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Assessment Of Potentials Of Waste To Wealth
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The term
‗waste‘ has a different meaning for different people. In general, waste
is unwanted‘ for the person who discards it; a product or material that
does not have a value anymore for the first user and is therefore thrown
away. But ‗unwanted‘ is subjective and the waste could have value for
another person in a different circumstance, or even in a different
culture (Van de Klundert and Justine, 2001). There are many large
industries that operate primarily or exclusively using waste materials
such as paper and metals as their industrial raw materials. In the
context of Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM), waste is regarded
both as valueless and as a useful material providing a potential source
of income. This real value of waste in many low-and middle-income
countries (developing countries) is confirmed by the huge informal
sector that lives on waste collection and recovery (Van de Klundert and
Justine, 2001).
Waste, either in solid or liquid form is being
produced since the dawn of human existence and it is not excessive to
say, waste is the first thing generated before people are able to
contribute to the betterment of lives. Due to social and environmental
consequences, waste reuse, recycle and recovery have become essentials
in minimizing the environmental damage that could occur through
indiscriminate waste disposal (Sivapalan, Mohamad, Mohamad, and
Muhd-Noor, 2005).
Davies (2008) notes that ―what some people consider
to be waste materials or substances are considered a source of value by
others‖ This relative attribute of waste can be compared with the
concept of ‗resource‘ which has also been defined as material that has
use-value and ―a reflection of human appraisal‖ (Jones and Hollier,
1977). Just as a material becomes a resource when it gains use-value, it
also becomes waste when it loses its use-value. Like resources, waste
is also a relative concept of human appraisal because what constitutes
waste can vary from one person to another, one society to another and
over time. As noted by Jessen (2002) ―our waste stream is actually full
of resources going in the wrong direction‖.
Waste reuse and recycling
as an alternative management option for waste is now recognized as an
important approach to solving waste problem both in developed and
developing world. Resource recovery from dumped consumer products is
growing in significance, as waste is increasingly seen as a valuable
resource. As human beings continuously realized that resources are
finite, efficient use of resources and resources recovery from wastes
are vital for global environmental sustainability (Zaman and Lehmann,
2011).
Developed countries generally rely on land filling to overcome
the problem of waste accumulation (Girling, 2005; Pacione, 2005). The
landfill seems to have a special attraction for municipal waste managers
because it offers a cheap and convenient option for waste disposal
compared with other strategies such as reuse, recycling and energy
recovery (Charzan, 2002). In fact, with the exception of few countries
like Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark who recycle substantial
proportions of their waste, most countries in Europe and North America
still dump the bulk of their municipal solid waste in landfills (OECD,
2002; Girling, 2005). For instance, In May, 2008, the inadequacy of
waste disposal land created mayhem in the Italian city of Naples when
the streets became laden with waste, blocking traffic and causing
nuisance and hazards (Anthony, 2009). The European Commission’s thematic
strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste (European Union,
2005) called for life-cycle thinking in waste policies and moving
towards a recycling society. This has in turn highlighted the
opportunities for improved coherence between policies on waste and those
on climate change and resource efficiency
(European Environment Agency (EEA), 2011).
Additionally,
specific technical expertise and related general repair and maintenance
technology are often absent in developing nations‘ scenario.
Incineration in Africa would be infeasible if the waste stream is indeed
70% wet organic content. Under these conditions, incineration is likely
to be energy consuming rather than an energy-producing option. There is
environmental-health problems associated with incineration. When
conditions are not optimal, incineration volatilizes many compounds,
such as dioxins, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxides, which are
potentially harmful to human health, atmosphere, plants, and animals
(Manyanhaire et al, 2009).
Lastly in the hierarchy is land disposal
(landfill), which involves haulage of garbage in open areas. Such areas
range from unsanitary open dumps to properly operated sanitary landfills
(Ukoje, 2011).
In the past few years, research on SWM in Nigeria has
focused essentially on contextualizing waste recycling as an approach
to urban environmental management and livelihoods (Adeyemi, Olorunfemi
and Adewoye, 2001; Agunwamba, 2003; Nzeadibe and Eziuzor, 2006; Nzeadibe
and Iwuoha, 2008). Unfortunately, SWM appear to have received little
attention from Nigerian social scientists especially from the viewpoint
of the socially-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (Nzeadibe,
2009). Environmental concerns and sustainable development are germane to
MDGs, which make an investigation into how wealth generated from waste
helps in sustainable environmental management an appropriate subject of
inquiry.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Municipal solid wastes re-use and recycling have multiple socioeconomic and environmental benefits that have not been adequately examined in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The objectives of this research are to: examine the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of waste management entrepreneurs; identify the sources and destinations of recyclable municipal solid waste; analyse the quantity of waste materials (metal scraps, plastics and cans) recovered, reused and transported for recyclin ... Continue reading---
