Civil and Environmental Research www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-5790 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0514 (Online) Vol.10, No.10, 2018 75 Solid Waste Generation and Disposal by Informal Sector Participants in Barkin Ladi Town Plateau State, Nigeria. Ijeoma G.U. Ayuba 1 Musa Bitrus Dung 2 Peter Gwom 3 Jack O.Kwarfwang 1 Chuwang Bitrus Zi 1 1.Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Jos, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nigeria 2.Ministry of Lands, Survey and Town Planning Plateau State, Jos 3.Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Environmental Studies Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin- Ladi, Nigeria Abstract The present paper examines solid waste generation and disposal by informal sector participants in Barkin Ladi town Plateau State, Nigeria. A reconnaissance survey was conducted in 2017 which provided the basis for the classification of informal commercial activities in the town, while sites where informal activities clustered in the town were mapped. Nine major spatial clusters were identified. From the reconnaissance survey, a total of 1,878 informal land use activities were identified which formed the sample frame for the study. A total of 187 questionnaires were administered on three categories of informal sector activities in the area. The findings revealed that 41% of waste materials generated by the informal sector are biodegradable and include polythene bags, plastics material, glass and metals. 54.5 percent of 187 dispose their waste in open spaces and on streets. The study concluded that informal sector participants have low educational training hence, their care for environmental quality is low, their waste disposal methods are crude which leads to poor sanitation, health hazard and poor urban environment. In addition, general organization of solid waste collection and disposal are also very poor. The study recommends the adoption of the ‘R 3’ of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle solid waste generated by informal sector activities especially those in tertiary services and trading categories for a healthy environment and efficient solid waste management in the study area. Educating informal sector workers on the dangers of environmental degradation, dumping of refuse in open spaces and other planning regulations, and the benefits of an organized urban environment. Organizing informal sector workers into co-operative societies so as to provide forum to educate them and enjoy government assistance. Keywords: Solid waste, generation, disposal informal sector, participants 1. Introduction Various municipal authorities are incapable to cope with the fast-tracking growth of municipal waste stemming from informal sector activities to the extent that waste disposal is now one of the most noticeable environmental problems of Africa’s urban areas (Dungwom and Musa, 2018). This condition also exists in Nigerian towns, where quantitative and qualitative information available reveals that both the absolute and the per capita quantity of wastes generated is growing steadily (Onyenechere, 2011). The generation of wastes from discarded pure water bottles and sachets by hawkers/vendors and their customers is a typical example. It is not only the quantity of municipal waste that is growing but also its variety and character, including its changing biodegradability and toxicity. The per capita municipal waste production in African cities averaged about 0.5 kg/day (Ashiri, 2006). The rate increases as urban informal sector activities accelerate. Rising production and consumption of goods imply that waste generation will continue to grow as population and cities in Africa continue to expand along with their productive economic base (Hove, Ngwerume, & Muchemwa, 2013). Informal sector activities are often seen as “eye-sores” by most people and are evicted from city centers in the name of “public cleanliness and orderliness” (World Bank, 1991, Cross 2017). However, some see the environmental problems associated with the informal sector as mostly manifestations of unresponsive physical planning systems while others see them as resulting from attributes inherent to the sector’s activities (Perera & Amin, 1996, Hadebe, 2010, Onyenechere, 2011). Most operators of the informal sector in Nigeria especially street hawkers, market vendors, small automotive and machine repairers, shoemakers, barbers, hairdressers and tailors generate by-products in their daily efforts to provide goods and render services. These byproducts deface the streets, and clog the drains (Daniels 2016). The concomitance of these actions is the stimulation of health hazards, flooding, noise pollution, traffic obstruction and nuisances even road accidents. Their ignorance, attitude and insufficient knowledge of techniques and materials for managing and disposing of wastes among others are causal factors (Khan, 2016). The infiltration of the informal sector in the urban built environment has turned out to be a considerable challenge to urban planning in Nigeria. This challenge is borne out of the capacity of the sector to generate environmental problems such as sprawl problem, waste management problems, incongruous land uses, building alterations, and the menace of temporary structures, alteration of land use functions, open space conversions and brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals