ABSTRACT
Waste is something which the owner no longer wants at a given place and which has no perceived market value. It could also mean any substance or object which the producer or the person in possession of it no longer needs or is required to be discarded. Waste is usually classified based on its source as domestic and industrial waste. Waste management simply means the collection, keeping, treatment and disposal of waste so as to render them harmless to human and animal life, the ecology and the environment. In Nigeria, managing waste has become a major concern despite several attempts by successive governments and private individuals in that direction, that is why it is a common sight across the country to see mountainous heaps of waste in waste dumps in market places, drains, roads and around residential and commercial locations as well as the continuous discharge of industrial contaminants into streams and rivers without treatment. This research identifies and examines waste management as an environmental challenge in Nigeria, evaluates the various laws and policies regulating waste management in Nigeria, examines the level of enforcement and assesses the efficacy of these mechanisms put in place to enforce the laws.
The study finds that despite the plethora of laws made by the number of agencies set up by the Nigerian Government to administer environmental laws pertaining to waste management, the problems have continued to persist on a daily basis. The challenges facing waste management in Nigeria have been attributed to poor funding, over population, inadequate enlightenment/health education of the people, lack of professional waste managers, the peculiarity of the Nigerian attitude, lack of modern technology. These challenges have led to several environmental challenges endangering public health by encouraging the spread of diseases, uncontrolled recycling of contaminated goods and pollution of the air and water sources. While the unhealthy aspects of waste might be a bit difficult to be contained the more avoidable features of blocked drains, traffic impendence and floods have yet to be tackled.
The study contributes that waste recycling is the most effective means of waste management and environmental security.
