Environmental Burden of Waste Generation and Management in Nigeria

The challenge of solid waste generation and management is a global phenomenon. However, the situation is more pressing in Nigeria due to the ever-growing population, high level of environmental indiscipline, poor waste management technologies (WMTs), low income, and inadequate environmental awareness, which directly influence waste generation and management in Nigeria. This review chapter provides an overview of the environmental burden and the impacts of solid waste management (WM) methods in Nigeria to identify the existing waste management technologies (WMTs), the challenges, the consequences and the sustainable roadmap for future direction. The chapter discusses the impacts of WMTs adopted in Nigeria with a keen interest in water pollution. Results from the comparative studies indicate a high level of environmental indiscipline and abysmal WM systems in Nigeria. The open dumpsite was identified as the popular WM method and an imminent hotspot for air, land, and water pollution because approximately 65% of the total waste generation in Nigeria is discharged through it. High concentration of dissolved substances such as biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and Heavy Metals (HMs) was noted in the analysis of sample water collected from rivers and had-dug wells close to dumpsites. The comparative studies of physiochemical water analysis show high content of BOD (395–1344) mg/l, COD (743–1947) mg/l, TDS (400–2588) mg/l and heavy metals (0.031–3.480) mg/l present in the groundwater systems, close to landfills, which have altered the chemistry of groundwater across Nigeria, About 80–90% of water found in hand-dug wells (HDWs) within a 500 m radius of dumpsites have been qualitatively compromised, while 100% of the surface water (rivers and streams) within a 1.2 km radius of dumpsites have been polluted with leachate plumes. However, the trends were quite contrary in borehole water as over 65% were found within the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for drinking water. In light of the challenges, this chapter review presents a roadmap to reduce the impact of poor WM for adequate environmental control by addressing the challenges of huge generation in Nigeria and leveraging on the waste-to-energy concepts can play a vital role in economic recovery and ensure a sustainable environment for the future.