ABSTRACT
A
clean and sanitary environment is a non-negotiable vital essence of human life.
The supporting roles of the environment pre-suppose that human beings should
jealously guard against its contamination or pollution. The rate of
urbanization and urban growth is high in developing country such as Nigeria
which is experiencing an increase in social, economic and development
activities. The effect of this process is sustained transitional culture and
pressure on infrastructural facilities and services provided in urban centers.
One of such services is the collection and disposal of refuse. The incessant
indiscrimination in the disposal of domestic polythene waste arising from our
homes has assumed such dimensional that constitute a danger to the environment
and to our very existence. Heaps of polythene waste has become features of
urban centers. This pollutes the air with offensive odours, habour bacteria,
insects and rodents which cause diseases that endanger public health. The
refuse menace has in its wreaked havoc on drainage lines, pedestrians and vehicular
traffic and causing image problems for city dwellers and government. The
obvious inability of structures put in place to manage this problem has become
a source of worry to both individual and government. Hence the goal of this
research is to determine the effects of indiscriminate disposal of domestic
polythene waste in Abakaliki urban physical environment with a view to evolving
a sound domestic polythene waste management in Abakaliki Urban environment.
Extensive collections of secondary and primary data were made in this research.
The secondary data were sourced from books, journal, while the primary was
sourced from the field by the instrument of the questionnaire, interviews and
personal observations. Method of analysis used was chi-square. The findings
confirmed that people’s environmental awareness is significantly related to in-discriminating disposal of domestic polythene waste in Abakaliki Urban
environment.
THE EFFECTS OF INDISCRIMINATE DISPOSAL
OF DOMESTIC POLYTHENE WASTE IN ABAKALIKI URBAN ENVIRONMENT
A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF
SOIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE (B. Sc.) DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title
Page…………………………………………………….. i
Certification………………………………………………….. ii
Dedication……………………………………………………. iii
Acknowledgements…………………………………………. iv
Table
of Contents …………………………………………… v
List
of Tables………………………………………………….. ix
Plates………………………………………………………….. xi
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the Study………………………………… 1
1.1 Goal and Objectives………………………………………. 3
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 LITERATURE
REVIEW……………………………………4
2.1 The Concept of Polythene………………………………… 8
2.2 Definition of Terms…………………………………………. 8
2.3 Composition of Polythene…………………………………. 10
2.4 Thermoplastic Resins……………………………………… 12
2.5 Types of Polythene………………………………………… 13
2.6 Properties of polythene…………………………………….. 16
2.7 Uses of polythene…………………………………………… 17
2.8 Solid Waste Generation and magnitudes…………………. 17
2.9 Existing Methods of Polythene Waste Disposal…………. 18
2.10 Effects
of Indiscriminate Disposal of Domestic Polythene
Waste in Abakaliki Urban Physical Environment…………. 22
2.11 Causes of Indiscriminate Disposal of
Domestic Waste….. 25
2.12 Critical Health Risk of Polyethylene on aquatic Enviroment.28
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 MATERIALS
AND METHODS…………………….. 33
3.1 Study Area: Abakaliki Urban Physical Environment .. 33
3.2 Sampling Technique …………………………………… 34
3.3 Sample Size……………………………………………… 36
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 RESULTS
AND DISCUSSION ……………………….. 39
4.1 Questionnaire as tool of scientific
research ………….. 39
4.2
Socio-economic parameters in science
research……… 40
4.3 Major
Sources of Domestic Polythene Waste:
In Abakaliki Urban………………………………………… 44
4.4 Causes
of Indiscriminate Disposal Of Domestic
Polythene Waste………………………………………….. 46
4.5 Disposal Means of Polythene after
Use……………….. 47
4.6
Perception on Waste Effect on People and Others….. 48
4.7 Perceived Problems Associated With
Polythene Waste
Littering
in the Physical Environment…………………… 50
4.8
Perception of any
Better Means to Dispose Off the
Polythene Waste…………………………………………… 51
4.9 Factors Affecting Domestic Polythene
Waste Disposal… 51
4.11 Formulation of Hypothesis………………………………… 59
4.12 Discussion ………………………………………………….. 60
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 CONCLUSION
AND RECOMMENDATIONS ……………63
5.1 Conclusion…………………………………………………… 63
5.2 Recommendation…………………………………………… 64
References…………………………………………………………. 70
Appendix
…………………………………………………………… 74
LIST OF TABLES
Table
1: Total Wastes Generated in
Types/Percent,
2001……………………………………………. 16
Table
2: Questionnaire sampled and returned
(primary Data)………………………………….. 39
Table
3. Distribution of respondents
Table
4.: Responses on the mode the
Authority use in the
collection of the waste…………………………….. 41
Table
5. Variables for Hypothesis Test:
Knowledge on how
indiscriminate disposal of domestic polythene waste
affect people and others…………………………………. 42
Table
6: Educational Qualification of
respondents……… 43
Table 7: Occupational status of Respondents …………… 43
Table
8: Monthly income level of
respondents …………. 44
Table 9:
Major Sources Of Domestic
Polythene Waste
In
Abakaliki Urban…………………………………… 46
Table
10: Respondent opinion on the causes
of
indiscriminate disposal of Domestic polythene
waste……………………………………………………47
Table 11: Disposal means of polythene after use.
………….. 48
Table
12 : Responses on the awareness that polythene waste
littering affect people and others…………………… 49
Table
13: Perception on whether polythene waste littering
affects the physical environment. …………….. 49
Table
14: Perceived problems associated
with polythene
waste littering in the physical environment. ………. 50
Table
15: Respondents perception of any better means to
dispose off the polythene waste…………………….. 51
Table
16: The organs that collect polythene waste ……………. 52
Table
17: Responses on how often does the Authority
collect their polythene waste………………………… 53
Table
18: Responses on the mode the
Authority
use in the collection of the waste…………………… 53
Table
19: Responses on the Distance from the Disposal
site to
Respondents place…………………………. 54
Table 20: Assessment of
EBSEPA in domestic polythene
waste disposal………………………………………. 55
Table 21: Source of getting
information on how to manage
polythene waste disposal……………………………. 56
Table 22: Knowledge on how indiscriminate Disposal
of
polythene
affects people………………………….. 57
Table 23: Willingness to pay refuse as you generate……… 57
Table 24: Amount that would
be likely to paid liter Bin/Trash
Can……………………………………………………. 58
Table
25: Variables for Hypothesis Test. Knowledge
on how indiscriminate disposal of domestic
polythene waste affect people and others………… 59
PLATES
PLATE A:
Littered polythene waste Located Behind St Patrick’s
Catholic
Church Amaikeaba Causing Untidy Sight in
the Environment…………30
PLATE
B:
Littered polythene waste behind
kpirikpiri market; having a death trap located directly opposite as gully. less
than an inch away from the Main road and
destroy the aesthetic appeal of the environment. ……………30
PLATE
C : Permanent
dump and treatment site of EBSEPA containing mainly domestic polythene waste
located at Abakaliki/Enugu express road…..31
PLATE
D : Drainage
about to be covered up by polythene waste At VANCO junction opposite Meat market
Abakaliki. …………………31
PLATE
E : Drainage
already covered by polythene waste disposal mixed with sand, located at VANCO
junction opposite Meatmarket Abakaliki………………………………...32
PLATE
F : Mobile
container used by EBSEPA at CAS collection point, for final disposal, located
at waterworks road Abakaliki. …………………..32
THE EFFECTS OF INDISCRIMINATE DISPOSAL
OF DOMESTIC POLYTHENE WASTE IN ABAKALIKI URBAN ENVIRONMENT
A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF SOIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL
RESOURCES