An Assessment of Household Solid Waste Disposal Practices in Sabon Gari, Zaria

Activities of man on the environment have influenced the ecosystem deterioration. Generation and disposal of wastes, combustion of fossil fuel and bush burning are some of the activities linked to ecosystem degradation. The study assessed household waste disposal practice and its challenges in Sabon Gari, Zaria. This was carried out through administration of questionnaire, checklist, physical inspection and photographing of dump sites and interview with agencies responsible for municipal solid waste management. 150 questionnaires were randomly administered to households in the study area out of which 76% response rate was received. The results show that 97.37% of households generate an average of 2kg composite wastes daily, of which 32.43% are food residues with high frequency (54.95%) of generation. 87.39% of the wastes are degradable, while 38.74% are reuseable. 80.18% of the wastes are kept in bins for disposal, while 46.85% are burned. The results also show that 37.84% of the households felt that the government is responsible for the provision of necessary machineries for waste evacuation. However, wastes are rarely evacuated by the agencies responsible. This could be linked with inadequate equipment and funds challenging the agencies. The study concluded that most households generate substantial quantities of wastes which are not properly disposed; these threaten human health and the environment. It is therefore recommended that public enlightenment on health impacts associated with improper disposal of wastes should be intensified.