KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT AMONG RESIDENTS

ABSTRACT

Background: This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practice of waste management among residents of the Uselu community in Benin city, Edo state ,Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study research design was adopted . A multi stage sampling technique was used to the samples. The data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using a statistical package for social sciences software. Results: In this study, majority (30.9%) of the respondents were > 50 years and about three quaters (72.6%) of thr respondents are married. About half (49.6%) of the respondents have a B.Sc degree and majority (81.7%) of the respondents are Christian. The majority (81.7%) of the respondents are employed . In assessing knowledge of waste management, only items 4 gave a mean school indicating good knowledge . The other items showed poor knowledge. The overall means also indicate poor knowledge of waste management. Table 4.3 shows that 171 (74.3%) have poor practice of waste management , while 59(25.7%) have good practice. Conclusions: The finding reported a poor level of knowledge, and poor level of practice regarding waste management among the people of this community. The government and nongovernmental organizations should organize a massive campaign on the importance of proper waste management and to create awareness on proper waste management practices. Keywords: Waste management, Uselu Community, Practice, Knowledge