Assessing the Socio-Economic Benefits and Challenges of Municipal Solid Wastes Resource Recovery Practices in Mubi Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examines the socio-economic benefits and challenges of solid waste resource recovery practices, bearing in mind the accruable income and challenges. A total of one hundred and seventy six (176) sets of questionnaire were retrieved out of two hundred sets administered to scavengers, and duly analysed. The purposive and Snowball Sampling Techniques were employed to identify the respondents. Tables, plates, were used to summarise data collected which was analysed using descriptive statistics. Among the benefits derived by the scavengers from resource recovery are; 85.5% of respondents had an increase in their income measurably, a total of 13.9% of the respondent argued that it had increased employment, among the community leading to an increase in income. Majority of the scavengers (98.9%) have been injured in the course of scavenging. This implies that scavenging is not isolated from different form of risk, injury and sickness that are likely to consume part of the scavengers’ savings. The common hazard faced by scavengers is open cut (59.9%) sun burns (22.4%) infliction by obnoxious and poisonous gases (8%) while 1.7% and 1.1% suffered typhoid and skin diseases respectively. A major challenges acknowledged by 42% of scavengers is theft of scavenged materials, 23.9% confirm other forms of challenges but could not mention them, while 23.3% noted lack of capital as a challenges, 10.8% of respondents noted their source of challenge as that of leadership. In conclusion respondents (61.4%) affirm the need of fund (grant or loan) to boost their trade

Keywords: Solid Waste; Resources- Recovery; Socio-Economic; Benefits; Challenges.