Informal waste management system in Nigeria and barriers to an inclusive modern waste management system: A review

Summary Objectives To explore the activities of the informal waste management sector in Nigeria, and barriers to integrating them in an inclusive waste management system. Study design Literature review. Methods A literature review was undertaken to evaluate the informal waste management system and formal waste management system in Nigeria and other developing countries with similar settings. Nine databases were searched and 34 studies met the following inclusion criteria: evaluation of the role of informal waste collectors, recycling and solid waste management in developing countries. Results Most of the evaluated studies (97%, n = 33) acknowledged the significant environmental and socio-economic roles played by the informal waste collectors and scavengers in developing countries. The studies identified the following as barriers to inclusive waste management in Nigeria: repressive policy, unhygienic waste collection methods, lack of evidence to support activity, and low quality and quantity of secondary materials. Conclusions Scavengers and other groups of informal recyclers see waste as a source of income and livelihood, whilst the general public see it as an aesthetic problem and see the people engaged in resource recovery as a social nuisance. Integrating their informal services with the formal waste management system is a potential tool to empower these people to increase their skills in resource recovery and improve their working and living conditions. Inclusive waste management is a process, and observable changes are taking place in some developing countries where waste pickers and informal waste collectors have become environmental agents. A major limitation to the integration of informal waste collectors and scavengers is the social acceptance of their activity as a viable source of income, and of themselves as environmental agents in the sustainability of virgin resources.