Assessment of Solid Waste Management Practices and Health Implications on Traders in Oba and New Benin Markets in Benin Metropolis, Edo State, Nigeria

This study assessed solid waste management practices and health implications among market traders in Oba Market and New Benin Market, Benin Metropolis, Edo State. Four research questions were raised to guide the study while two hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Descriptive survey research design was used in this study. The population comprised 6,450 registered market traders in Oba Market and New Benin Market for the 2024/2025 trading year (Edo State Ministry of Commerce, 2023). The sample size was 420 traders and was selected through multi-stage sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled Solid Waste Management Practices and Health Implications Questionnaire (SWMHIQ). The instrument had 10 items divided into Section B: 5 items on solid waste management practices scored on a 3-point scale of Always = 3, Sometimes = 2, Never = 1, and Section C: 5 items on health implications scored on a 4-point Likert scale of Strongly Agree = 4, Agree = 3, Disagree = 2, Strongly Disagree = 1. The instrument was validated by the researcher's supervisor and three experts in the Department of Health, Safety and Environmental Education, University of Benin. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach’s Alpha method and a reliability coefficient of 0.84 was obtained. The researcher and two trained research assistants administered the questionnaire to the respondents at their market stalls. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while inferential statistics of independent t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that inadequate waste bins, irregular waste evacuation, and indiscriminate dumping of refuse were the major solid waste management practices among market traders. The reported health implications include malaria outbreak, respiratory problems, skin infections, diarrhea, and foul odors. The study further revealed that there was no significant difference in both solid waste management practices and reported health implications between traders in Oba Market and New Benin Market. These findings indicate that traders in both markets experience similar challenges related to poor waste management. The study concludes that poor solid waste management practices contribute significantly to health problems among market traders. It was recommended that Edo State Waste Management Board, in collaboration with market associations, should provide adequate waste bins, ensure daily evacuation of refuse, and intensify health education campaigns to reduce disease burden in both markets.