The Importance Of Solid Waste Management

Open dump site approach as solid waste disposal method is a primitive stage of solid waste management in many parts of the world. It is one of the most poorly rendered services by municipal authorities in developing countries as the systems applied are unscientific, outdated and inefficient. Solid waste disposal sites are found both within and on the outskirts of developing urban cities (Sankoh and Yan, 2013). With the increase in the global population and the rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been a rise in the amount of waste being generated daily by each household. This waste is ultimately thrown into municipal disposal sites due to poor and ineffective management the dump sites turn to sources of environmental and

Pollution of river bodies has become a major problem that is becoming critical because of inadequacy or non-existence of surface water quality protection measures and sanitation (Awoke et al., 2016). Lagoons, rivers, and streams are sinks for wastes. Wastes are most often discharged into the receiving water bodies with little or no regard to their assimilative capacities. The discharge of raw sewage, garbage, as well as oil spills are threats to the diluting capabilities of rivers in the major cities (Abiye, 2008; Ejaz and Janjua, 2012).

Solid waste management is one of the major problem facing town planners all over the world. The problem is especially severe in most developing countries where increased urbanization, poor planning, and lack of adequate resources contribute to the poor state of municipal solid waste management (Moftah et al., 2016). In Africa, rapid urban growth since the 1960s has put pressure on the land resources within the area surrounding the cities and has led to increased generation of waste. The problem is forced by the open dump nature of disposing of solid waste especially in the overcrowded areas of most African cities. These problems have resulted in serious environmental and social problem (Getahun et al.,