HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF IMPROPER SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN LAGOS METROPOLIS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Waste is defined as materials of solid or semi solid character that the possessor no longer considers of sufficient value to retain (Gilpin, 1976).The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ( 2007 ) also defined solid wastes in simple words as any discarded (abandoned or considered waste-like) materials. There are different types of waste: municipal waste (including household and commercial waste), industrial waste (including manufacturing), hazardous waste, construction and demolition waste, mining waste, waste from electrical and electronic equipments, biodegradable municipal waste, packaging waste, and agricultural waste. Solid wastes can be solid, liquid, and semi-solid or containerized gaseous material. Also, there are various sources of waste: residential, industrial, commercial, institutional, construction and demolition waste; municipal services manufacturing process, agriculture. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is defined to include refuse from households, nonhazardous solid waste from industrial, commercial and institutional establishments (including hospitals), market waste, yard waste, and street sweepings. MSW is defined by Cointreau (1982) as non-air and sewage emissions created within and disposed of by a municipality, including household garbage, commercial refuse, construction and demolition debris, dead animals, and abandoned vehicles. Municipal solid waste is generally made up of paper, vegetable matter, plastics, metals, textiles, rubber, and glass (USEPA, 2002).
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA
The solid waste management problem in Nigerian cities is becoming more alarming. The volume and range of solid wastes generated daily in Nigeria has been  increasing within the last few years. This is mainly due to the high population growth, urbanization, industrialization and general economic growth (Ogwueleka, 2004). Cities are regarded as the most efficient agents of production (Hardoy, Mitlin and Satherthwaite, 2001). This population increase compounds the problems of solid waste management. Worse still, government agencies responsible for managing solid wastes, especially in urban areas are either nonexistent or ineffective. Urban land use becomes complex as the city grows in population and physical size and so does the solid waste generation increase in volume and varieties. Urban land uses vary from residential, commercial, industrial, institutional; and others, with each category generating its own peculiar type of solid waste. However, residential land use constitutes the single most important generator of solid waste in Nigeria urban areas (Adegoke, 1990). Because of the complexity of the household wastes, the socioeconomic structure of the urban population becomes a major determinant of the spatial structure of solid waste problems in our cities. Uwadiegwu (2003) in a study noted that the quantity of municipal solid waste produced depends upon the living standard of the residents, urbanization and industrialization. Okoye (2004) identified household size, income level, level of technological advancement and socio-economic status as factors that affect the quantity of solid waste generation, but however, noted that a single factor may not on its own constitutes a difference in the quantity of waste generated by a household. Afon (2005), in a study of waste generation in Oyo State, Nigeria, discovered that as education, income and social status increase, per capita waste generation declines. This, he explained is partly influenced by the differences in employment/livelihood pattern in the area. On the main 3 cause of solid waste crises in Nigeria, Igbodobe and Anyata (2009) identify the problems of insufficient available data, funding, poor understanding of solid waste management and residents‘ attitude. It is common for most of the solid waste generated in urban areas to be collected and dumped indiscriminately within or on sites outside the city without site preparation. Sule, (2001), however, observes that the type of waste disposal method adopted in any particular area depends largely on the prevailing local conditions such as availability of open space, accessibility and attitude of the people. From a global perspective Ali et al (1999) reiterates that disposal practice vary from city to city and country to country. As a panacea, Dung-Gwon and Magaji (2007) stressed that enforcement of waste management legislation is required as a proper policy and planning framework for waste management. Urbanization directly contributes to waste generation, and unscientific waste handling causes health hazards and urban environment degradation. Nigeria has undergone a rapid urbanization during the past fifty years. The numbers of urban dwellers are expected to double between 1987 and 2015 (Ogwueleka, 2004). Urbanization implies the expansion of slum areas and the creation of new ones. Population growth intensifies the pressure on urban infrastructure in many cities in Nigeria that are already overburdened with the provision of urban services. Most cities lack the resources to meet the demand for services such as water, sanitation and solid waste management. The insufficiency of services results in a deterioration of the urban environment in the form of air, water and land pollution that poses risks to human health and the environment. Many municipalities see solid waste management as a problem of equipment, particularly how to obtain and maintain technologically advanced compactor  trucks, hydraulic−compressor containers, and transportable containers and transport vehicles. In developing countries, with insufficient technical services, spare parts and maintenance budgets, when such technically sophisticated equipment breaks down, the entire system fails. The waste generated by a community reflects its way of life, its wealth and its culture. Some communities use and discard great quantities of paper, others throw organic materials away. Restaurants dispose of quantities of food that is still fresh but however, it might be very valuable to the owner of animals. Thus, what is waste to one person might be a valuable resource for others.
Solid waste disposal is the disposal of normally solid or semisolid materials, resulting from human and animal activities that are useless, unwanted, or hazardous. Solid wastes typically may be classified as garbage, rubbish, ashes, large wastes, dead animals, sewage treatment solids, industrial waste, mining waste and agricultural wastes. Municipal solid waste disposal is a major concern in developing countries like Nigeria as high poverty, population growth, and high urbanization rates combine with ineffectual and under-funded governments to hamper efficient management of wastes (Cointreau 1982, Doan 1998). In most cities and large towns in Nigeria, solid waste is not only heaped in huge quantities on refuse dumps but also thrown and made to lie around in piles in the street and in small illegal dump on any piece of unused land. Most third world countries have worst cases than industrialised countries which have the money and technical know now and public attitudes to control and manage their waste to some degree.
