Recovery and Recycling of Municipal Solid Waste in Kaduna Metropolis

Abstract

This study examined challenges faced during resource recovery and recycling; and highlights factors promoting the usage of recycled products in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered to 131 respondents made up of waste pickers, retailers of recyclables and recyclers. Of the three groups involved in the study, waste pickers were the most likely to seek change in livelihood while retailers of recyclables and recyclers largely wanted to continue in their work. The challenges in resource recovery for waste pickers were numerous but the greatest was social stigma. The major challenges for recyclers were the lack of capital and the high cost of acquiring tools and equipment. Positive attitudes to products made from recyclables, the durability of the products, and their cheap prices are factors that promote increased usage of products made from recyclables. To tackle some of the challenges experienced by waste pickers, inhabitants should separate their waste appropriately before disposal. Subsidized means of transportation, increased access to capital and acquisition of modern tools and equipment would further increase resource recovery and recycling.