Research consultancy

2.1 Solid Waste

2.1.1 Types and nature of solid waste

The MSW management problems differ from one place to another depending on the level of urbanization, industrialization and population. In most developing countries Uganda inclusive, the composition of the MSW generated is quite different from that of the developed countries. Generally developed countries produce more MSW estimated between 0.7 to 1.8 kg per person/ day than developing countries 0.4 to 06 kg/ person /day (Elight and Mbadc, 1996). Therefore, it’s important to know the nature and composition as well as types of MSW generated, the individual, public and environmental issues related to particular or MSW Type and nature, understand the political and economic framework of government in which the government is operating before one can examine the possible strategies, options, opportunities for MSW Management.

2.1.2 Major sources of municipal solid waste

Industrial waste that ends up in MSW streams like packaging materials like tins, cavera’s (polythene bags) and papers. This takes many forms of combustible, non- combustible, biodegradable and non- biodegradable wastes. Typically they include both processed and non-processed waste. The non-processed waste is where office waste and packaging ‘waste are categorized. Processed wastes are mainly upon products manufactured which end up being dumped in the environment after their lifespan expires like spoilt food, metal wastes (scraps), rubber wastes, plastic wastes, environmental chemists also classified mining waste, under this category (Ajayi. 2008).

According to Bramley & Ellwood (2009), wastes from household activities like food wastes, both during and after cooking processes, wasted papers, plastics, metals, rugs among others from our daily activities that required to be disposed-off.

CASCADIA (2009) states that commercial sources include garbage’s and rubbish from households, offices, hotels and restaurants, bars, happening places, markets, street sweeping and leaves. Garbage is referred to biodegradable mainly food wastes and papers. Combustible waste includes papers, tires, clothes, while some are non- combustible like glasses, metals, cans and containers. Additionally, a part from the above commercial waste, the following SW may be encountered like ashes, dead animals, abandoned vehicles, construction and demolition wastes, septic tanks sludge’s, pipes, wires and other electronics.

Agricultural wastes: this is as a result of farm feeds, livestock wastes like cow dung, ash and baggose from sugarcane, slaughter house, marine and house waste (Anderson, 2008).

Special waste/ Hazardous waste: these are hazardous in nature and need special care and precaution and well personal protective equipment while dealing with them. They include radioactive waste from power plants, laboratory and hospitals, toxic substance like heavy metals sludge, pesticides and pharmaceuticals and miscellaneous waste like inflammable, corrosive, explosive and security waste (Anderson, 2008).

2.2 The effect of recycling process on employment creation

The economic and employment benefits associated with sorting, reprocessing and recycling, in comparison to incineration or disposal to landfill, have been highlighted by a number of studies from the US (CASCADIA, 2009) and in the UK (Gray, 2002; WRAP, 2006; WRAP, 2009).

Recyclers: this is another component of informal private sector that include both the micro and the small scale recycling companies, they converts recovered waste materials like paper, aluminum, animal by-products, plastics scrap metals etc. to valuable materials and. raw materials for the consumption of the industrial sector. The recycling sector is a multi-mi llion-naira investment, where some specialized equipment and machines are to be used for the conversion of the recovered items to finished products or raw materials that are also used in several other applications but in this case of battery recycling its process is crude and unhealthy. For instance a company in south western part of the state uses the material s(battery plastic) to produce recycled plastic pellets used in further production of new plastic product like; hangers, toys, plastic horse and also there are many of these recycler in Ibadan that used the materials (battery components) to produce lead through burning which is in very high demand; the pellet which is being used in several other application for the production of new plastic products like shoe soles, conduit pipe etc., it is also an exportable commodity for international market. Some of these recycled products and raw materials are exportable products through which foreign exchange is obtained. These industries provide more than one thousand job opportunities for different cadre of work force (Habeeb, 2014).

Although landfilling and incineration still involve larger volumes, recycling now generates more than twice the revenue of the waste management industry because recycling recovers greater economic value bound up in discarded products and equipment. Although none of the available studies is directly comparable (definitions of the recycling sector and methodologies having evolved as issues emerged during industry critiques of early studies), they have consistently shown that per tonne of material processed, recycling provides approximately ten times more jobs than landfilling and incineration (Gray, 2002).

A recent study by the Scottish Executive (Scottish Executive, 2010) summarised in suggests that employment in solid waste management in Local Authority, private, community, consultancy and government sectors in Scotland was about 8,000 jobs in 2004/6 having grown from about 4,600 in 1998 with a turnover of about £454 million in 2004. The study suggests that some 1,446 jobs were created in local authorities from 2003 to 2006. Collection and disposal makes up most of the employment (approximately 2,600 employees in 2004), followed by non-scrap recycling (600) and scrap recycling (500).

Employment in recycling has remained constant over the review period whilst employment in disposal activities has grown by 2,000. The waste management industry spent £230 million in 2004 on goods, materials and services. Capital expenditure has risen by over 300% since 1998. Using information from the Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS), the study shows that as well as full time jobs the sector provides 970 training placements and over 3.200 voluntary positions.

An Input-Output analysis of the Scottish economy (Scottish Executive, 2009) shows that for every 100 jobs created in the recycling sector, 36 indirect jobs was created in the supply chain and a further 27 induced jobs was created as a result of employees in these businesses spending their wages in Scotland.

Kim (2009) observed that for successful improvement of communities in SWM, it must not only address the needs for improving the environment but should also provide income generating opportunities so as to a strong link bond can exist between improving the MSW management and the community. Together with the support from NGOs as well as community based organization, this will promote internal solidarity around the shared concerns that will in turn result into increasing pressure towards demanding accountability by all stakeholders involved towards improving municipal solid waste management.

A single fact of MSW management technique is recycling. This is usually taken as a survival strategy alongside reuse of refuse by the poor. Recycling and reuse tend to reduce the quantity of waste to be disposed off but also is a stepping stone towards pollution control. Additionally recycling help to employ the urban poor and thus they can earn income like through popular scrap (refuse recyclable material) selling hence this will indirectly improve on the urban MSW state. A typical example is plastic bottles recycling. Reuse on the other hand enables the urban poor to survive on the waste material by urban rich. This act reduce waste accumulation into MSW streams but also tend to help the urban poor to met their basic requirements of life and thus therefore recycling and reuse indeed should be integrated in SWM in away that the urban poor/ community can benefit form waste management strategies and options through employment.

However, in spite of the above environmental and social benefits of waste recycling and waste reuse, it does come with negative impacts like exploitation of waste collectors, by waste buyers, poor health and safety working conditions for urban poor that deals in waste collection. (Furedy 1992) thus there is need for improvement of employment conditions as well as access to support services as well as enhancing markets improvement for the recyclable waste. Kim however argued that there is risk of formalizing the sector since it would alienate the urban poor that depend on the sector for livelihood. Thus waste picking is already a highly recognized activity towards SWM.