Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Abioye 2
Abioye 2
A NATIONAL MENACE.
BY
SUBMITTED TO
AUGUST 2022
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Table of contents
Title page 1
Table of contents 2
Introduction 3
References 26
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INTRODUCTION
Throughout history, human advancement has been intrinsically linked to the management of
solid waste due to its effect on both public and environmental health. Solid waste management
(SWM) has a long and convoluted history (Nathanson, 2015). Systems of SWM can trace their
roots all the way back to ancient times. One of the first instances of waste management occurred
in the 4th century A.D. with the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks had to deal with the multiple
challenges of aligning waste removal systems with a growing population, lack of space, and
sanitation problems. Waste management practices were very rudimentary with trash just being
collected and transported to pits outside the city. It was not until urban populations boomed that
Cities began to grow rapidly to accommodate the growing population and conditions began to
worsen for these cramped communities. The plagues that affected Europe between the 14th and
16th centuries were often perpetrated by vermin that thrived in the unsanitary urban conditions
that were common during this time. Early waste-management techniques were developed during
this period to combat the spread of disease but the political and social problems of the time did
In the latter part of the 19th century and into the 20th century, technological advances included
the use of garbage cans and creation of incinerators and sanitary landfills; the latter replaced the
practice of open dumping and has become a common practice in the developed world (Hoornweg
and Giannelli, 2007). Waste systems took on a more organized approach to waste management,
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and technology, industry, and new policies and regulations imposed on waste helped to
dramatically improve the waste management industry. With the passage of the Clean Air Act in
the United States in 1970, many early incinerators without air pollution controls were shut down
and replaced by modern waste-to-energy plants (Tangri, 2003). In recent years, the solid waste
industry has employed other technologies, such as recycling and composting to combat our ever-
growing waste issue. Processes of SWM have affected human history in many ways, just as they
The modern waste-management industry in the developed world has come far, and with
recycling and other advances it will continue to grow and change with the needs of the
community. However, countries in the developing world have yet to see many of these changes
conditions in the developing world are quite dire; present SWMS in these countries are more
Traditionally, the municipalities have been in charge of providing SWM services in developing
countries (Al-Khatib et al., 2009). The municipal res organize and manage the public sanitation
system, including providing the infrastructure for the collection, transportation, treatment and
disposal of wastes. However, with ever increasing population and economic growth, many
manner. Oftentimes these systems either become ill managed or even cease to exist because of
various social, institutional, and technical constraints. Global production of waste has practically
doubled over the past ten years and is expected to reach 2.5 billion tons per year in 2025 as a
result of the combined effect of urban development and changes in consumption patterns (Périou,
2012).
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SOLID WASTE COMPOSITION
Waste: Waste is any substance that is discarded after use or is worthless defective and of no use.
Most human activities end up in waste generation and this unavoidable trend if not managed
Types of waste: Solid, liquid, organic hazardous or biodegradable materials. Some are
recyclable while others are compostable. Hence for effective management, each group has to be
identified and well sorted from the source of generation (Oyebode 2013).
Waste management: This includes all the activities and actions required to manage waste from
its inception to its final disposal which include the following: collection, transport, treatment,
(2) To ascertain the effect of poor solid waste management on health status of human beings.
(3) To suggest various control measures that may be adopted in controlling poor solid waste
management.
Oftentimes when systems are breaking down and problems are escalating, people look to societal
factors to fix the issue. This has often been the case when dealing with the mismanagement of
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solid waste in the developing world. Many researchers have argued that the waste problem is
caused by human behavior and therefore the solution lies in changing that behavior (Milea,
2009). Public awareness and attitudes about waste can affect the whole SWMS (Zhu et al.,
2008). How is waste defined in the developing world? Why has littering become such a prevalent
behavior in these communities? What role do social norms and attitudes play in shaping these
behaviors? And what measures must be taken to ensure that these behaviors change? These are
questions that must be answered in order to come to realistic solutions to the problem of solid-
Waste can mean many things to different people (Moore, 2012). Some people such as the trash
pickers of Ghana see “waste” as a resource or a way to make an income in an otherwise limited
job market. On the other hand, you have a majority of people living in the developing world that
see waste as a burden and a problem that needs to be addressed. To say people in developing
countries don’t recognize trash as an issue is an untrue statement. The opposite is often true.
However, recognizing trash as a problem does not prevent littering or other negative behaviors
concerning waste management (Moore, 2012). This attitude-behavior gap often emerges and can
be further affected by a variety of reasons including convenience, social norms, lack of public
participation, and lack of education and awareness of effective waste management techniques
Within this attitude/behavior gap exists an inconsistency between one’s values and actions. This
specifically refers to the discrepancy between people’s concern over the environmental harm
posed by household waste and the limited action by those same people to reduce their waste or
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A negative behavior often associated with the mismanagement of solid waste in developing
countries is the occurrence of littering. There are a multitude of causes that can contribute to an
increase in public littering rates, such as a lack of social pressure to prevent littering, absence of
realistic penalties or consistent enforcement, and lack of knowledge of the environmental effects
of littering (Al-Khatib et al., 2009). Other causes also include the amount of litter already present
at a particular site, presence of signs referring to litter, and the number and/or placement and
appearance (if any) of waste collection bins at the site. Convenience of garbage bins has been
cited many times in research as a priority when disposing of trash, and when these are not
present or lacking in areas this has been reason enough to litter (Henry et al., 2006).
Other times people become accustomed to throwing their waste in streets and other inappropriate
places, as there had been no formal system for sorting and disposal in their community, so when
changes are implemented people are not changing their disposal behavior out of pure habit and
custom (Yousif and Scott, 2007). Similarly, a range of socio-economic factors can affect public
attitudes toward littering, frequency of littering, and the effective approaches to impede the
littering tendency within an individual (Al-Khatib et al., 2009). These factors are region and
culture dependent, and it is very important to study them if an effective littering prevention
program is to be designed.
Another major constraint seen throughout the developing world is the lack of education and
enhances lack of responsibility for pollution and waste issues. Ultimately this produces
communities that have little knowledge of, or concern for, their impact on the environment
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(Poswa, 2001). What it may come down to is the difference between information and knowledge.
Being presented with the information without prior knowledge may be ineffective in creating
change. However, if prior knowledge of waste management was met with new information, these
The need to improve public awareness of, and community participation in, waste management
has been widely recognized by researchers as necessary to create sustainable waste systems and
Fernández García, 2014). Typically, people are more likely to participate in waste management
activities, for example recycling, when they observe others in their vicinity recycling. In
developing countries recycling programs are rare, so wealthier members of the country rely on
Another problem is that many people feel that they have no impact on the decision-making
process, and as a result do not bother to register complaints with the authorities. This attitude
differs among socio-economic groups. Wealthier socioeconomic groups are more likely to feel
like they can make a difference when it comes to these environmental problems or become
involved in doing something about them because they feel that they have the ability to make
more of an impact in addressing and fixing the problem. Some researchers argue that people of
lower socio-economic groups tend to have less regard for environmental issues on the basis that
employment and housing are their main priorities (as cited in Périou, 2012).
Turning to more of a response side of this issue, there is often the lack of a sense of
places such as parks, highways and recreational facilities and in private areas such as business
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places (Scarlett and Shaw, 1999). This can be explained as a function of ownership. As cited by
Scarlett and Shaw (1999), Aristotle (n.d.) said: “What is common to many is taken least care of,
for all men have greater regard for what is their own than for what they possess in common with
others.” This simply means that people who own property have the incentive to take care of it,
unlike the one owned by a large number of people or where there is non-ownership like public
places. This appears to be a “tragedy of the commons” issue (Hardin, 1968). In this theory
individuals act independently and rationally according to their own self-interest and behave
contrary to the best interests of the entire group by depleting some common resource such as a
For developing countries, improved education and awareness programs about solid waste are an
important step in more effective SWMS. Increased community participation and introducing
incentives have also been cited by various researchers as some of the most effective social
interventions in establishing sustainable SWMS (PAHO, n.d.; Bolanne, 2006; Al-Khatib et al.,
When reviewing current research on the topic of social interventions, recycling is often
emphasized when talking about education and awareness programs as they relate to SWM. The
low level of awareness regarding the health and environmental impacts of improper management
of solid waste makes it difficult to implement recycling and disposal programs in many
developing countries (Mrayyan and Hamdi, 2006). Recycling requires community involvement
the success of recycling programs, recycling policy and legislation need to be geared toward
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promoting people centered approaches to recycling with public education as the main driver
towards increasing public participation (Bolaane, 2006). A study done in Palestine focused on
this educational gap came to the conclusion that there was a positive relationship between the
level of education and the participatory behavior of the people in recycling activities (Al-Khatib
et al., 2015).
Unfavorable results present local authorities with the challenge to educate citizens and
sustainability, public health, family and child safety; and 2) practice the principles of waste
management: reduction and segregation at the source, reuse and commitment to participate in
recycling schemes. A similar study conducted in Jordan found similar results that by
and achieving greater efficiency of waste management practices will result (Mrayyan and
Hamdi, 2006). These are just two findings of many that identify public awareness and education
of SWM as vital in achieving waste segregation that would, in turn, reduce solid waste pollution.
Also incorporating health messages, such as communicating the negative health effects of open-
burning of waste on air quality and human health, in the education and awareness campaigns
may prove to be the push many community members need to change their waste management
behaviors.
Consequently, attitudes toward recycling were found to have a significant effect on waste
recycling. In terms of extrinsic (i.e social reinforcement and monetary reward) and intrinsic
motivation (i.e. personal satisfaction) both were found to affect recycling behavior. However,
having a sufficiently high level of motivation itself and positive attitudes toward recycling do not
guarantee that an individual will act accordingly (Ainiet al., 2002). Systematic and holistic
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approaches and efforts should be undertaken by various government and non-governmental
agencies to educate the public by focusing on the underlying reasons for recycling and the
The intrinsic motives, which were found to be higher motivational factors among the
specifically and be more environmentally responsible behavior When people understand the
connection between their behaviors and environmental harm they are more likely to engage in
pro-environmental behaviors.
Recycling behavior is strongly influenced “by the knowledge of where, when, and how to
recycle” as stated by O’Connell (2011). The findings of a study conducted in over twenty-two
developing countries (Guerrero et al., 2013) suggests that when citizens receive information
about the benefits of recycling and how to sort the waste, and they participate in the designing of
the programs, they are more likely to participate in recycling campaigns. Social norms can also
play an important role in changing waste behavior and participation in recycling activities.
People are more likely to recycle when they observe others in their community recycling, so it
would be beneficial to reach out to key members of the communities to take the lead on changing
countries tend to overlook the significance of waste minimization strategies, leading to situations
where more waste than necessary is sent to disposal sites or recycling facilities. According to the
EPA (1988), waste minimization is a process of elimination that involves reducing the amount of
waste produced in society and helps eliminate the generation of harmful and persistent wastes,
supporting the efforts to promote a more sustainable society. Waste minimization involves
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redesigning products and/or changing societal patterns, concerning consumption and production,
of waste generation, to prevent the creation of waste. There has not been a lot of research on this
topic especially in developing countries, but the few studies that have been conducted have
Public Participation.
Another major social intervention for more effective SWM is increasing community involvement
making when it comes to waste management programs. The issues of public acceptance,
changing value systems, public participation in planning and implementation stages, and changes
in waste behavior are equally as important as the technical and economic aspects of waste
management (Marshall and Farahbakhsh, 2013). Effective waste management must be fully
embraced by local authorities and the public sphere, and must include all stakeholders in the
entire waste management decision-making process. Key elements to the success of these
Incentives
The last major social intervention cited by researchers to increase the effectiveness of waste
management systems is through incentives. One of the major motivators for behavior change is
the use of incentives. Incentives, both economic and socio-psychological, can be incredible tools
to help change behavior and are considered an effective social intervention in developing
countries by many researchers (Bolaane, 2006; Mrayyan and Hamdi, 2006; Milea, 2009;
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attitudes and behavior through disseminating information, persuasion by relating waste
minimization to the achievement of valued goals and making use of social pressure, among
Media can play an important role in increasing public participation and awareness and can serve
al., 2008) found that mass media involvement, through the use of advertisement and campaigns
geared towards recycling and reusing products, was seen as a useful incentive to public
particular. However, information is not enough. People have to believe that the particular action
is a contribution and feel it is their own responsibility to do it. Therefore, when the media is used
to create these awareness campaigns they should endeavor to create a common goal around
solving the waste problems and be very clear on how people can contribute to this and why it is
pickers have little education and limited opportunities to make a stable income. The existence of
waste pickers/scavengers often creates an obstacle to the operation of solid waste collection and
disposal services (Schübeler et al., 1996). This has to do with the fact that these scavengers are
taking out all the recyclable materials from waste piles to make money—which many local
However, if organized properly, their activities can be effectively incorporated into a waste
recycling system. This type of an opportunistic approach is required for sustainable development
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After looking over the cultural, educational, and microeconomics of waste management many
things become clear. Public awareness and attitudes towards waste can impact the entire SWM
system, from household storage to separation, interest in waste reduction, recycling, and the
amount of waste in the streets, and ultimately the success or failure of a SWM system. Being
aware of problems does not necessarily mean that people find it their responsibility to solve
them. It is up to all stakeholders involved to work together towards the common goal of
sustainable waste management. Governments should take steps to educate the citizenry on waste
reduction and separation as a matter of national policy and they should enact waste-minimization
legislation as a first step. Emphasis on the need for information about environmentally
culturally and emotionally appropriate context. Behavior change and waste prevention policy
needs to be designed with convenience in mind, based on the needs of today’s households for
time and space. This has been proven to encourage householders to engage in waste management
Socio-economic characteristics (especially wealth) may determine attitudes such as the perceived
ability or willingness to recycle municipal solid waste, but these attitudes may be positively
using a variety of factors such as the integration of environmental education centered on SWM
and the environment into the school curriculum beginning with the elementary schools. Public
awareness can also be improved through some low cost methods such as seminars, workshops,
newsletters, speeches, and church bulletins. Solid waste planners can also make the best use of
all available community resources which include elected officials, the news media, interested
groups and community organizations, all of which have the ability to generate community
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support. Although municipalities generally deliver urban SWM services, efficient and effective
service delivery is difficult to achieve without the active participation of and support from local
communities.
Even though socio-psychological incentives, or moral and social motivations, may prove
effective in the long term scale, these public campaigns aimed at changing attitudes and norms
are also the most difficult to achieve. However, a combination of socio-psychological and
economic incentives, along with educational awareness campaigns and increased community
involvement, may just be the winning combination for success in many developing countries.
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