Characteristics of Solid Waste in Akure, Ondo State
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the Study
The broad aim of this study is to examine the characteristics of solid waste in Akure, Ondo State. Specific objectives of this study are to:
- Examine the nature and composition of solid wastes in Akure, Ondo State.
- Examine the types of containers used in the collection of solid wastes in Akure, Ondo State.
- Identify the available waste disposal methods within Akure, Ondo State.
- Determine whether Akure residents in Ondo State dispose of their solid wastes regularly.
- Examine the efforts of the Ondo State government is putting effort in the reduction of solid wastes in Akure.
- Find out the solid waste management constraints and problems facing the local agencies responsible for solid waste disposal in Akure, Ondo State.
- Find out the strategies towards improvement of solid waste disposal in Akure, Ondo State.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literature that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
Precisely, the chapter will be considered in five sub-headings:
- Conceptual Framework
- Theoretical Framework
- Empirical Studies
- Other Relevant Sub-headings
- Appraisal of Reviewed Literature
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The Concept of Waste
Abu-Qdais, Gibellini, & Vaccari (2017) define wastes as non-necessary waste or resources that are economically useless without additional processing. Abu-Qdais, et al. (2017) emphasize that for anything to be considered a waste, it must be economically useless, or in other words, unproductive since it has lost its economic worth. However, Nigel’s stance is questionable due to the fact that previous practices have demonstrated that what one party believes to be unwanted and economically useless commodities may be the most required and economically significant to another party. In other words, what is garbage in one location may become non-waste in another. After consuming the contents of a bottle of champagne, for instance, the empty bottle is regarded a waste and is possibly discarded. However, another individual may retrieve the bottle from the site of disposal and reuse or recycle it to hold another liquid substance or another object of economic significance. The issue of disagreement in this case is that it is unclear at what point an item becomes garbage.
Orfanos (2018) asserts clearly that there is no precise list of what constitutes waste and what does not. Further, it states that whether or not a substance is disposed as waste and when waste ceases to be garbage depend on the specifics of the case and the interpretation of the law. Orfanos is of the opinion that the decision as to whether a material is disposed as waste depends, on the one hand, with the substance’s manufacturer or holder, and, on the other hand, with the regulations or laws requiring such.
Contrary to the position of Kaewdiew et al. (2019) that there is no definitive list of what constitutes waste and what does not, the Council of the European Communities adopted on March 26, 1991, that waste shall mean any substance or object in the categories listed below that the holder discards, intends to discard, or is required to discard. The classes include:
- Production or consumption leftovers not stated elsewhere
- Items not meeting specifications
- Products whose period for acceptable use has expired
- Materials spilt, lost, or undergoing other mishaps, including any contaminated materials, equipment, etc. as a result of the disaster.
- Materials soiled or polluted as a consequence of deliberate actions (e.g. residues from cleaning operations, packing materials, containers, etc.)
- Unusable components (e.g. reject batteries, exhausted catalysts, etc.)
- Materials that no longer perform adequately (e.g. contaminated acids, contaminated solvents, exhausted tempering salts, etc.)
- Industrial process residues (e.g. slags, still bottoms, etc.)
- Residues from pollution abatement operations (e.g. scrubber sludge‟s, bughouse dusts, wasted filters, etc.)
- leftovers from machining and finishing (e.g. lathe turnings, mill scales, etc.)
- Remains from the extraction and processing of raw materials (e.g. mining residues, oil field slops, etc.)
- Adulterated materials (e.g. oils contaminated with PCBs, etc.)
- materials, substances, or items whose use has been prohibited by law
- Products for which the owner no longer has a need (e.g. agricultural, household, office, commercial and shop discards, etc.)
- Contaminated materials, chemicals, and products originating from land remediation efforts
Any materials, substances, or goods not included in the preceding categories (Kaewdiew et al. 2019).
In this context, “holder” refers to the waste producer (anyone whose actions generate waste and/or anybody who performs pre-treatment, mixing, or other procedures resulting in a change in the waste’s nature or composition) or the natural or legal person in possession of the waste. It may be worthwhile to reiterate that waste is sometimes a subjective concept, as items that some people discard may have value to others. Furthermore, as noted by Wikipedia free Encyclopedia (2010) as cited by Kaewdiew et al. (2019), it is difficult to report waste on a global scale because countries have different definitions of waste and what falls into waste categories, as well as different methods of reporting. In other words, what the Council of the European Communities considers to be garbage may differ from what defines waste in Nigeria or any other nation (Kaewdiew et al. 2019).
The 2009 version of the Encarta electronic dictionary emphasized seven dimensions of waste, including waste as (a):
Act of Waste: the inability to use something wisely, effectively, or to its full potential. Example; a total financial waste.
Undesired Material: things, remnants, or byproducts that are unwanted or useless, as well as domestic rubbish. Specifically; chemical waste
The undigested remnants of food that are excreted from the body as faeces.
Used or Polluted Water: water from home, industrial, or mining purposes that has been used or contaminated.
Rock containing a mineral, or ore with inadequate mineral content to justify further processing.
Wild region: an uncultivated, barren, or wild area (frequently used in the plural), such as Antarctica’s freezing wastes.
A location or territory that has been damaged or devastated is a destroyed area.
The Basel agreement supported the school of thought that defines wastes as “substances or things that are disposed of, intended to be disposed of, or required to be disposed of by national legislation” While the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) states that “Wastes are materials that are not primary products (that is, products produced for the market) for which the generator has no further use in terms of his/her own purposes of production, transformation, or consumption, and which he/she wishes to dispose of,” the term “waste” is often used interchangeably with “residue” or “waste products.” The extraction of raw resources, the processing of raw materials into intermediate and final goods, the consumption of end products, and other human activities can cause waste. Recyclable or reusable waste at the point of generation is excluded (Katiyar, 2016).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried out to examine the characteristics of solid waste in Akure, Ondo State. Selected residents of Akure, Ondo State form the population of the study.
SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
A study sample is simply a systematic selected part of a population that infers its result on the population. In essence, it is that part of a whole that represents the whole and its members share characteristics in like similitude (Udoyen, 2019). In this study, the researcher adopted the convenient sampling method to determine the sample size. According to Nwana (2005), sampling techniques are procedures adopted to systematically select the chosen sample in a specified away under controls. This research work adopted the convenience sampling technique in selecting the respondents from the total population.
CHAPTER FOUR
INSTRUMENT OF DATA COLLECTION
The research instrument used in this study is the questionnaire. A survey containing series of questions were administered to the enrolled participants. The questionnaire was divided into two sections, the first section enquired about the responses demographic or personal data while the second sections were in line with the study objectives, aimed at providing answers to the research questions. Participants were required to respond by placing a tick at the appropriate column. The questionnaire was personally administered by the researcher.
VALIDITY OF THE INSTRUMENT
Validity referred here is the degree or extent to which an instrument actually measures what is intended to measure. An instrument is valid to the extent that is tailored to achieve the research objectives. The researcher constructed the questionnaire for the study and submitted to the project supervisor who used his intellectual knowledge to critically, analytically and logically examine the instruments relevance of the contents and statements and then made the instrument valid for the study.
REFERENCES
- Abdallah, M.; Arab, M.; Shabib, A.; El-Sherbiny, R.; El-Sheltawy, S. (2020). Characterization and sustainable management strategies of municipal solid waste in Egypt. Clean Technol. Environ. Policy, 22, 1371–1383. [CrossRef]
- Abila, B. & Katola, J. (2013). “Municipal Solid Waste Management Problems in Nigeria: Evolving Knowledge Management Solution.” International Scholarly and Scientic Research & Innovation 7(6) 172-177.
- Abu-Ashour, J.; Abu Qdais, H.; Al-Widyan, M. (2020). Estimation of animal and olive 219 solid wastes in Jordan and their potential as a supplementary energy source: An overview. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. , 14, 2227–2231. [CrossRef]
- Abu-Qdais, H.; Gibellini, S.; Vaccari, M. (2017). Managing Solid Waste under Crisis: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Northern Jordan. In Proceedings of the Sardinia 2017—Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium.
- Abu-Qdais, H.; Wuensh, C.; Dornack, C.; Nassour, A. (2019). The role of solid waste composting in mitigating climate change in Jordan. Waste Manag. Res. 2019, 37, 833–842. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
