Socio-Economic, Health and Environmental Aspects of Child Waste Picking Activity at Africa's Largest Dumpsite

Abstract

This study examined the social, economic, health, and environmental aspects of child waste picking at the Olusosun dumpsite in Lagos, Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered through the convenience sampling technique to 150 child waste pickers. Findings showed that recovering materials from the dumpsite involved physical energy and manually-operated rudimentary tools. A majority (62.0%) of the child waste pickers were males between 13 and 17 years (77.8%). The daily average income from their operation was N1 180 (N416.00 = $1.00). Although the child waste pickers were aware that waste picking exposed them to health and environmental hazards, they continued the operation for social and economic reasons. The study concluded by recommending a pragmatic regulatory framework for different actors' involvement, direct assistance program, and prohibition of children from engaging in waste picking, as well as educational policy measure to address the menace of child waste picking in Nigeria.

Dumping on Waters: The Lacunae in Waste Management in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

“…The terms of scavengers in successfully steaming down the quantum of waste stream openly dumped at any dumpsite through waste transactions is unrecorded, yet helpful to the environment and human life. Taiwo et al (2022) opined that recovering material from dumpsite involved physical energy and manually operated rudimentary tools. Scavengers activities at the Etelebou dumpsite is of prominence both economically and environmentally, for instance emptied wine/whisky bottles, perfume cane/bottles and olive oil bottles is costing relatively low between 30-70 Naira ($0.07_0.15) each while copper wire, metals and caste materials are sold at 1000 naira per kilogram ($2.2); other plastic bottles; rubber material, materials of ethane; used poly bags are sold in kilograms per 3 Naira ($0.007); Cell phones motherboard is sold at the rate of 50 Naira($0.1) (Figure 8) to encouraged reuse and recycling; while cutting down production cost and energy; it also save man's environment from direct effect of the hazardous waste.…”