Perceived Effectiveness of Solid Waste Management Policies and Strategies Adopted in Some Selected States in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

The study aimed at assessing the perceived effectiveness of solid waste management policies and strategies adopted in some selected cities in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The specific objectives were to assess the effectiveness of solid waste management policies, determine the effectiveness of solid waste management strategies, and determine the barriers to the effectiveness of solid waste management strategies. Research questions were answered in line with the objectives of the study. Survey design was adopted and the sample size for the study was 1081 from the population of 5,156,000 of three major cities (Uyo, Calabar and Port Harcourt). Systematic sampling technique was adopted to select three major cities where Uyo, Calabar and Port Harcourt were selected from the Niger Delta region. Questionnaire and participatory observations were used to gather primary data from primary sources of information, while the secondary sources comprised reviews of the earlier works by scholars and journal articles. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and charts. The findings of the study revealed that the enforcement of waste management policies and strategies are very weak at all levels. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that there is the urgent need to review, strengthen and update periodically existing national and regional laws and regulations for the environmentally sound management of solid waste.

Keywords: Perceived effectiveness, Solid Waste Management, Policies and Strategies.