled colour coded bags on the practice of waste segregation at source;and
- evaluate the pre-intervention and post-intervention training variation in the nature, amount and management of solid
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
What is Waste?
The concept of waste is tricky to define(Lardinois and Van de Klundert, 1995). The definition of post-consumption materials as resources in the wrong place at the wrong time incorporate the idea of ‘wastes’ being resources left over from initial consumption(Lardinois and Van de Klundert, 1995). There is a problem with this definition because not all wastes can properly be regarded as resources. Many hazardous and toxic materials cannot be safely recycled or reused. In any one society, there will always be materials that cannot be used as resources for various reasons. What is a waste is considered from the point of view of the waste generator soit is mainly a subjective matter. Waste is what the person responsible for discarding the material regards as waste(Lardinois Van de Klundert, 1995). General waste is any material for which a specific owner ceases to have use for it. It is also any unwanted or discarded material, in solid, liquid or gaseous form. A product, material or container is not considered waste until someone throws it away.
Solid Waste
Solid waste is non-liquid waste arising from domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, mining and construction activities and from public services. Solid waste can also be defined as ―unwanted material disposedoff by man which can neither flow into streams nor escapes immediately into the atmosphere(Kulkari, 2008).
Classification of Solid Waste
Solid waste can be classified in several ways and most classification of solid waste is based on the source from which it is generated(Hoornweg et al., 2008). Major sources of solid waste include;
Residential/Domestic Waste
This can be single or multifamily dwellings. Types of waste generated here are food wastes, paper, cardboard, plastics, textiles, leather, yard wastes, wood, glass, metals, ashes, special wastes (e.g., bulky items, consumer electronics, white goods, batteries, oil, tires, and (household hazardous wastes.) (Hoornweget al., 2008).
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Study Design and Scope
This study was a quasi-experimental design. It was aimed at documenting a field survey of the knowledge, attitude and practices of solid waste segregation, characterization and weighing of solid waste segregated as well as training and provision of labelled colour coded waste collection bags. A stratified random sampling technique was employed in selecting 30 households drawn from Okaka Community.
Description of Study Area
The study was carried out in Okaka Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Yenagoa is the capital city of Bayelsastate, it is located in the South- South region of Nigeria which is commonly called the Niger Delta. This community was chosen because it has two unique settlements i.e. the Government owned housing estate; a well-planned low density area and the main heart of the community, a high density settlement. Okaka community lies within longitude 60 17‘ 55.93‖E and latitude 40 55‘ 44.80‖N the equator, with a population of about 35,000, covering a land area of 13245sqkm is situated at the northern part of Yenagoa Local Government Area, sharing boundaries with Ekeki community to its north west, Yenezue-epie to its south, Azikoro community in the East. The people of Okaka belong to the Epie-Atisa kingdom. The people are believed to have migrated from the Ijaw and Egene speaking people as such their cultural practices are similar to those of these tribes. They are predominantly epie speaking people. The community hosts the state government owned housing estate. The community is administered by a traditional ruler with his council of chiefs. However, due to its current status as co-host to theBayelsa state capital, it is fast losing its initial traditional status.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS
This chapter highlights the demographic characteristic of the study population, their knowledge, attitude and practice towards solid waste segregation at the source of generation, (household) at pre-intervention as well as at post-intervention and assessment of the nature and amount (weight) of solid waste generated by the respondents. The questionnaire was validated by the findings of the waste segregation exercise. Results were analysed by grouping the questionnaire into three main sections these are; knowledge, attitude (perception) and practice which majorly assessed the effect of the intervention on the respondents and the nature and amount of waste generated within the community.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION
Majority of respondents from the community were females within the age range of 15 to 45 years with a mean age of 28.6±2.6 years as shown in Table 4.1. This could be due to the fact that women are the chief custodians of the home and even if they are in gainful employment, many of them work as cleaners and return home to prepare for the family needs. Margret, (2011) report that gender is significantly related to solid waste separation; she reports that women are more likely to separate solid waste than men. This behaviour is most probably because within the household, it is women who know and decide what is useful and what constitutes waste. Studies in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ho Chi Minh City also find out women are more involved in source separation than men in the household (Beall,1997;Du, 1995). Ekereet al.,(2009) report similar results when they studied the separation of crop waste in Uganda.
CHAPTER SIX
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
Results of this intervention show that waste segregation at source is a practicable and sustainable approach for a more effective solid waste management in the country. However, there is need for collaboration of all stakeholders involved especially in the area of advocacy, public enlightenment, creation of buy-back recycling centres, community participation and public-private partnership arrangement. The findings of this study will improve the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of solid waste management in the Community, Local government area, state and Nigeria.
Recommendations
It is therefore recommend in very strong terms that
- Increased community based public awareness programmes be
- Provision of bags by government as motivational incentive for waste segregation at the
- Government should establish buy-back recycling
- Before any policy on Solid waste management should be adopted research on baseline information of the present situation of solid waste generation and practice be obtained.
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