Domestic Waste Management: Perception, Knowledge and Practices in Elelenwo Community in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The sanitary state of an area is largely influenced by the domestic waste handling practices of the residents and the measures in place for safe waste evacuation and disposal. 

 This study was aimed at examining the perception and knowledge towards waste handling and disposal practices, among households in Elelenwo community. A descriptive cross-sectional study design using a multistage sampling technique, where the community was divided into the three main villages in Elelenwo community, to get the sample size of 500 respondents was adopted for this study. A structured questionnaire written in English language which included respondent‘s socio- economic status, their consumption patterns, perception and knowledge, regarding 

waste and its management was used to conduct the survey.

The result of the study revealed that female respondents 308(61.6%) were more than their male 192(38.4%) counterparts. Respondents from the Christian sect 474(94.8%) outweighed the Muslims 26 (5.2%). Precisely 264 9(52.8%) of the respondents are civil servants, with 252(50.4%) of the study population attaining the tertiary level of education. About 286 (57.2%) were very aware of the health impact of improper waste management with educational qualification as a contributory factor. About 236.5(47.3%) of the participants reported that they burn their waste, 202.5 (40.5%) practiced the open dump method and 12 (2.40%) patronized the services of private collectors who convey such wastes to the final disposal sites. From the study, burning garbage is a health risk as positively depicted by the respondents. There is a positive relationship between improper storage and disposal of domestic waste and the spread of diseases such as malaria, leptospirosis. In conclusion, the study showed that a large proportion of respondents positively asserted that public education about proper domestic waste management will help to curb waste problem. But many of the respondents were not willing to take their domestic waste to allocated dump sites. The study population had poor attitudes and perceptions toward solid (domestic) waste handling. They stored their household refuse in substandard refuse containers with no coverings which is a wrong domestic waste practice. Therefore, it is recommended that Government and other stake holders provide the necessary facilities needed for domestic waste management, adequate funding of the various agencies in charge of waste management, community mobilization should be enhanced and awareness created about better approaches to waste management to ensure compliance by individuals in order to promote public health. 

Keywords: Domestic waste management, perception, knowledge, practices.