Socio-Cultural Factors that Influence Solid Waste Generation and Management in Nigerian Cities: A Review

Abstract

Urbanisation, modernisation and rural migration to cities create an increase in population that ultimately proliferate the uses of needed materials which results into a tremendous urban problem related to waste generation and management. Increase in waste generation reflects a substantial challenge to large urban centre globally and signifies a precarious issue for fast growing cities with accelerated population growth. Wastes are an unavoidable consequence of production and consumption activities that are mostly tied to the attitude and behaviour of people in any economy. A socio-cultural environment is the combination of social and cultural factors that have a significant impact on waste generation, due to the strong interaction that exists between them, it is somehow difficult to separately assess their influence on waste generation. There are different views from the scholars in motivating the relationship between the issue of solid waste and socio cultural factors. The focus of this paper is to describe the influence of certain socio-cultural factors as they influence solid waste generation and management in order to suggest ways of improving management strategies of limiting its adverse effects in Nigerian cities.