By Sunday Eze
“A clean environment is human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility towards other to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy if not healthier than we found it.” – Dalai Lama.
Nigeria is fast experiencing rising growth in human population and physical development. As industrialisation and urbanisation become evident in shaping lives in municipalities, there have been global calls for adoption of effective Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management (ISWM) Programmes. Nigeria, according to sources generates approximately 85,000-90,000 tonnes of solid waste per day culminating into 32m tonnes annually. The level of solid waste being generated daily is increasingly high.
This poses both increasing health and environmental challenges to the people. And residents in their large numbers clearly lack the basic understanding and requisite knowledge of effective solid waste management. Many do not have any idea of independent waste collectors let alone employing their services. Consequently, they freely dispose waste at unapproved or illegal dump sites or wherever it is convenient to do so.
This visible lack of understanding of the relevance of cleaner environment is obvious in the indiscriminate disposal of Solid Waste (SW) very close to residential areas, school compounds, along streets, major roads and drainages. In fact, current solid waste management practice in Nigeria relies predominantly on indiscriminate and open dumping often accompanied by burning of waste. These practices generate significant environmental challenges; including the contamination of water ways, soil and the air, as well as infliction of environmental and health hazards.
ISWM is a deliberate policy of government aimed at providing clean, safe, healthy environment and promotion of living condition in a beneficial, technological, economic and sustainable manner. This concept unlocks the hidden treasures which conscious nations have turned into wealth creation, safe, and healthy-cleaner environment. However, developing nations like Nigeria do not seem to appreciate the hidden treasures of SW as environmental and living conditions continue to deteriorate. This directly contaminates the nexus between having a healthy population and flourishing national development.
Many are not aware that SWM practice is an untapped economic land mine and money spinning venture which addresses societal attitudes and behaviour, while creating employment opportunities. The practice in Nigeria almost begins and ends with agency establishments, slow enforcement functions in emergency situations or on days set aside for monthly environmental sanitation, uncoordinated waste evacuation mechanism and poor pulic attitude.
Lagos state is a shining example of how cities should address waste concerns despite observed limitations. The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has set the standards by establishing a mechanism of integrating the law, stakeholders, technology and financing in the management of waste. Cities where successful waste management has been established begins from recorgnising the roles of the value chain – homes, waste collectors, technology, financing, infrastructure, the law and pulic attitude etc.
After the 2011 flooding which drastically affected over 21 states in Nigeria, both Kaduna and Oyo state governments embarked on Zaria Solid Waste Management Study/Pilot Scheme and the Ibadan Solid Waste Management Masterplan respectively. The projects sought to address the challenges of municipal solid waste which causes flooding and identify its inherent benefits in a holistic manner for the good of the states and their people. Despite state resources invested in these two projects, the expected outcomes seemed very low. Both projects could not survive political interferences thus failed to manifest its expected potentials as emphasis was more on political patronage, instead of strengthening the system and bid for sustainability.
The current waste management practice in most Nigeria cities neglects the great potentials of turning waste into viable agricultural resource and other economic prospects. Solid waste must be understood as what it is: having an economic value and not merely unwanted trash. The high percentage of organic matter in waste streams offers a tremendous opportunity to significantly reduce the waste going to landfill sites by converting same into compost for agriculture and electricity.
In Nigeria, the challenges of Solid Waste Management (SWM) is made worse and or even more complex with environmental crisis arising from the effect of climate change. The general attitude of the public towards solid waste disposal is a source of worry as exemplified in Yoruba saying that one cannot buy Èkó (Maize Pudding) with one’s money and pay for disposing the paper used in wrapping it.
Another major concern is the clear uncoordinated institutional function among ministeries, local government authorities and waste management agencies. Other factors contributory to the challenges are weak laws and regulatory framework which has led to visible low or lack of interest of private sector financial and infrastructure investment and service delivery. There is also significant dearth in human capacity for administrative and technical functions as well as, poor data/information for planning. The present poor waste management practices can only translate to more environmental and health challenges as waste generation increases with rising population and changing consumption patterns in Nigeria.
Emmanuel Unaebgu, a renewable energy and environmental expert, in his article titled ‘Poor Waste Management as Nigeria’s Bane to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), painted a gloomy picture of how waste is unprofessionally handled in the country and its dire consequences on health and environment. According to him, “in Nigeria, over 90% of non-metallic solid waste collected ends up in unsanitary dumpsites. As frequent as possible, these dumpsites are set on fire to reduce the volume of waste; disrupting ambient air quality and releasing dioxins, furan, VOCs, PCBs etc. and heavy metals like mercury and lead.
These pollutants have long-term health consequences including cancer; liver problems and impairment of the immune system. In addition, the biodegradable fraction of waste forms leachate which seeps into and contaminates ground water. Furthermore, data shows that the disposal of large amounts of waste in landfills and dumpsites accounts for about 5 per cent of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 12 per cent of the world’s methane (CH4) emissions; a GHG that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2).”
However, there is a silver lining on the horizon as he aligned with Waste to Wealth as one key option to resolving the intractable power supply situation in the country. He posits, “recycling, composting and energy recovery are viable options to reducing overall Green House Emission in comparison to waste disposal in dumpsites and reduction of frequent release of pollutant to the barest minimum.”
Continuing, he noted: “but thanks to science, there are technological options available to minimize aftermath release of pollutants and GHG emissions from waste. Energy recovery otherwise called Energy from-Waste (EfW) or Waste-to-Energy (WtE) involves the combustion of waste in a controlled chamber to produce electricity and/or heat. Energy from waste technology reduces the overall GHG emissions by as much as 80% in comparison to waste disposal in dumpsites and reduces to the barest minimum release of pollutants. In fact, efficient energy recovery is considered as recycling. In 2015, it was estimated that the over 2,200 energy from waste plants across the world processed about 280 million tons of waste, a 45% increase from 2010 estimates of about 192 million tonnes processed.”
“As Nigerians from north to south continue to suffer erratic power supply with a per capita electricity consumption of about 143kWh, there is urgent need to rethink options. Energy from waste can be that viable option considering the over 40,000 tonnes of waste generated daily across Nigeria and the billions of naira lost by industry operators as a result of gas supply constraints. Therefore, as a growing technology, Nigeria must position herself to embrace EfW to avoid making the mistake of the early 1900s; missing the economic development that came with coal to power.
But before this can be achieved, the first and top requirement for Nigeria is to put in place regulations to encourage energy production from EfW. The regulation must prohibit the disposal of non-recyclable fraction of combustible and biodegradable waste in dumpsite. Another is the availability of waste feed stock. Overall, the profitability and the environmental impact are mostly dependent on plant location, capacity and the conversion technology.”
The federal governments should take advantage of the promising potentials for national growth in Integrated Solid Waste Management to promote the much needed green economy, help Nigeria meet her national determined contributions (NDCs) targets (of 20% unconditional emissions reduction) and earn money from carbon emission reduction (CER), generate employment, improve health conditions, social security and economic development.
Sunday Onyemaechi Eze, is a lecturer, Department of Mass Communication and Head, Internationalisation and Partnership, Coal City University, Enugu
