Waste disposal: Existing infrastructure and the emerging trend in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State

Abstract

Waste generation and management has been part of human activities right from time. One of the effects of urbanization in the third world countries is the high rate of waste generation. The challenge of waste management has been a growing concern for government, environmentalist and communities at large, thus preoccupying the urban man. Effort by the Oyo State Government in managing the collection and disposal of waste generated in Ibadan is seen in the provision of skip bins at specific locations across the city. However, despite the provisions made by the government, an emerging trend is the dumping of refuse along the median of some major and collector roads in the city. This can be attributed to poor effort of people towards environmental sanitation, the insufficiency and or distance of skip bins location to the residential or commercial centres cannot also be overlooked. This study aims at providing a planning framework for the location of waste disposal infrastructure (Skip bins) through the adoption of the planning standard. Both primary and secondary data were employed in the course of this study. The study identifies a total of 37 skip bins located within Ibadan North Local Government, serving a population of about 306,795 (2006 census). Questionnaires were used to identify the factors that contribute to indiscriminate dumping of refuse; the GPS was employed to obtain the spatial location of skip bins within the study area. Nearest Neighbour Analysis was carried out using the points identified and proposal was made for the provision of more skip bins based on the result of the analysis using the Geographic Information System Software. The study highlights efficient waste disposal techniques and recommends adequate provision and location of skip bins to contribute to a cleaner and safer environment.