Solid waste characterization in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Abraka, Nigeria

: On-site waste characterization was carried out on four dumpsites in Abraka municipality with standard methods used. Results obtained show that the mean composition of organic waste was significantly higher in station 1 (38.15±2.03) than other stations, while paper waste (18.97±0.43), glass waste (1.84±0.18), metal waste (3.03±0.12) and other miscellaneous wastes were significantly higher in station 2 than other stations. Plastic waste was significantly higher in station 4 (7.85±0.29) than other stations. Wastes disposed carelessly spread to the road and to surrounding water bodies. Community participation in waste disposal can be a catalyst in community development work, because it gives residents a feeling of self-esteem, generates income through recycling and reduce waste material transported for disposal.

Since the day God created man, the earth has known no peace (Seo et al, 2004). a cordial relationship Initially existed between man and his environment, the air he breathed was fresh, his food was uninfected, his water potable and his land fertile. Man's relationship with his environment was that of mutual respect.
However, since man misconstrued God's injunction of "have dominion over the fish of the sea" and his quest for technological advancement, man breached the tacit agreement of trust reached with his environment. Man has continued to lord over the environment to his own detriment.
The deterioration of the environment has resulted in an increase in diseases; reduction of average life span and growth in infant mortality rates. (Seo et al, 2004). Solid waste disposal and management are both an urban and rural problem.
Every person is a potential generator of waste and thus a contributor to these problems. To generate waste is one thing, the type of waste generated is another and yet the way the generated waste is managed or disposed of is quite a different issue. Usually, the rate at which solid waste is generated is far higher than the capacity to responsibly manage this waste as waste is generated by, and from different sectors; domestic, commercial, industry and other sources and instances, the waste management responsibility has been left to the government or administrative authorities (Zhenshan et al, 2009).
Rapid economic growth, fast growing populations and a rise in community living standards have accelerated the generational rate of solid waste causing its management to be a major challenge. In urban cities of developing countries such as Abraka in Delta state of Nigeria, solid waste management is a highly neglected area (Ahmed and Ali, 2004).
The awareness that improper handling of solid waste leads to contamination of water, soil and atmosphere and is a major impact on public health has caused developing nations to address this issue with increasing urgency (Batool, 2009 andSharholy et al, 2008). In particular, the collection of solid waste has been identified as a major problem since in many areas, local authorities are either unable or unwilling to provide waste collection services to all residents in their area of jurisdiction.
The importance of solid waste characterization cannot be over emphasized as waste characterization studies helps government planners, haulers, and recyclers estimate the amount of certain solid waste materials in their waste stream and for its management. The aim of this study is to characterize solid waste disposed in selected dump sites in ethiope east local government area of Delta state, Abraka, Nigeria.

Description of study station:
This study was conducted in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria (lat.5' 51 N and 5' 54 N and long. 6' 08 E and 6' 12 E). This settlement is situated at the eastern bank of River Ethiope, and covers a total land area of about 21.2km 2 . The topography is a low plain and drained by River Ethiope (Delta State Government, 2007).

Description of Study Areas:
Abraka has only one government approved dump site and several other illegal dump sites. For the purpose of this study, four dump sites were used; one government approved dump site and three illegal dump sites.

Waste characterization:
On-site waste characterization was carried out on four (4) dump sites in the study area by collecting fifty kilograms (50kg) of waste from each of the dump site. The wastes collected from each of the dump site were weighed and sorted to know the type of waste that is predominant in each dump site. Weighing and sorting were done on each of the dump site once every month for eight (8) months. Waste characterization was carried out on the four dump sites for a period of eight (8) months so as to cover both wet and dry seasons.
Observation as a tool: An observation guide was used in this study. , defined observation as a process of systematically recording verbal and non-verbal behaviour and communication without asking specific questions. This was used in this project as it generated both qualitative and quantitative data. Beside the above point, the method enabled the researcher to separate facts from the interpretation of the facts and observed the facts and made an interpretation at a later time. Observation method is quite essential as one can benefit a great deal in research through observation of occurrences in the field of the study .
Statistical analysis: Data collected were subjected to statistical tests of significance using the Student t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at p<0.05.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Waste characterization: The results of waste characterization are presented in table 1. The results show the mean composition of waste in four dump sites in the Abraka area of Delta state. Organic waste: Mean composition of organic waste was significantly higher in station 1(38.15±2.03) than other stations, with the least value reported in station 4 (15.50±0.49) as shown in table 5. In station 2, it was highest in January (18.89%) and lowest in September (13.78%).
Paper waste: Mean composition of paper waste was significantly higher in station 2 (18.97±0.43) than other stations, with the least value reported in station 3 (7.01±0.26).
In station 2, Mean paper waste composition was highest in September (20.88%) and lowest in October (16.62%); in station 3, it was highest in January (8.41%) and lowest in November (5.86%); in station 4, it was highest in September (20.88%) and lowest in October (16.62%).
Plastic waste: Mean composition of plastic waste was significantly higher in station 4(7.85±0.29) than other stations, with the least value reported in station 1 (0.97±0.10).