BIOLOGY EDUCATION TOPIC: PERCEIVED CAUSES OF INDISCRIMINATE REFUSE DISPOSAL AMONG RESIDENTS OF IJEBU-ODE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS

Abstract

Waste management has become a common issue of discourse among individuals, groups and governments. This study which assessed   solid waste management in Ogun state with focus on Ijebu-ode specifically sought to find out why indiscriminate solid waste disposal/dumps has persisted in Ijebu-ode  , investigate the measures put in place to curtail the tide and ascertain the extent to which indiscriminate waste disposal affects people’s health and environment. Four null hypotheses were formulated and Human Capital Theory was adopted as the theoretical framework. The study used survey design whereby data were collected from the sample considered to be representative of the population. Taro Yameni’s formula was applied to reduce the initial population of 116,987 to a smaller researchable size of 399 while data were collected through structured questionnaire. The data collected were presented in tables containing frequencies of the responses and their corresponding percentages. The four hypotheses of the study were tested using chi-square (X2 ) statistical tool and the result of the analyses revealed that: there is currently no government approved dumpsites in Ijebu-ode metropolis, most communicable diseases are contracted from dirty environment, among others. The implications are that most households will soon be cut off by flood arising from the blockage of water channels, some streets and roads will be blocked by heaps of wastes and more epidemics will be contracted by the people if nothing urgent was done. The study concluded that, the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) currently have no required manpower, technical skills and competences to curtail the tide of waste and therefore made the following recommendations: Ogun state government should strengthen the already established departments of Environmental and Health Sciences in universities and schools of technology in the state by providing and equipping them with modern waste management equipment for students to be exposed to practical methods of waste management, Government should contract foreign-based private firm through Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangement to establish waste management industry in Ogun state, immediate provision of permanent waste dumpsites by the government, among others.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

Waste often generated by human beings since time immemorial has continued to be a threatening problem and a growing one that is of major concern to every nation of the world. In Nigeria today, among the pressing environmental and public health issues are the problems of solid waste generation, control and disposal. Although the problem of solid waste disposal is as old as man’s existence that is inextricably linked to the generation of waste, the truth is that in many cities, it has become so intractable that even the government is overwhelmed (Jimoh, 2005, Momodu, Dimuna and Dimuna, 2011).

          Waste in the words of Douglas (2004) is any unwanted and discarded material that arises from the activities of humans and animals on earth. For Onwughara, Nnorom and Kanno (2010), Solid Waste (SW)covers a broad range of materials including garbage, refuse from factories, commercial refuse, construction and demolition debris, dead animals and abandoned vehicles, food particles, plastics, bottles, polythene material (nylon bag), metallic objects, furniture/wood material, paper and some other unclassified wastes. Rodgers (2011) submits that waste management is a systematic control of the generation, storage, collection, transportation, separation, processing, recovery and disposal of waste. In pre-industrial times, when population was small, waste was disposed on the ground, thrown into water, burnt or thrown into pit where it would turn to compost manure to improve soil fertility. From history, man is believed to have always adopted dumping, burning, manual recycling and waste minimization as waste management strategies with less than proportionate result in terms of cleaner and healthier environment. One can therefore say that human development or growth has been intrinsically tied to the management of waste, apparently due to its effects on public and environmental health, (Chukwuemeka, Ugwu and Igwegbe, 2012, and Ndinwa, Akpafun and Chukwuma, 2012).

Today, due to rapid industrialization, increase in population and industralization, the generation, disposal or management of waste has proved to be a major environmental and public health issue. This experience is always so, especially in developing countries like Nigeria where there is lack of or inappropriate strategies for managing wastes. Waste management today has become an intractable environmental problem that can be likened to a monster staring everybody on the face. Solid waste dumps apart from its gory sight that destroy the aesthetics (beauty) of the environment have always affected the people’s health by decomposing to produce provoking odour or contaminating our drinking water. This no doubt, causes avoidable epidemics. This was what promoted the federal government of Nigeria to promulgate decree 58 for the establishment of Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) on 30th December, 1988 (Momodu et al (2011). A National Policy on the Environment was also formed to secure for all Nigerians a quality of environment adequate for their health and well being. This was immediately followed with compulsory monthly environmental sanitation that takes place simultaneously nationwide, all things being equal, till today on every last Saturday between the hours of 7am-10am, Agunwamba (1998) cited in Momodu et al (2011). He submitted that in spite of the formulation of FEPA and a national environmental policy, the environment has not been adequately protected. It should be recalled that, prior to the creation of Ogun state in February 1976, Ijebu-ode was faced with myriad of environmental problems ranging from inadequate environmental education and awareness campaign to poor personal and environmental hygiene. Every street was adorned with heaps of refuse while Iyiokwu and Iyiudele rivers, in Ijebu-ode   were converted to dumping arena for domestic wastes and human excreta. It is on record that the World Youths Soccer Championship slated for Nigeria in 1995 was cancelled because of the outbreak of cholera (a product of filthy environment) in Ijebu-ode (Uka, 2013). It was in response to the foregoing realities in Ogun State upon its creation in 1976, that prompted the government to set up the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) on 6th December, 1996, to clean, protect and conserve the environment. While it cannot be denied that for quite some time, Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) as a state government agency has always embarked on some routine clearance of wastes, especially in the capital city (daily, weekly and monthly), provision of plastic dustbins for waste collection and evacuation, stationing of waste collection trucks in strategic places within the metropolis and its suburbs, house-to-house sanitary inspection and waste collection, the intractable nature of   wastes always noticeable in Ijebu-ode   leaves much to be desired especially as the local government whose constitutional responsibility it is to properly dispose and control these wastes, have been doing nothing. This has been why the commonly repeated experience is a simple transfer of refuse from one point to another in open trucks to some undesignated sites where they are either burnt or buried (Onwughara et al, 2010 and, Nkwede and \Nwuzor, 2015).

We are now confronting the massive volume of solid waste that people generate daily and globally. According to UNEP (2011: 292), “every year, an estimated 11.2 billion tons of solid waste are collected worldwide and decay of the organic proportion of solid waste is contributing to about 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions” which in turn accelerates climate change. Clark and Matharu (2013: 66) insist that “the planet currently generates approximately 1.3Gt of solid waste per year, which is expected to increase to 2.2Gt by 2025.” This huge amount of waste is a problem, and the question is how to deal with this waste crisis. Waste management is crucial to reducing the negative impacts of waste on the environment, and its consequences to human beings. It is the goal of waste management to treat waste in a safe and proper manner, in order to minimize harm or damage to the environment. Disposal methods such as landfilling are directly related to human health issues, as well as the environment. For instance, UNEP (2011: 302) blames landfills for generating methane as “the largest source of GHG emissions, caused by the anaerobic degradation of organic material in landfills and unmonitored dumpsites.” Like this, waste management is deeply connected to consumption, resource utilization, environmental problems, and human health. Thus, many developed and developing countries have committed to establishing safe and efficient waste management techniques in their countries, expecting to minimize the negative impacts of waste on the environment. Norway, one of the richest countries in the world, is expanding its waste management efforts in order to deal with its huge quantity of waste. In Norway, the quantity of waste has increased by 60 per cent since 19951 . As a result, the country has set national waste targets, the first being that “the total quantity of waste shall be considerably lower than the economic growth,” as indicated in the national waste strategy report (The Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency, 2013; 11).

1.2     Statement of the Problem

The problem of solid waste generation, control, especially, disposal or simply, management, has continued to be a threatening global and environmental health issue but more pronounced in developing countries like Nigeria. In fact, Ogun State major   centres including Ijebu-ode are today grappling with the problems caused by indiscriminate heaps of solid wastes from the environment. This is despite the continuous government and individual efforts including daily, weekly or monthly environmental sanitation. Although Ogun State government has always claimed to have imported some machines to be used in waste management including promising and paying the contractors on actuality bases, the truth is that such machines/equipment if any, have not been seen to be doing anything especially as there is still no matching manpower skills and intelligence to manipulate them even among the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) staff as the agency is statutorily and structurally deficient in that regard. Therefore, the persistent increase in the number of indiscriminate solid waste disposal/dumps despite the provision of the customized Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) waste bins/stationary trucks which has continued to affect people’s health and environment in Ijebu-ode without any concrete management strategy in place necessitated this research.

1.3     Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to assess solid waste management in Ijebu-ode  . Specifically, the study sought to:

·        Find out why the number of indiscriminate solid waste disposal/dumps has continued to increase in Ijebu-ode   despite the provisions of the customized Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) waste bins/stationary trucks.

• Investigate measures already put in place to ensure that the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) equipment curtail the tide of indiscriminate solid waste dumps in Ijebu-ode  .

• Ascertain the extent to which indiscriminate solid waste disposal/dumps have contributed to health complications suffered by the people in Ijebu-ode  .

• Ascertain the number of ways in which indiscriminate solid waste disposal/dumps affect the Ijebu-ode   environment.

1.4     Research Questions

The study will attempt to find answers to the following questions:

i.                   Will the number of indiscriminate solid waste disposal/dumps increase despite the provisions of the customized Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) waste bin/stationery trucks?

ii.                 Will measures already put in place to ensure that the  Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OSEPA) equipment curtail the tide of indiscriminate solid waste dumps in Ijebu-Ode?

iii.              Will indiscriminate solid waste disposal/dumps have contributed to health complications?

iv.              Will the numbers of ways in which indiscriminate solid waste disposal/dumps affect the environment?

1.5     Research Hypotheses

Ho1:  Lack of clear knowledge and skills to make solid wastes useful is not the           main reason for the persistent increases in the number of indiscriminate solid             waste dumps in Ijebu-ode 

Ho2: None of the measures already put in place to curtail the tide of indiscriminate    solid waste disposal/dumps in Ijebu-ode is capable of doing so

Ho3:  Most epidemic outbreaks in Ijebu-ode are not caused by waste

Ho4:  Destruction of the aesthetics, blockage of roads (streets) and water channels               in Ijebu-ode, are not mostly caused by heaps of indiscriminate solid wastes was rejected

1.6 Delimitation of the Study

This study was delimited to the following:

1.     Perceived causes of indiscriminate refuse disposal among residents of Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

2.     Descriptive survey research design

3.     Descriptive statistic frequent count and percentage

4.     Self structured questionnaire as instrument for data collection.

5.     Independent variable of Waste, refuse disposal, Waste Management 

1.7     Significance of the Study

This study will serve as:

i.                    An avenue to open new vistas in making waste less harmful and more         useful through proper management.

ii.                 It also uncovered the reasons for the dismal performance of government even through OSEPA in waste management.

iii.              This will surely give room for concerned stakeholders in waste management to fashion out new strategies that would be adopted or adopt the suggested strategies that will nip indiscriminate solid waste disposal in the bud in Ijebu-ode  .

1.8     Definition of Terms

Causes:                           The source or reason of an event or action

Indiscriminate:               Is the act of being impartial or something or a cause.

Refuse:                           Collective items or materials that have been discarded

Disposal:                        The act of eliminating or getting rid of something

Residents:                       A person living at a location or in an area

Refuse Disposal:            The act of eliminating or getting rid of collective items                                        that are no longer in use.

Waste Management:      Waste management  are all the activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.                     

                 

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