EFFECTIVENESS OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN A RAPIDLY URBANIZING NIGERIAN CITY: EVIDENCE FROM ASABA MUNICIPALITY

This study assessed the effectiveness of solid waste management strategies in Asaba Municipality, Delta State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study identified the types of solid wastes generated, examined the environmental impacts associated with waste disposal practices, and evaluated the effectiveness of the waste management strategies currently practiced in the municipality. A survey research design was adopted, and both primary and secondary data were utilized for the study. Primary data were obtained through the administration of structured questionnaires to households across selected neighborhoods within the municipality. Using the Taro Yamane sample size determination formula, a sample size of 400 respondents was selected, out of which 361 valid questionnaires were retrieved and analyzed, representing a response rate of 90.3%. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and percentages, as well as inferential statistical techniques such as Chi-square and Pearson product–moment correlation analysis. The findings revealed that the dominant types of waste generated in the municipality include organic waste (41.0%), plastic materials (24.1%), paper and cardboard (15.0%), textile materials (10.8%), and metal scraps (9.1%), with organic waste constituting the largest proportion of household waste. The study also identified several environmental impacts associated with improper waste disposal practices, including air pollution (35.7%), water contamination from dumpsite leachate (22.7%), soil degradation (17.7%), blocked drainage systems leading to flooding (13.6%), and breeding of disease vectors (10.3%). In terms of waste disposal practices, open dumping (50.4%) was found to be the most common waste disposal method practiced by residents, followed by waste burning (28.0%) and waste burying (21.6%). Hypothesis testing results indicated a significant variation in the types of solid waste generated across different areas of the municipality (χ² = 55.758, df = 24, p = 0.0058). However, the Pearson correlation analysis showed no statistically significant relationship between the quantity of waste generated and the severity of environmental impacts (r = 0.47, p = 0.2017). The study concludes that solid waste management practices in Asaba Municipality remain largely unsustainable and environmentally harmful, with informal disposal practices dominating the waste management system. The study therefore recommends improved waste collection infrastructure, promotion of waste segregation and recycling programmes, stricter enforcement of environmental sanitation regulations, and increased public awareness to enhance sustainable municipal solid waste management.