1.1 Introduction
Waste disposal practices is the elimination of all waste resulting from solid human and animal activity that is abandoned as undesirable or worthless. By producing lines, processes, or materials that would be needed to be disposed of legally is also included (Asomani et al. 2008). Solid waste may be categorized based on its physical characteristics, usefulness, environmental risk, and resources. Practices for disposing of waste also involve producing lines, processes, or materials that could be needed to be disposed of legally. Resources, environmental factors, hazards, physical attributes, and utilities can all be used to categories solid waste (Buckle and Smith, 2000).
This chapter will address the background information that motivated this study, the challenges that prompted it, its aim, and its objectives as a preface to subsequent sections of the study. Additional factors include the study's significance, scope, limitations, research questions and hypotheses, and the definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Today, major metropolitan centres in Nigeria are striving to rid their surroundings of ever-growing piles of solid trash. City officials seem unable to stop the unlawful and careless dumping of hazardous commercial and industrial waste, which is a clear violation of the air and health regulations in our environmental sanitation, laws, and rules. These strategically important centres of beauty, peace, and security have been overtaken by the messy nature of overflowing dumps, unattended heaps of solid waste emanating from household or domestic or kitchen sewers, markets, shopping centres, and business centres (Iwuala, 2012).
In Nigeria today, the generation of refuse and its possible impacts on public health, environmental quality, and urban planning are major national concerns. All parties involved in maintaining the environment's beauty and safety have realised the detrimental effects of persistent solid human waste in our cities' residential neighbourhoods, markets, schools, and core business districts. There is no longer any question that our cities are facing the problems of excessive solid waste (Imam, A Mohammed, B Wilson, DC, AND Cheesman). These solid wastes have become a recurring element in our cities or urban environment. Urban residents must so often deal with the hazards impacting everyone's health and safety.
Regretfully, a United Nations assessment from August 2004 observed that while white developing nations are making progress towards achieving enough clean drinking water, they are lagging short in terms of sanitation targets. In August 2014, a report published by the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) and the United Nations International Children's Education Funds (UNICEF) revealed that, due to poor sanitation, approximately 2.4 million people could be at risk of death and a never-ending list of diseases by the year 2025. Additionally, the report highlighted that deteriorating or nonexistent sewage systems and toilets contribute to the spread of diseases like cholera, which kills a child every 21 seconds.
The "Earth Submit" campaign, which began in 1992, was successful in raising global awareness of the need for environmentally sustainable development. It verifies that if fast urbanization in emerging nations is disregarded, there may be risks to public health, the environment, and urban production. Cities are the main drivers of economic expansion, but greater management and assessment are required when it comes to the environmental effects of this growth. The health effects of urban pollution, which are caused by inadequate water supplies, poor management of industrial and urban waste, and air pollution, particularly from particulates, are the most pressing issue confronting emerging countries and their cities.
Therefore, in Owerri Municipal where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Waste Disposal Practices Among Households.
1.3 Statement of Problems
An investigation showed that trash disposal management, while still manageable in many metropolitan areas, is becoming unfeasible, particularly as urbanisation increases. Migration from rural to urban regions and the placement of infrastructure, including buildings, in areas allocated for the disposal of solid waste.
The problem with the disposal of solid waste in those urban areas dates back to the late 1970s, when rural poverty increased and caused a high level of rural-urban migration. In addition, the growth of public and private schools, hospitals, and dining establishments generates more than 95% of the refuse within urban centres.
Nigeria is seeing rapid urbanisation, which is causing population expansion, traffic jams, pollution of the air and water, capital production for solid waste disposal, and a shortage of locations for the disposal of solid waste. in the lack of a consistent and effective system for collecting solid trash, garbage is dumped in open areas near waterways and on access roads, endangering public health. Within practical walking distance, most metropolitan areas lack public trash disposal facilities. Waste bins and disposal sites are nonexistent, and the places where they are located overflow with trash, creating a fire and health risk.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to appraise the Waste Disposal Practices Among Households in Owerri Municipal of Imo State. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To assess how improved sustainable waste disposal practices can contribute to economic development process in Owerri Municipal;
- To examine the effect of waste disposal on environment and human health in Owerri Municipal;
- To determine whether improper disposal has any significant impact on economic sustainability;
- To ascertain the current state of waste disposal in Owerri Municipal; and
- To identify factors that affects waste disposal and the type of solid waste disposal system that will aid economic development of the state.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Does improper disposal of waste have any significant impact on environmental sustainability in Owerri Municipal?
- To what extent can sustainable waste disposal practices contribute to the environment and human health in Owerri Municipal?
- To what extent does waste generation and disposal have impact on the socio-economic development of Owerri Municipal?
- What is the current state of waste disposal in Owerri Municipal?
- What are the factors that influence waste management and what type of waste management system will aid the economic development in Owerri Municipal?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no statistically significant relationship between waste disposal and socio-economic sustainability in Owerri Municipal
- H1: There is a statistically significant relationship between waste disposal and socio-economic sustainability in Owerri Municipal
1.7 Significance of Study
The significance of this research will be beneficial to the following stakeholders:
- Academic Significance: The researcher while embarking on this research work has so many people in mind; they include the student, lecturers as well as all education institution. This research would add to their knowledge. It would also act as a catalyst for debates on the effects of solid waste disposal and this will facilitate further research on the topic, thereby unraveling the reason behind the indiscriminate disposal of solid waste in the study area.
- Practical Significant: This work is not confirmed solely to the students within their academic environment. It would enable the individual members of the society to become increasingly conscientizen on the impending danger of indiscriminate disposal of solid waste in the study area.
- This work will serve as a guide and reference material to the up-coming researchers both in the field of urban and regional planning and in other related fields. It would be an additional block placed on-going constitution of the building of knowledge.
- Policy makers and implementers will benefit immensely from this study especially from its finding and recommendations. It would help stimulating indiscriminate disposal of solid waste.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Waste Disposal Practices Among Households in Owerri Municipal of Imo State.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, there were some problems encountered which stood as limitations to the research work. Some of the limitations include:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
- Initial Cooperation Delay from Respondents: A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.
1.10 Definition of Terms
Aquifers:
These are underground layers of porous rocks or sand that allows the movement of water between layers of non-porous rocks (sand stone, gravel or fractured lime stone or granite).
Waste Prevention:
It is the method of eliminating waste at source and reducing the demand on natural or origin resources.
Waste Re-Use:
It is the method of using a waste product from one process as a raw material to form another.
Waste Recycles:
This is the method of breaking down the waste items into raw material.
Hazardous Wastes:
These are wastes that pose substantial or potential threats to public health or environments
1.11 Historical Review of Owerri Municipal
Owerri Municipal is a Local Government area in Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the city of Owerri. It has an area of 58kM and a population of 127,213 according to the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 460. Owerri city sits at the intersection of roads from Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Aba and Umuahia. It is also the trade center for palm products, corn (maize) yams and Cassava. Eke Umwu Owerri market is the main market in Owerri Municipal.
Before the advent of the British in 1901-2, Owerri town (anglicized Owerri) was and still is today made up of five villages namely-Umuoronjo, Amawom, Umuongeche, Umuodu and Umuoyima (collectively known as Owerri Nchi Ise).
Historically, the indigenes of Owerri trace their ancestry to a man called Ekwem Aruga. With British influence and colonization in the early 1900s Owerri town was the headquarters for Owerri Division and later old Owerri province. Also, when Imo state was created on the 3rd of February 1976, Owerri City was chosen as its capital. On the 15th of December 1996 Owerri city attained municipal status.
Owerri municipal is majorly a commercial area, with varieties of corner shops and administrative buildings, with market place, also there are light industries that deals with producing water, bread etc. there are institution as well with all this land use activities, the generation of waste is high constituting from the commercial, industrial, residential and institutional areas. This municipal wastes are usually dumped by the roadtside contributing nuisance, equally aiding traffic jam as a major part of the roadtis not being used because of the accumulation of waste. Also the method of disposing is by the roadtside which is sited close to residential houses, leading to the devaluing of property located near the dumpsite.
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