The Impact of Recycling in Preserving the Environment
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of the study is to ascertain the impact of recycling in preserving the environment; but for the purpose of the study, the researcher intends to achieve the following objective:
- To ascertain the impact of recycling in preserving the environment
- To ascertain the impact of solid waste management practice in Nigeria
- To evaluate the role of government in waste management in Nigeria
- To investigate the environmental effect of solid waste management in Nigeria.
- To evaluate the relationship between solid waste management and environmental pollution.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
The generation and disposal of waste is an intrinsic part of any developing or industrial society. Waste, both from domestic and commercial sources has grown significantly in Nigeria over the past decade. Every time a householder shops at the store, and open market he contributes to the mountain of waste. It is possible to quote figures which show that the production of waste amounts to millions of tons. The percent of Nigeria’s population living in cities and urban areas has more than doubled in the last 15 years.1 The cities and urban areas experience continuous growth which contributes to enormous in generation of solid and liquid waste. The management of waste is a matter of national and international concern. The volume of waste does not actually constitute the problem but the ability or inability of governments, individuals and waste disposal firms to keep up with the task of managing waste and the environment. There is no doubt that a dirty environment affects the standard of living, aesthetic sensibilities, health of the people and thus the quality of their lives. The corollary is that improper disposal or storage of this waste can constitute hazards to the society through the pollution of air, land and especially water. In this study, our attention would be focused on solid waste recycling and environmental preservation. We will highlight some of the problems which have attended the management of this category of waste in Nigeria today. It will be seen that Nigeria has not done well in the direction of tackling the menace of domestic waste. This is even in the face advanced management strategies existing today for domestic waste management which have been adopted in many places. We will proffer suggestions that may assist in addressing this issue that seems to be aborting most efforts of International organizations, the federal government, city authorities, states and professionals alike.
Environmental and Health Problems from Waste
Wastes pose serious environmental and health problems, promote insect vectors like mosquitoes and flies (Cairncross and Feachem 1993), rats and mice, cause fire hazards, flooding of streams, development of aquatic weeds, odour problems, nuisance, and so on. According to Pichtel (2005), the environmental impacts can be clustered into six categories which include: global warming, photochemical oxidant creation, abiotic resource depletion, acidification, and eutrophication. Some of these problems are related to their major constituents, viz. carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur. Certain toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, minerals and manmade synthetic chemicals present in wastes may contribute to environmental degradation that leads to poor health, disease or death. The wastes produced in Ibadan may move on and end up in Sokoto, Maiduguri, Abeokuta or Ghana due to movement within and outside the generation site. There is a need to treat such wastes and bring them back into the cycle of life so that ecological harmony is maintained. Waste Management Practices and Constraints in Nigeria In Nigeria, liquid wastes are managed in an indiscriminate manner. There are no sewage treatment plants. Sullage gets into drains and flows into rivers and streams. Human excreta are managed separately through ventilated improved toilets, pit toilets or septic tanks (Hammed 2013). In some areas like markets and other public places, excreta are mixed up with solid waste, thus creating nuisance in the recycling facilities. Solid waste management is the discipline associated with the control of generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing, and disposal of solid wastes in a manner that is in accord with the best principle of public health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics, and other environmental considerations . It is also responsive to public attitudes (Sridhar 2006). Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) is defined as the selection and application of suitable techniques, technologies, and management programmes to achieve specific waste management objectives and goals. In the waste management strategies, a variety of methods are in vogue depending on the type of waste to be disposed of, the level of economic development of the country and the commitment of the Government. Solid Waste management methods include waste minimization (or reduce), reuse, and recycling before thinking of disposal. A school in Abeokuta has collected all worn out tyres and used as fence around their playground. It is very impressive. Normal Municipal solid waste contains about 60 to 80 per cent organic and biodegradable materials. Composting technologies have been developed to convert these wastes into compost and organo-mineral fertilizers (Sridhar et al. 1985; Adeoye et al. 1993; John et al. 1996; Egbewumi et al. 1997; Sridhar and Adeoye 2003).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter deals with the method used in collecting data required in carrying out this research work it explains the procedures that were followed and the instrument used in collecting data.
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
Primary source and Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment, the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as by products of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on the impact of recycling in preserving the environments
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of waste management and environmental preservation.
Summary
Waste management is capital and labor-intensive, consuming as much as 20 to 50 per cent of municipal operational budgets. Both capital and operational cost savings can be realized by effectively recycling waste that would otherwise end up in rivers, lakes, or landfills, and using treated wastewater and sludge for biogas, irrigation and aquaculture. Also, hazardous waste facilities have not yet been established and hazardous wastes are co-mingled for disposal with municipal solid wastes, despite laws to the contrary. There is the limited involvement of civil society in the execution of waste management projects. Hence, to achieve specific waste management goals in Nigeria, Sustainable Integrated Waste Management which is the selection and application of suitable technologies and management programmes needs to be considered.
Conclusion
By adopting the wealth aspect from waste or treating solid wastes as resources, in terms of waste management strategy has effectively become not only a service but an instrument for alleviating poverty. Government should not only conceive waste management as a means of service delivery but a war against poverty and poor living environment. The future prospect of scrap metal/plastic collection, scavenging and artisanal recycling is envisaged to be prosperous and can offer livelihood opportunities for poor people if the process of collection remains unaltered. However, price fluctuation and the cost of conveying especially scrap metals to recycling plants outside the study area have negative influences on the motivation for the job and the realization of good incomes adequate enough to meet improved standards of living for members that are still new in the business.
Recommendation
A holistic and people-focused approach in empowering the unemployed to make choices for their livelihoods should be the key focused of intervention. Within this framework, the collaboration of all stakeholders such as WMEs, municipal solid waste management agencies, government agencies such as the ministries of trade, labour and state security to dialogue and design policies and regulations that will address issues of scrap metal/plastic price, price fluctuations and cost of conveying the materials from collection points to recycling plant and also make provision for a functional recycling plant in Lagos. This will strongly improve the actors income. The implementation of the policies and regulations from ISWM should be strictly adhered to. The policies and regulations should take into cognizance the importance of all stakeholders and harmonize their difference so that the exploitation of a category of stakeholder (e.g. scavenger) by the other (for instance major waste dealers) is minimized. It is suggested that solid waste activity being an informal sector should be transformed into a more formal sector which will in turn bring about better organization of the sector, hence making it more attractive thus, paving ways for lots of job opportunities for a good number of both unskilled and skilled people residing in Lagos. This can be achieved through involvement of non-governmental organization (NGO) to provide appropriate public awareness, tools and educational programmes concerning the benefits of solid waste management. The WMEs should be encouraged to form strong and functional association with educated and influential leaders that will take their case to appropriate government authority.
Lack of diversification was observed from the results of the field work, that majority of the respondents were restricted to waste activity and not diversifying into other activities. Diversification if encouraged will add extra income and promote more employment opportunities. Alternatively, public and private participation (PPP) arrangement should be encouraged to collaborate with WMEs thereby, generating more job opportunities, with a wage adequate to meet improved socio-economic conditions of living for WMEs where issues of social security, work accidents insurance and the provision of working tools, equipment and protective clothing will be well taken care of.
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