Waste management in Nigeria: Systemic failures, circular economy pathways and sustainable solutions

This study reviews the systemic failures and opportunities in Nigeria's waste management landscape. Nigeria's solid waste crisis reflects structural deficiencies in governance, infrastructure, and behavior, with cascading effects on public health and ecosystems. Using a scoping review methodology guided by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and reported in line with PRISMA-ScR standards, 84 multidisciplinary studies were synthesized to (i) map institutional and environmental risks, (ii) appraise regional disparities and the role of informal waste pickers, and (iii) evaluate the feasibility of circular economy pathways suited to Nigeria's context. The findings show that fragmented mandates, weak enforcement, and data scarcity entrench open dumping and burning, driving leachate and air-pollution burdens and elevating disease risks, especially in informal settlements. Nonetheless, significant opportunities exist in decentralized organics management, inclusive recycling ecosystems, and targeted waste-to-energy niches. Evidence was translated into a phased governance roadmap that prioritizes a unified national policy with enforceable Extended Producer Responsibility, formal integration of informal workers with safety and finance provisions, city-level digital registries and route optimization, and community-based separation of organics and plastics. While finance, infrastructure gaps, market development, and social acceptance constrain scaling, addressing these challenges can enable a transition from linear disposal to a resilient and circular waste system. Overall, the review concludes that Nigeria's path forward lies in linking governance reform with culturally sensitive, inclusive, and scalable circular economy solutions aligned with SDGs 6, 11, and 12.