Sustainable Waste Management and Socio-Economic Development in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

The study examined sustainable waste management and socio-economic development in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State. Waste Management when executed sustainably has reverberating benefits to the present and future generations of an entity, especially in aspects of health and Life Expectancy (LE) improvement, natural resource conservation, urbanization, infrastructural development, etc. Hence, many countries of the world have developed measures for sustainable waste management. However, it was observed that sustainable waste management has not reached its full potential in Uyo metropolis owing to the focus on a part of waste management which is the collection, transfer and disposal of waste. Therefore, this paper was aimed at examining the state of sustainable waste management in Uyo metropolis, to establish whether it impacts the socio-economic development in the area. The qualitative research method was adopted for the study through the use of descriptive secondary data. The Zero Waste theory was adopted for the study. It was discovered that waste management in the Uyo metropolis as coordinated by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA) is not sustainable owing to the absence of an organized framework for waste recycling and reuse, and the adoption of incineration as a waste management method. It was recommended that the Akwa Ibom State government should expedite the establishment of a formal waste recycling sector through public-private partnerships with both indigenous and non-indigenous waste recycling companies.