Nigeria refuse generation hits 65m tonne per annum

Experts are even more worried about the situation considering the nation’s population increase, fearing that the absence of appropriate waste management system to handle the ever increasing waste being generated in the country may endanger the lives of Nigerians.Statistics obtained from the Wastes Management Society of Nigerian showed that the country’s annual waste generation is […]

Experts are even more worried about the situation considering the nation’s population increase, fearing that the absence of appropriate waste management system to handle the ever increasing waste being generated in the country may endanger the lives of Nigerians.
Statistics obtained from the Wastes Management Society of Nigerian showed that the country’s annual waste generation is put at 65 million tonnes while per capita generation is 0.3 to 0.044 annually.
“Lagos generates 10,000 tonnes daily, Kano 8,000. Port Harcourt 6,000, Abuja 3, 000 and this will continue to increase as the population grows,” said Mr Arch. Reuben Ossai, WAMASON President.
According to him, over 2.6 million tonnes of hazardous waste is generated every year. “These categories of waste which include medical and industrial require basic amenities for sorting and managing them but they are not available.”
The biggest fear is that the wastes generated are not properly disposed but dumped into water bodies across the country, he added.
He cited the development of massive housing estates across the country without increasing the sewage management capacity as well as the development of nuclear power plant without radioactive waste capacity as issues that require urgent attention.
“WAMASON has identified that the economy of developing countries may remain highly connected to their waste management problems and as they address development, waste management infrastructure should be on the table continually,” he said.  
Oladele Oshubanjo, a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Ibadan, said that waste management has assumed global perspective and require serious attention.
“A lot of surface water in the country are contaminated and are undrinkable due to indiscriminate dumping of waste into them,” he said.
According to him, inability of the country to effectively manage its waste has resulted in illegal dumping of solid waste into drainages and this in turn has led to flooding across the country.
He called for a shift from the current situation of free waste dumping to a situation where those who generate waste would get compensation for whatever they generate.
“Dumping your waste in designated places is not an end of self management, owners of waste are supposed to be paid for the waste they generate rather than just dump your waste outside your houses,” the association noted.
 He called for necessary policy framework that would make waste management an attractive venture for investors.
Various states have laws or regulations on waste disposal and management but these laws are limited to the payment of various sums as charges for waste collected from households and because these services are limited to the urban areas, streams, water ways and drainages serve as disposal avenues for wastes generated in rural or semi-urban areas.
Mr Anthony Ukpai, a dealer in scrap metals, said that over 80 per cent of wastes generated in the country could be converted into other products if properly sorted.
“Wastes generated by households across the country are raw materials for other products but, because we lacked the culture of sorting our wastes and mixed everything together, we have not been able to appreciate the potentials of the huge market we have,” Ukpai noted.
Ukpai, who said that he currently engages over 20 youths who scavenge refuse dumps in search of metal for him, on daily basis, urged government to focus its attention on waste generation and management.