Thesis
Exploring effective waste management and disposal: a strategy to mitigate the risks associated with improper waste disposal in Nigeria
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2025
- Thesis identifier
- T17519
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201571336
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- The potential environmental and human health risks of pollution exposure associated with solid waste management processes, especially in developing countries, cannot be overemphasised. This study examines the risks to human health and the environment of improper waste treatment and disposal in developing countries, with a focus on Nigeria. The research compares Nigeria's waste management practises to those found in Scotland to determine if lessons can be learned and recommendations made to improve process in Nigeria. This research aims to reduce environmental and health concerns from solid waste management and promote more sustainable waste management in Nigeria and other low to middle income countries. In the study, the potential emissions at the Olushosun landfill in Lagos State, Nigeria, was compared with that of Patersons of Greenoakhill landfill in Glasgow, Scotland. The research also examined waste generation patterns, its characteristics, cost benefit analysis, and the recycling system and other treatment practises on university campuses; the University of Lagos (UoL) and the University of Strathclyde (UoS) were used as case studies, as they serve as miniature communities to find management solutions that can be scaled up. Finally, a public questionnaire was implemented in Lagos State to comprehend what challenges are perceived by the public in relation to waste management, and how they engage with the process to better reduce environmental and health concerns from solid waste management, thereby, enhancing more sustainable waste management. The estimated emissions of the two landfill sites were evaluated. While the emission data for Greenoakhill landfill was sourced from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the LandGem Model was used to evaluate emissions from the Olushosun landfill site, and the risks to landfill exposure of the two sites were assessed by conducting a proximity analysis with respect to residential structures within proximity to the landfill site. The result shows that Olushosun and Patersons landfill have presence of chemical pollutants, e.g., carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and Non-Methane Volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) which are known as contributors to global warming and climate change. For instance, when Patersons has CO of 110,000kg/year, Olushosun has 4,337,631kg/year (against the 100,000kg/year SEPA reporting threshold. This SEPA's reporting thresholds are unique to Scotland, however, they provide Nigeria a framework to understand acceptable levels of pollutants that can be released from landfills, which is insightful to improving it’s sustainable landfill management.), and when Patersons has CO2 of 31,900,000kg/year, Olushosun has 15,495,141,000kg/year (against the 10,000,000kg/year reporting threshold). Hence, both Olushosun and Patersons Greenoakhill landfills poses potential risk to the environment and public health. In assessing the potential risk exposure of the sites, the results show that Olushosun landfill has about 355 and 856 residential building structures that are exposed within 0.25 and 0.5 km, respectively, of the landfill. While Patersons Greenoakhill, an engineered landfill site, has only 28 building structures, which are potentially office structures, within 0.25 km and 255 building structures within 0.5 km of the landfill. When demographic and household survey data for Nigerian were applied, i.e. 4.9 individuals per urban household and 1.1 households per block, the results reveal an estimated population of approximately 89,393 within 2 km of the Olushosun landfill site, in contrast to a population of 28,712 within 2 km of the Patersons landfill site. The estimated per capita emissions within a 0.25 km radius of Olushosun were- 16,199 tonnes (16,199,833 kg) of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), and for Patersons were- 295 tonnes (295,000 kg) of CO2e. The presence of residential structures within the landfill sites shows that people still live close to landfill sites, not minding the potential risks associated with such practice. The result of the waste generation pattern at the two higher education institutions shows a slight negative circular trend in the seasonality of waste generation, with the peak generation observed in March–June, while the lowest is observed in July over time in both case studies. The reduction may stem from waste reduction strategies from at both institutions, which could encourage environmental sustainability. However, UoL landfills 99% of its waste, while UoS recovers 100% of its waste from going to landfill. The result further shows that at UoL, material recovery of organic waste, mixed plastic, and mixed paper could be maximised. For instance, the waste characterization study suggests that 88% of the UoL’s waste could be diverted from landfill; 30% is organic material that could be composted; and the rest has the potential to be recycled. The result show the recycling system is not being used by people as it should be. This study will help universities develop more strategies for enhancing the implementation of their waste and recycling policies. The UoL’s recycling cost evaluation result also suggests that at a 51% recycling target, the Net Present Value (NPV) was £4,725,372. This indicates that the recycling target of >50% is potentially economical and environmentally sound. This further demonstrates a high payback time because, at that point, the recycling benefits outweigh their individual costs after discounting the net cash flows, for which their cumulative values maintain a continuous positive trend, when compared to UoS, which has an NPV of £33,728,493 as about 85% of the monthly waste generated is recycled and 100% of its waste is diverted from landfill sites (the above analysis integrated environmental values into the evaluation process). Finally, when considering the best strategic solution to solving the peculiarities of the waste management issues in the main case study, Lagos, Nigeria, the consultative approach in the form of a survey was used, which is critical to sustainable waste management according to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). The result shows that the littering of the roads, especially in low-income areas, is a result of the lack of waste collection services in those areas, which demonstrates that efficiency in management structure is a key to more effectiveness in the waste sector, especially in waste collection delivery. There is a notion that corruption is one of the reasons there is inadequate waste collection coverage in Lagos. Another issue is a lack of communication with the public, resulting in limited public participation in waste reduction and recycling. Good waste management practises and a communication strategy that focuses on environmental education have proven to be effective in increasing public participation in sustainable waste management. The novelty of this research is in tailoring waste audit, which is specific to a university setting revealing the unique challenges and opportunities at the case study that are not typically addressed in broader studies. The results can guide the university policy makers in developing targeted interventions including designing waste reduction strategies, improving recycling targets, optimizing waste collection by the understanding of seasonal indices specific to the university of Lagos, efficient resource allocation and ultimately fostering a culture of sustainability among students and staff. Another novelty is the unique findings about the chemical emissions and proximity risks specific to Olushosun case study that advances the understanding of the potential risk associated to the landfill sites. Results can assist town planners and government bodies in sustainable building and waste management practices including influencing positive future legislation. The final novelty from the study shows the utilization of mixed methods of qualitative survey application to gain insight of public perspective and waste management challenges peculiar to the case study. This data driven method to solving real time problem helps to provide actionable recommendation for the government and guiding in policy development to manage waste problems efficiently.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Beattie, Tara
- Resource Type
- DOI
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