Practices and perception of indiscriminate waste disposal: A case study of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: The public health implication of indiscriminate and improperly regulated refuse disposal is a growing concern in Nigeria.
Objectives: The objectives of this study was to assess the waste management practices and the perception of the public on the effects of indiscriminate waste disposal on public health in AMAC, Abuja, Nigeria.
Method: The study involved a cross-sectional survey amongst households in rural and urban settlements in AMAC, Abuja, Nigeria. Close-ended, structured, interviewer’s administered questionnaire was used and a stratified random sampling method was adopted for respondent selection. Nine hundred and fifty-six respondents comprising 521 males (54.5 %) and 435 females (45.5 %) from preselected strata were randomly surveyed. The frequencies from results obtained were analyzed with IBM SPSS Version 20 package.
Results: Six hundred and thirty-two respondents (66.1%) disposed their waste in refuse dumps, 42.57% (407) disposed waste weekly and 25.94 % (248) lived close to a dumpsite with 2.9 % residing for over 10 years. The waste disposal practice is better in the organized setting than the rural area.
Conclusion: The results from this study showed the poorer waste disposal practices in the rural districts of Abuja.

Keywords: Waste disposal, Waste management, Perception, Public health.