Towards a sustainable municipal solid waste management in Abuja, Nigeria: enhancing the informal sector
type: CreativeWork
description: 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., …
abstract: 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., …
author: Michael, Susuti
language: eng
keywords: Waste pickers, Municipal solid waste management, Formalisation, Current practice, Informal activities, Improvement, Challenges, Roles, Recycling, Developing Countries, Abuja, Nigeria
date published: 2023-10-27
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:50:29Z
provider: Abertay University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Abertay University