PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN TRANS-AMADI INDUSTRIAL AREA OF PORT-HARCOURT
Abstract
Unsustainable urbanization, population growth, and changes in lifestyles contribute to increasing per capita solid waste generation in Trans-Amadi which has resulted in poor environmental conditions.  Solid waste disposal, in particular, has become a daunting task for the local authorities who seem to lack the capacity to tackle the mounting waste situation. The matter of solid waste and its management in Trans-Amadi Area of Port-Harcourt has catapulted itself into the limelight in the past decades Solid Waste Management (SWM) sector. This abysmal situation of solid waste is perpetuated by the fact that in some instances hazardous and non-hazardous wastes are still handled and disposed together without progressive proper segregation of wastes, thus creating a great health risk to municipal workers, the public, and the environment. Despite the magnitude of the problem, practices, capacities and policies in solid waste are inadequate and require intensification in the country. Based on these findings from public perceptions, it has been argued that the solution to the worsening environmental conditions in most locations of the area lies with the prioritization of awareness and commitment of Obio-Akpor LGA political leadership to sustainable urban settlement development and integrated solid waste management.
