CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF WASTE PICKERS' ENGAGEMENT IN INFORMAL WASTE RECOVERY AND RECYCLING SECTORS IN LAGOS MAINLAND, NIGERIA

Abstract This study assessed the challenges and opportunities of waste pickers’ engagement in the informal waste and recovery sectors in Lagos mainland. A purposive sampling method was adopted to select 150 waste pickers who volunteered to be respondents for the questionnaire administration. The findings indicated that the challenges of waste pickers in material recovery and reuse were price fluctuations, low self-esteem, harassment and occupational hazards of injuries and ailments. The result also indicate that the opportunities associated with waste picker’s engagement in the waste recovery sector are material recovery, reduction in environmental pollution, income generation for the urban poor, reduction in the volume of waste stream as well as cost of waste management. The study also revealed that formalization of informal recycling into a municipal solid waste management sector through cooperative association, legal recognition that protect their human rights and safe working conditions will improve their acceptance by the public and municipalities and also reduce the incidence of poverty, social marginalization, health hazards and their susceptibility to exploitation by middle men. Recommendations made based on the findings are provision of protective equipment to minimize injuries and occupational hazards, promulgation of laws to protect the rights and dignity of waste pickers, provision of accessible and quality health care services, formation of waste pickers cooperative for protection and collective barging, integration of informal recycling with the formal waste management sector in order for it to be lucrative and generate more jobs.