Poor waste management lingers as FG plans digital repository

Nigeria is among the countries with waste management problem. The attitude of some Nigerians when it comes to waste disposal is nothing to write home as many disposed waste at oddest places in cities across the country. In most cities, it is now a common sight to see heaps of waste in front of plaza, […]

Nigeria is among the countries with waste management problem. The attitude of some Nigerians when it comes to waste disposal is nothing to write home as many disposed waste at oddest places in cities across the country.

In most cities, it is now a common sight to see heaps of waste in front of plaza, estates, tarred road/express, markets, schools and entrances of popular buildings among others. The waste, which is generated over time and dump in such places becomes polluted and detrimental to people’s health as they are meant to perceive offensive order while passing such places.

Nigeria is said to generate 32 million metric tonnes of waste annually out of which 2.5 million tonnes is plastic waste.  Similarly, Nigeria generates about 25 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, which is expected to double by 2040. However, only 30 per cent of the waste generated is efficiently collected and disposed.

This is attributed to the fact that mainly two-thirds of urban households in low-income neighbourhoods lack formal waste management services, unlike middle-class and affluent neighbourhoods where waste is regularly collected.

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World Bank described Nigeria as the tenth largest producer of unmanaged plastics in the world, accounting for 2.7 percent of the global total and that Nigeria will generate the most unmanaged plastic waste in Africa by 2050.

According to experts, approximately 70 per cent of plastic waste produced in Nigeria winds up in landfills, water bodies, or sewers. A shop owner in Abuja, who wants to be addressed as Joseph said improper waste disposal is very common around the area because of its nature, where there are different shops selling different goods and services.

He said people dump their waste anyhow before the agreed that a waste disposal container should be brought.

The container is not doing justice because when it gets filled and not disposed it becomes an issue as people will keep dumping more waste and thereby making the place look disgusting.

Another trader who doesn’t want to be named said she generate waste and give to boys that collect waste who in turn go and dump it at the dumpsite closed to the market.

However, the danger of poor management of waste has been linked to have a direct effect on climate change as it has a major effect on greenhouse gas emissions.

Experts posit that poor waste management must be tackled as waste emits methane, a greenhouse gas that accounts for approximately 20 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. This is to demonstrate that poorly handled waste in Nigeria can have a negative impact on the climate.

To achieve sustainable waste management in the country , the Nigerian National Municipal Waste Management Policy (2020)  proposed a system to separate, recycle and treat waste, conserve natural resources and create opportunities to earn a living from waste, however, the policy hasn’t been fully implemented.

While experts advocate sustainable waste management through the use of recycling, reuse and composing the federal government has recognised the use of waste pickers as integral part of the waste management value chain.

Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal has said they cannot speak about sustainable waste management without reference to the operation of waste pickers who form an integral part of the waste management value chain.

The Minister represented by the Director III, Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Omotunde Adeola, at the consultative meeting for the Development of a Repository for Waste Pickers in Nigeria in Abuja recently said: “Waste pickers exists as unsung heroes but the truth is that they provide essential services which ensure protection of our environment and public health.

He said it is in recognition of the vital role that the Federal Ministry of Environment in partnership with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Tearfund  Nigeria organised the forum to develop a National Digital repository for waste pickers to address the myriads of challenges  they face in the course of performing their duties.

“Waste pickers popularly known as “Baban Bolla” are the backbone of the waste recovery, contributing significantly to the recycling and circular economy. They form the informal group whose activities encompasses all aspect of waste management from collection, sorting, transportation, processing and selling of recovered and recyclable materials to earn a living,” he said.

While noting that they have established a high network of operation and distribution of valuables both within and outside the country,  he said they can therefore not be overlooked in the value chain.

“The growing demand for recyclable materials and the transition to a circular economy makes it very imperative for governments and the general public to recognise, regulate and integrate waste pickers into the overall waste management effort in order to unlock the immense economic potential using them as reliable foot soldiers,” he said.

The minister also disclosed that waste pickers in Nigeria, are confronted with challenges of living  in shanties or makeshift house, activities not formalized, which results in lack of coordination and regulation by government agencies.

He said they are also exposed to several health hazards and risk due to exposure to hazardous wastes, lack access to adequate medical facilities or first aid treatment and have bad perception due to activities of some miscreants who commit illegal activities like theft and security breaches.

Lawal said to address the problem faced by these heroes of waste management, “We must all work together to implement solutions that will guarantee better working conditions for pickers. Some of which include formalisation and recognition, integrating waste pickers into the formal waste management sector, training and capacity building, enhancing skills and knowledge for improved safety and efficiency, social protection and inclusion, which is ensuring access to healthcare, education and social services as well as policy and regulatory framework by  strengthening laws and policies to protect waste pickers’ rights and interests.

Speaking, the Director, International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the ECOWAS, Phala Vanessa, said they are at a time waste is one of the fastest growing challenges faced by mankind today, with approximately 2.01 billion metric tonnes of solid waste generated globally each year.

Represented by National Project Coordinator, ILO , Stephen Agugua, the director said its significant impact on the environment, society and human health, are gradually becoming an increasing challenge for the world.

“Therefore, a concerted effort is required to ensure that waste streams are effectively controlled using sound waste management practices. When managed well, waste offers opportunities for creation of jobs in the circular economy, which can contribute to strengthening the resilience of local economies and expansion of opportunities for decent job creation. These considerations have motivated the interventions and actions of ILO within this sector,” she said.

While noting that they are guarded by UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to the informal waste sector, which includes recognising the critical role of informal waste sector workers in plastics waste and recycling value chains and acknowledge the responsibility to respect the rights of informal waste sector workers by preventing and addressing human rights impacts experienced by those workers, he said it is in line with the nature of the company’s involvement.

Other principles according to him are engage all partners in plastics packaging recycling value chains towards coherent and comprehensive approaches, engage government actors to create enabling environments for rights-respecting business practices. 5 Engage meaningfully with informal waste sector workers and apply a gender lens in efforts to address human rights impacts in the informal waste sector.

He also pointed to driving local approaches, tailored to local contexts, advocate for the inclusion of informal waste sector workers as relevant stakeholders in policy-making processes that may affect their livelihoods and promote greater integration of the informal waste sector into formal value chains among others.

In his remarks, UNICEF Representative, Chiranjibi Tiwari said: “As a country, Nigeria produces a huge amount of waste each year. If the waste is not managed properly, it creates several health hazards. It also becomes an environmental / hazard.”

He said waste pickers, who are at the beginning of the waste management cycle (segregation, collection, transportation, processing, re-use/recycling), are a critical part of our environmental management and health.

While noting that they are mostly informally engaged and are working at sub-optimal conditions with huge health hazards, he said “UNICEF’s YOU-CAN (Youth for Climate action in Nigeria) is also looking at how youth and children could be mobilized in plastic waste management in the country. Therefore, this workshop is very important for us to support! UNICEF remains committed to collaborating with stakeholders in this important initiative.’