SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINED URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS IN ABA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Background: There is a high rate of environmental hazards of which poor solid waste management constitutes a significant source in Nigeria. The natural environment as it was endowed man with a healthy ecosystem devoid of diseases and vital support for the sustainable existence of man on earth. However, urbanization and other adverse human activities have massively altered the natural environment. They are consequently exposing humans to a multiplicity of issues leading to underdevelopment in Nigeria. This study thus investigated solid waste management: Implication for sustained urban development in Aba, Nigeria. Methods: The study adopted a quantitative data collection. The sample size was 372 Aba Urban residents aged 18 years and above who were selected using the multi-stage sampling technique made up of cluster, simple random sampling and systematic sampling techniques. Data were collected using the questionnaire schedule. The quantitative data were processed with SPSS, presented with descriptive statistics and charts. Finding: It was found that business activities are constrained by poor waste Management (63.50%). And there were no factories that convert waste to electricity or other useful products in Aba urban. The study revealed that inadequate waste management constraint's sustainable development in Aba Urban. Recommendation: The paper recommended that the government and other private investors make concerted efforts by empowering a competent agency for effective waste management, there is also an opportunity for an investor to build a waste recycling plant within the city as the raw material is in abundance.