A Study on the Modes of Disposal of Household Plastic Waste in Kaduna Metropolis

Abstract

Information of practices used by households in disposing waste is crucial for an effective management of household plastics waste. This research studies the Mode of disposal of household plastic waste and awareness on waste management in Kaduna Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria. 200-households from 10 localities using a stratified random sampling (SRS) techniques. A mixture of structured close-ended questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data from 200 households and analyzed using XRealStats Package for Excel version 7.8 and Microsoft Excel. The residents of Kaduna Metropolis disposed of their waste via Informal collection by wheel-barrow boys (33%), Open-dumping (26%), Collection by government agencies (16%), Collection by private agencies (12%), Burning (6%), Open-drain (5%) and Burying (2%). The education background of the resident has reflected in the method of was disposal they adopt in that the most educated members of the society shows a lesser participation in the use of unsafe method of waste disposal (Chi-square test of independence reveals; X2 (30, N = 42) = 138.27, p < .001). The causes of the indiscriminate waste disposal according to the residents are high cost of waste collection services (32%), Distance to Dumping Site (26.5%), Absence of Dumping Site (13%), Irregular Waste Collection (12.5%), Lack of Waste Management Services (8.5%), Lack of Waste Bin (4%) and 3.5% encounter no challenge. The residents also show a high level of awareness (77%) on that improper household plastic waste disposal Contribute to Disease Occurrence.