TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN ABUJA.

TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN ABUJA.

Recently, we have been seeing piles of garbage in neighborhoods or streets, smelly, burning and polluting waste disposal sites. Unfortunately, this is a frequent situation in low and middle-income countries especially in towns and urban centers. To improve municipal solid waste management, we need to understand the complex interaction between stakeholders, technical solutions and governments. Increase in population and urbanization results in an increased waste generation. Most cities are finding it difficult not only to cope with the existing solution but also to anticipate future trends and prepare plans for this. Unreliable waste collection results in waste accumulating in neighborhoods and endangers public health, deficient treatment or disposal severely pollutes the environment and contributes to global warming.

According to WAMASON, Nigeria generates about 65 million tonnes of waste annually most of which are not reuse or recycled. It is a known fact that there are several people whose waste are not collected from their homes and neighborhoods, while there are over a thousand people who lack access to controlled disposal facilities in Abuja. Many communities, city dwellers, living organisms and the Ecosystems are direct victims of environmental and health impacts of this situation.
To help put a sustainable waste management system in place, comprehensive knowledge about waste need to be explored and understood. In this article, I tried to bring solid waste management to the low, for everybody's understanding and to give room for criticism and contributions.

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is commonly referred to as trash or garbage/rubbish. It is a waste that consists of everyday items that are discarded by the public, they are also referred to the range of garbage arising from animal and human activities that are discarded or regarded as unwanted and useless. MSW is collected from residential buildings, parks, schools, hospitals, hotels e.t.c. and its components include; paper, plastics, glass, strides/wood.
Although MSW differs from municipal to municipal depending on what is majorly consumed they have almost the same type of waste.  MSW is generated daily with an average of 0.5 - 1.5kg in most households in Abuja. In a developed municipal, the type of waste generated are more of recyclables while those generated in less developed municipals pose environmental health hazards because they do not have a waste management system in place like the develop municipal.

COMPOSITION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE.

Municipal solid wastes include the following;

• Biodegradable waste which are food leftovers, kitchen wastes, paper, green waste (leaves and fruits).
• Recyclables – paper, cardboard, glass, tins, aluminum.
• Inert waste – construction, demolition waste, rocks.
• Electrical and electronic waste – electrical appliances, light bulb, washing machine, TV, Computers, Phone.
• Composite waste - tetra packs, toys, clothing (rags).
• Hazardous waste – batteries, paint, chemicals, fertilizers, aerosol.
• Toxic waste – pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
• Biomedical waste – expired pharmaceuticals, used cotton wool/swabs, used syringes (most hospital wastes).

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT.

Provision of good solid waste management is a tremendous challenge all over the world, particularly in developing countries. Our society needs in-depth knowledge of solid waste management because we need solutions in the coming decades. It is time to bring solid waste management to the attention of the general public. Waste management does not only involve the waste-related service and infrastructure, but it also involves people, their behaviour and interactions, money, laws and other aspects involved in solid waste management and their interdependence is therefore of utmost importance. This is what the Integrated Sustainable Waste Management framework is for.

Solid waste management is the process of collecting and treating solid wastes, it is the control of generation, storage, collection, transport or transfer, processing and disposal of solid waste materials in a way that best addresses the range of public health conservation, economics, aesthetics, engineering, and other environmental considerations. Solid waste management includes planning, administration, financial, engineering and legal functions. Solid waste management practices differ for residential and industrial producers, for urban and rural areas, for developing and developed nations.

OBJECTIVE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT
The main objective of waste management generally is to reduce and eliminate the adverse impacts of waste materials on human health and environment, to support economic development and superior quality of life.

FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• Waste generation
• Onsite handling, storage, and processing
• Waste collection
• Waste transfer and transport
• Waste processing and recovery
• Disposal.
• Reusing.
• Landfills.
• Energy generation.

Municipal Solid Waste Management services should have the following components:-

1. Governance aspects (roles and responsibilities of stakeholders).
2. The financing mechanisms.
3. Legislation and policies
4. Socio-cultural aspects.

To improve municipal solid waste management service, we need to understand the complex interaction between stakeholders, technical solutions and governments which is what will lead us to the Integrated Solid Waste Management.

THE INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

As the field of solid waste management advances, solutions are also being looked at in a more systematic and holistic way. ISWM simply means the selection and application of the appropriate management programs, technologies, and techniques to achieve particular waste management goals and objective. ISWM should be composed of waste source reduction, recycling, waste combustion, and landfills.

ELEMENTS OF INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

• source reduction
• recycling and composting
• waste transportation
• waste disposal.

WHY INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT.

With the global geometric progression in population and constant economic development with basic amenities or a better socio-economic advantage, waste generation in residential/commercial areas is also growing rapidly putting pressure on the society's ability to process and dispose off the wastes. When wastes are not appropriately managed through the waste management stream, disposal, handling, and transporting, which leads to safety hazards through, explosions and fire, as well as the release of  Green House Gas (GHG) emissions which is a concern in climate change.

Having a comprehensive waste management system put in place can significantly reduce the problems currently being caused by poor waste management. It is paramount to note that it is not only businesses that need management but all sectors of the economy. The economy is being driven by the health of the Nation's workforce (skilled or unskilled) while, health management is the function of waste and environmental management. If only we see waste/environmental management as a priority even the government would not have much to budget for. The ISWM name might seem long and a little bit complicated but the approach is actually nothing new but a more sustainable approach that provides the opportunity to create a suitable combination of existing waste management practices to manage waste in the most efficient way.

I hope with this little piece, we can help promote the implementation of the Integrated Solid Waste Management in all States of the Federation particularly in the F.C.T. as it is still undergoing structuring and its planning can be subjected to modifications.

Constructive criticism and contributions are welcome.

Phateamata