Towards a sustainable municipal solid waste management in Abuja, Nigeria: enhancing the informal sector
This study explored the activities of the informal sector, principally the informal waste pickers (IWPs) and proposed ways of enhancing their activities towards achieving sustainable municipal solid waste management practices in Abuja, Nigeria. Although the activities of the IWPs play a vital role in the delivery of waste management services, they are not recognised and included into the city waste management plans in most of the developing countries, and their activities are often not properly structured and organised. The aim of this study is investigating ways of valorising the role of this often-undervalued sector in sustainable waste management in developing countries using Abuja as a case study. The research explores the area of current waste management practice, the activities of IWPs and the relationship that exists between formal and informal sectors. The study involves collection and analysis of data from key stakeholders in waste management, pollution and public health sectors which include relevant governmental and non-governmental organisations and formal and informal waste practitioners, faith organisations and waste producers such as households. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaire surveys were the primary data collection methods used. The findings reveal that inadequate and irregular waste collection practices exist in developing countries and the IWPs close the gap created by the formal sector by providing services to the poorly served, which are principally those living in low-income areas. It was also found that there is a negative relationship between the IWPs and both the authorities and the households, caused by lack of trust of the informal waste pickers, although both recognise the vital role that the IWPs place in municipal waste manage. Furthermore, no correlation between the activities of the IWPs and the type of environment has been established in the study, that is, IWPs are useful in both planned and poorly planned areas (i.e., low-income slums) of the city. It was that although IWPs organisations exist and are registered with relevant authorities, they are poorly organised and structured, and do not engage in activities that could promote individual advancement and general wellbeing in a collective manner. The findings showed that members of the IWPs organisations understand the challenges of their profession but do not work on ways to effectively mitigate against some of these challenges. Based on the findings, an enhancement framework for the IWPs has been developed. The framework aims to address some of the identified challenges such as lack of trust, poor structure, poor working condition, suggests ways for self-advancement and seek support from government agencies, non-governmental and private sector organisations. Other attributes of the framework include providing ways for encouraging a wider collection coverage, recovery of valuable items and ensure safe and hygienic working conditions. The framework is developed in such a way that it is transferable to any country where IWPs are part of the waste management system.
Waste pickers, Municipal solid waste management, Formalisation, Current practice, Informal activities, Improvement, Challenges, Roles, Recycling, Developing Countries, Abuja, Nigeria
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