TRASHWaste Management in Developing Countries

Policy Brief

Emily Walling, Alissa Walston, Emily Warren, Brian Warshay, and Erica Wilhelm

Overview

What’s the problem with Municipal Solid Waste?Environmental and Health ImpactsCase Study: NigeriaPolicy OptionsRecommendations

Landfill in MoroccoPhoto courtesy of Jeff Hughes

What’s the problem with Municipal Solid Waste?Environmental and Health ImpactsCase Study: NigeriaPolicy OptionsRecommendations

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

Non-air and sewage emissions created within and disposed of by a municipality, including

household garbagecommercial refuseconstruction debrisdead animalsabandoned vehicles

Paper, vegetable matter, plastics, metals, textiles, rubber, and glass Umuahia, Nigeria

Drivers of MSW Problems

“The poor state of solid waste management in urban areas [of developing countries] is now not

an environmental problem but also a major social handicap.” (Daskalopoulos et al. 1998).

PovertyPopulation growthHigh urbanization rates Corrupt and under-funded governments

MSW Composition

Waste in developing countries is more dense (2-3 times) than in USWaste has a higher percentage organic material

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/facts.htmhttp://www.cee.mtu.edu/peacecorps/documents_july03/Waste_reduction_and_incineration_FINAL.pdf

Solid Waste Composition in Lagos, Nigeria

14%

60%

0%

3%

4%

19%

Paper

Vegetative

Plastic

Glass

Metal

Misc.

Magnitude of the Problem

Waste accumulates in urban areas and is often not removed for long periods of time(E. Nwanko interview)

Trash that is removed from urban areas is displaced to the side of the highway.Waste is subject to unregulated land filling, burning

Dumping trash on the side of the highway in Nigeria

Refuse collected at side of road in Aba, Nigeria

What’s the problem with Municipal Solid Waste?Environmental and Health ImpactsCase Study: NigeriaPolicy OptionsRecommendations

Environmental and Health Impacts

The four main ways of dealing with solid waste are:

Land filling, Incineration, Composting, Anaerobic Digestion

Current practice in developing countriesUnregulated land fillingUncontrolled burning (intentional and accidental)

Environmental Impacts

CO2 and methane production (global warming)

Air emissions (particulates, CO, NOx, acid gases, volatile organics, metals) (acid rain, global warming)

Bioaccumulation (toxins and heavy metals)

Ozone formation

CO2 and methane formation (global warming)

Ground water pollution (eutrophication)

Bioaccumulation (toxins and heavy metals)

Composting/Anaerobic Digestion

IncinerationLandfill

Health Impacts

Stress-causing odors

Noise

Respiratory damage by aerosolized microorganisms

Stress-causing odors

Surface water pollution

Air emissions (particulates, volatile organics, heavy metals)

Stress-causing odors

Noise

Ozone formation

Fire/Explosion hazards

Vermin (disease vectors)

Water pollution

Composting/Anaerobic Digestion

IncinerationLandfill

Health Effects

Why do we care?Green Rationalism (using alternative motivations to solve environmental problems)

(Photos: J. Fay)

What’s the problem with Municipal Solid Waste?Environmental and Health ImpactsCase Study: NigeriaPolicy OptionsRecommendations

Nigeria

Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa with 130 million citizens

It occupies 15% of West Africa but has 56% of its people.

Large oil reservesPolitical corruption = Low accountability

In the country’s largest city, Lagos, 25% of budget goes to MSW removal (UNESCO 2003)Almost 90% of total budget goes to government officials (E. Nwanko)

Actors

National Governments Local GovernmentsNGOs (United Nations, World Bank)CommunitiesIndividuals

Scavengers

Individuals sort through trash already dumped or collect from residences to find valuable recyclables which they can redeem for

These people usually impoverishedHealth Implications from proximity to waste

Scavenger collecting recyclables in Aba City Dump (E. Warren)

Environmental Organizations and Legislation

Federal Environment Protection Agency (FEPA)- Established 1988

Vision 2010- a goal towards sustainable development

• Education• Collaborative approaches • Strengthening laws and regulation• Encouraging local/private participation

Case Study: Jurisdiction of MSW in Ibadan, Nigeria

1988- Environmental Sanitation Board1989- Local governments1991- Ibadan Urban Sanitation Committee (IUSC)

1994 estimate that 70 million NGN would be needed for the IUSC to work efficiently10 million NGN were actually collected from the local governments

What’s the problem with Municipal Solid Waste?Environmental and Health ImpactsCase Study: NigeriaPolicy OptionsRecommendations

A New Epoch for M + K

Epoch 0: Nothing is working and the government is incapable of managing solid wasteEpoch I: Will NOT work in this situation as it standsSkip to…Epoch II ½ : A combination of a privatized market and community based encouragement seems to be the most efficient way to begin the transition towards waste management

Institute for Environmental Research

Developing plan for Integrated MSW management in Southern Nigeria

Manned transfer stations to receive and separated from private collectorsTransfer trucks from pick up station to landfill siteNew and improved landfills

• Burial cells• Composting plant/pilot farm• Low cost incinerators• Cardboard and paper recycling• Glass and metal crushers• Enforcement of applicable laws

Source: Okolo, Chuka. e-mail interview. 29 April 2004

The “Scavenging Industry”

Organize and increase efficiency of current scavenging practices

Improve working conditionsCreate demand for recycled products to drive marketSource separation

Citizens have to separate their recyclables for the scavengers to pick up

Collected cardboard for recycling

Scavenging at the Aba City Dump

What’s the problem with Municipal Solid Waste?Environmental and Health ImpactsCase Study: NigeriaPolicy OptionsRecommendations

The Possibilities

An improved recycling and compostingprogram could save up to:

18.6% in waste management costs 57.7% in landfill avoidance costs

Source separation at most residences could save up to:

78% in waste management costs79.5% in landfill avoidance costs

Approaches

Involve NGOs through Green Rationalism approachCreate market for recycling/composting

InternationalLocal

Create enforceable environmental legislation

Moving Forward

“Municipal solid waste will increase at an annual rate of 2.7 percent through the year 2010.” (World Bank)Capital investment needed to improve infrastructure

Who will pay?

Thank you

Aba City Dump

Aba City Dump