Challenges of SWM Hierarchy System: The Stakeholders New Saga in Perspectives

Abstract

The book chapter assesses the recent role and advance of private companies/contractors in solid waste management in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria, and the various challenges that ensue as a result of their operations. The methods used include: direct field measurement, focus group discussion, inventory, individual interviews, questionnaire administration, and case study of the operation of private companies in two local government areas of Kano state. The result shows that the total number of 50 inventoried registered companies operating under franchise agreement in Kano metropolis are contributing greatly in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of refuse collection, recovery of material, recycling and disposal, creation of employment opportunities, economic development of Kano Metropolis through real capital investment, among others. The discussion in this paper comes to the conclusion that the Nigeria’s solid waste management system requires the adoption of suitable collection, reduction, treatment, recovery, and recycling technologies (solid waste hierarchy). Through a variety of currently accessible scientific treatment approaches, it is necessary to underline the relevant consequences for the potential solutions in MSW at the local and state level. Municipalities (L.G.A.), with the help of the unorganized sector and private waste management companies, are therefore required to concentrate on developing potentials and opportunities in order to achieve the necessary MSWM sustainability for Nigerian cities. This can be done by allowing the stakeholders in SWM to extend their coverage beyond the current operational area to include the entire metropolis.

1. Introduction

In recent years, there is an exponential population growth, high density of urban areas, diverse culture, changing food habits, and lifestyles have seen an unresolved problem in terms of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) in Nigeria, and Kano metropolis was not an exception. As a result, the collection, transportation, treatment, and management of solid waste have become major problems for the municipalities (local government regions). The current work is a thorough analysis that summarizes the current state of SWM, identifies related problems, and derives prospective solutions for MSWM in the Nigerian context. Unsorted solid trash generated at the source by private solid waste management companies, public attitudes, inadequate waste assessment due to an unstructured informal waste industry, unplanned financial, and poor implementation of government legislation are all factors [1]. Also prior to industrial revolution, cities had few materials resources, money was then also scarce and cities and towns had more needs to meet, wastages were also minimized, reuse, recovered, materials were recycled, and organic matters were returned back to soil. During this time, there was an extensive informal recycling and recovery system that flourished, but this began to be displaced by emerging recent and formal municipal waste collection, recycling, recovering, as well as disposal systems, whereby recovery and recycling become large, but almost invisible. As a result of its high rate of generation and poor management, municipal solid waste management is a severe challenge in developing nations. Inefficient solid waste management can lead to a decline in environmental quality as well as the loss of potential resources [2].

However, prior to the formal involvement of private corporations in the waste management system in Kano metropolis, which dates to the 1990s, a small number of businesses functioned informally under open competition with varied degrees of success. As a result, their effects were felt more by the individual customers than by the entire refuse management system. In order to address this worrying situation, the state government in the middle of 2000 hired a single private company to handle solid waste collection and disposal in Kano Metropolis for a fee of roughly 200 million Naira (=N=200,000,000.00), or roughly $1.17 million (US), annually. The company’s contract with the government was terminated in less than 2 years as a result of its own inability to produce the required and anticipated results. This study reviews current advances in solid waste management hierarchy challenges in Kano metropolis-Nigeria and the need for an effective collection, recovery, and recycling policy. This was carried out through the use of direct field measurement, focus group discussion (FGD), inventory, individual interviews, questionnaire administration, and case study, and the use of large availability of secondary data. The challenges were mainly the government inability to deal with the waste due to growing population, and lost in state revenue, as such the need for the government to diversify by allowing private stakeholders to join the wagon. Our review is based on 85% literature searches and personal field surveys. Observations revealed that the findings were caused by the careless way in which stakeholders and Nigerians alike managed solid trash, as seen by the recent collection rates of less than 40% of the entire amount of solid garbage generated (i.e., approximately 30% was collected). Therefore, the country’s large amount of solid waste could present potential for material recovery, reuse, recycling, and reduction, which would enhance the national economy and bring Nigeria closer to sustainable waste management, with an efficient collection system and proper policies. Municipalities face difficulties as a result of the inhabitants’ lack of awareness of the problems with trash management and their careless behavior with their waste. The hazard posed by MSW at landfill sites, which emits dangerous greenhouse gasses and subsequently pollutes the environment and contaminates groundwater through the creation of leachates, must be addressed.

The production of dangerous chemical wastes by cities, such as hospitals and factories, which now causes breathing issues and early deaths, is another recent development in MSWM [3]. Nigeria has recently emerged as a market for recycling, despite the fact that recycling has not met the required standards [4]. Poor MSW management at landfill sites frequently draws animals, rodents, mosquitoes, vultures, and scavengers, which could have a negative impact on front-line workers’ health or even result in their demise [1]. The development of technical knowledge on the conversion of waste to resources would be facilitated by education and awareness programs, which are crucial in this situation. This would educate more people to adopt new technology strategy skills in areas in the management of waste, while embracing all of these strategies’ and advantages 2014 (Ibrahim). Furthermore, the private stakeholders, from both formal and informal enterprises of widely varying sizes and capabilities, can supplement the knowledge and capacity of the local authority to implement recycling, manage organic waste and serve households with waste reduction, collection, recovering, and recycling through private solid waste management contribution, which is the main objective of this book chapter.

Finally, a few cities in Nigeria such as Kaduna, Ibadan, Abuja, and Lagos have showcased the positive intent toward MSWM strategies as per solid waste hierarchy selection, which have been discussed in this study. It has also been observed that the municipalities are focusing mainly on the collection part, while ignoring recent advance treatment methods. However, this also needs further upgrade in order to eliminate the MSWM issue [1]. The resourceful material recovery and other processes alike have been a challenge that could be achieved by the help of the informal sector in the MSWM process, which is fully discussed in this study. However, this idea can only be fulfilled with support and funding from the government agencies, public awareness, participation, and to eliminate the citizen attitudinal problem. The mention of private solid waste management companies under one umbrella could contribute in a step toward clean sustainable cities. Hence, the present study is a comprehensive review carried out in all the possible strategies from past to future pertaining to MSWM by private companies, government agencies, and other stakeholders alike, also the study addresses the challenges and potential opportunities for the future urban cities of Nigeria.

2. Challenges of recovery, recycling, collection, and disposal of solid wastes by private company

2.1 Description of the practice

2.1.1 What the practice

This practice is the result of recent challenges in the recovery, recycling, collection, and disposal of solid wastes by private individuals and businesses. In this instance, the activity is being carried out by a registered solid waste private company in Nigeria’s historic city of Kano. It is a limited liability company undertaking collection and disposal of solid wastes on a commercial basis. Its services include on site separation of these waste before transporting the collected waste via a temporary site before final disposal, this company also undertakes in the sweeping of street/market, supply of refuse bins, collection and disposal of refuse. At present its services are available to individuals, private, and governmental organizations within the Kano Metropolitan area. The customers of this company are typically home or company owners who currently have a contract with the refuse collection and disposal company that specifies the anticipated volume of waste to be collected on a regular basis and on the basis of which the company informs the customer of the monthly fee. Currently, a client will pay N2, 000.00 a month on average to have a single 200-liter drum utilized as a waste can and cleaned out once a week. The refuse is being disposed of through recovery, recycling, and leveling of what is left into a borrow pits in designated areas approved by the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KNUPDA). They operate a workshop for the maintenance of their machines and equipment. Kano is a developing city in Northern Nigeria that is expected to become economic vibrant from the activity of this stakeholder activity in the coming years, this of course is regarded as a recent advance for a developing nation in this twenty-first century era.

2.1.2 The purpose of the practice

To support the efforts of the local and state governments, the Ministry of Environment, and its agency KNUPDA in keeping Kano clean, the aforementioned practice, which involved a private enterprise that is purely engaged in an efficient and scientific SWM, was formed. The creation of waste disposal companies was prompted by their realization that they might profit from the collection, recovery, recycling, and disposal of wastes. The different stakeholders include the waste disposal company and their customers—owners of residential houses, hotels, markets, hospitals, private and public institutions, industries, companies, the local authorities, and Ministry of environment with the new agency Cape gate a privately owned German company hired by the state government in June 2021 to serve as an overseer but to be answerable to the state ministry of environment, therefore purpose and practice are hereby state as in:

2.1.3 Research question and objective

The research question is:

• What is the importance of private sector involvement in MSWM?

• How can the government and other SWM stakeholders control SWM practice in the study area?

The research objective is:

• To investigate the importance of private sector involvement in MSWM practice

• To learn how government agencies and SW stakeholders influence SWM practice in Kano metropolis

The choices made in the process of execution of the study can be justification in essence that the study is one of the many attempts that have been made by authors in order to resolve the SWM related issues, but still, solid waste management is not being handled holistically, this is because most of the cities in Nigeria are still undertaking collection of mixed type of waste [5], while the enforcement of appropriate local/state government treatment system is found missing. Eventually, there are recent advanced issues of MSWM in Nigeria that have not been addressed efficiently so far for the treatment of waste. Hence, this paper also discusses the missing interlinks and loopholes in this regard. In fact, the situation has become severe for most of the municipal authorities as a proper assessment of the SWM is not done before suggesting and implementing the strategies [6]. Therefore, the end of resourceful solid waste leads to unscientific dumpsites without proper treatment of waste. However, a detailed and well-justified table of the important points from the large and available literature was also investigated, and the following aspects ensure (Table 1):

Stakeholder	What to do
Government	The government’s primary emphasis on SWM is minimizing and eliminating the detrimental impacts of waste materials on the environment and human health in order to foster economic growth and a higher standard of living. This needs to be done as soon as possible to reduce cost and avoid waste accumulation.
Private sectors	To get in the proper solid-waste collection, recovery, recycling and reducing of waste is important for the protection of public health, safety, and environmental quality. It is a labor-intensive activity, accounting for approximately three-quarters of the total cost of solid-waste management.
Private companies	They are to collect waste as well as encourage recycling in this manner: Keep recycling bins close by. Get recyclable items in supermarkets. Reduce the price of plastic bags and create reusable ones. Make it fashionable to recycle.
Citizens/ community leaders	Get involved in solid waste management in your neighborhood. This can be achieved through public participation, awareness campaigns, town hall meetings, incentives for good SWM and so forth, while community leaders should serve as watchdogs as well as those that ensure a clean and aesthetic environment.
Visitors	Visitors to a certain neighborhood most also strictly observes all the do and don’ts of the community they found themselves
Informal sectors	This includes all stakeholders such as scavengers, waste pickers, itinerant waste managers, etc. these stakeholders have time without numbers being acknowledged to be important in SWM of a city. The unorganized informal sector of waste needs to be integrated with the formalized system. Also, MSW is generally handled by untrained staff without safety equipment, which needs to be uplifted immediately.

Table 1.

Justification for SWM stakeholders in solid waste management perspective.

Source: Authors initiation 2022.

2.1.4 Who initiates the recent practice?

The owner of the private liability company claimed that he initiated the practice in two other cities in Nigeria and later opened the company in Kano. In fact, most of the waste disposal companies registered in the study area were initiated by their owners. They first began to enlighten the communities on the need to have clean environments in the course of which they were able to have more customers. For example, one of the companies, a private solid waste enterprise, was given a contract by Kano State government for the collection and disposal of wastes in Kano City and the state government through the ministry of environment issued a circular to the residential houses, informing them of the engagement of the company and on the need for the citizens to patronize it. And in complementing the effort of the state government, these operators also embark on awareness and enlightenment campaigns by advertisement in radios and televisions. This has resulted in having more customers than the earlier envisaged. A recent advance in this regard is that these registered private solid waste companies send questionnaires to their customers to fill, with the sole aim of seeing that they serve their customers better. And once in a while, they organize public meetings with their customers to air their views on aspects of improvement or otherwise.

2.1.5 The management of the waste private company

It was discovered that the managing director of the other registered private waste firm and the new SW German private company Cape Gate Company (overseer) may also be the owner of these enterprises. In order to promote economic growth and a higher standard of living, the government places a key priority on SWM: minimizing and eliminating the negative effects of waste materials on the human health and environment. In order to save money and prevent waste accumulation, this needs to be done as soon as feasible. As far as operation and maintenance are concerned, the enterprises currently self-finance using bank loans. On-site engineers and sanitation inspectors who have received the appropriate training typically handle waste material recovery and recycling.

2.1.6 The beneficiaries

Due to the issue of secrecy, as such it is very difficult to find out the number of people served by the operators of the private waste collection and disposal companies, this issue is so rampant among all the waste companies visited by this author. However, the local government areas mostly covered by these operators are Kano Municipal and Nassarawa local government areas. The primary beneficiaries are the end users (waste generators) and the private operators the (SW managers). And this is followed closely by the local and state governments who are also beneficiaries in that these private companies’ complements their efforts of achieving a clean environment in Kano metropolis and as well as monetary aspect these private companies must pay to the state government every year as a public liability company.

2.1.7 How long has the practice been in existence?

This practice started as far back as 1984, but the recovery and recycling aspect started less than a year ago when the then Military Government launched a program titled “war against indiscipline.” Lack of environmental sanitation was among the first items attracting severe penalties that included: heavy fines, twelve (12) strokes of cane, imprisonment or both. In fact, most household owners have welcomed the coming of these companies, especially the overseer company that assisted in complying with the rules and regulations introduced under the program from the initial kick off.

2.1.8 Where it is being used and its spread

Apart from the German company hired by the Kano state ministry of environment. These other solid waste private operators or waste collection and disposal in Kano walled City. There are a few popular ones that are also situated in Kano. These include Rubbish and Garbage Limited, Foundation and Waste Disposal Company (WASCO), and Clean Town Engineering Company (Nigeria) Limited. Most Nigerian cities, including Lagos and Kano, have this technique in place, but it’s unclear whether it was introduced there because Kano City’s operators claimed it was their own idea [7]. One of the companies, WASCO, however, began its operations in Lagos before relocating to Kano in April 1998. There are few common ones also located in Kano and this include: Clean Town Engineering Company (Nig.) Limited, Foundation and Waste Disposal Company (WASCO) and Rubbish and Garbage Limited. This practice has been operational in most Nigerian cities like Lagos and Kano, but it is not clear whether the system was transferred from these cities as the operators in Kano City said it was their personal initiative [7]. However, one of the companies, known as WASCO was initially operating in Lagos before coming to Kano in April 1998. The system is spreading throughout Kano City on a daily basis, but due to the failure of government agencies REMASAB, a new private German company will be taking over the management of these organizations, which will require the companies to gain beyond its current status of material recovery and recycling from municipal solid waste in Kano metropolis.

2.1.8.1 Tools and methods used

The private operators companies even though they have limited areas of coverage, these enterprises have been found to have been very effective in their operations. The private operators and the government agencies such as KNUPDA, REMASAB, and Ministry of Environment and of Cape Gate were all found to be involved in public education/awareness campaigns and enlightenment on the need for recovery as well as the importance of recycling recovered waste. They inform and enlighten the general public as well as individuals, families, and or community solid waste stakeholders/groups to improve their environmental health and support the projects of the state government in the area of clean environment and the monthly payment of the agreed fees to the private company. Whereas the benefits of these public education and enlightenment campaign have been recent advances fully highlighted as shown below:-

• Environmental education to create awareness on the consequences of poor hygiene and sanitary practices.

• Community/neighborhood sensitization and education on privatization, partnership, and public.

• Participation of the whole public in general sanitation schemes.

• Developing and sustaining individual responsibility in paying sanitation charges, protecting and maintaining public facilities wherever they might have been located.

The benefits of public knowledge are manifold. To effectively reap the benefits, sanitation authorities should develop strategies and procedures for putting them into action. One of these is identifying particular target audiences and planning the methods and media to reach them. Second, should environmental education be incorporated into the curriculum or should it only be used in extracurricular activities like theater and debate? How do we acquire the tools and funds necessary to support the campaigns? Will business stakeholders and charitable people be willing to sponsor the campaigns, or at the very least some radio and television jingles? The benefits of public enlightenment are so many. However, to effectively reap them, sanitation authorities should identify strategies and work out means of achieving them. One of such is the identification of specific target groups and preparing the means and medium of reaching them. Secondly, can we include environmental education in school programs or limit it to extracurricular activities such as drama and debating? How do we find material and financial resources to fund the campaigns? Will corporate stakeholders and philanthropic individuals be willing to sponsor the campaigns or at least some jingles on radio and television? Or limit it to extracurricular activities such as drama and debating? How do we find material and financial resources to fund the campaigns? Will corporate and philanthropic individuals be willing to sponsor the campaigns or even if it is some jingles on radio and television? [8]. Most especially in the newly introduced on-site recovery and recycling of the recyclables from the waste stream, which has been a challenge for sometimes in the study area until of recent. Therefore, if the solid waste management hierarchy tool concept is fully utilized, the rest is simple; this is because waste will have been reduced by almost 35–40% [9, 10]. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2021 in two of the local governments in Nigeria. Kano, Nassarawa, and Municipal local governments are among the 774 local government areas in Nigeria and these two Local Government Areas are within the Kano urban Area in Kano State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in Kofar Kudu and Giginyu, in the south part of the city of Kano. It has an area of 17 km² and 18.8 km² and a population of 465,525 and 464,321, respectively, as at the 2011 population census. The main environmental sanitation scope given attention in Kano Municipal and Nassarawa local government areas is waste collection and disposal. Kano Municipal and Nassarawa, as urban centers, are known for their overpopulation and commercial activities. Kano Municipal and Nassarawa like many other cities in Nigeria are faced with perennial ecological problems favorable to the survival of parasites causing diseases. The major sanitation facilities include: REMASAB bins, private waste management companies, and other SWM stakeholders engaged with evacuating tanks, personal bins, basket, unauthorized dump site plot, and occasionally, fumigation of the markets. The study contained three domains mainly; stakeholders and vital information, mode of refuse disposal, and refuse disposal consistency. Waste that was observed in the study area is mostly from residential areas. Mode of refuse disposal is focused on collecting information on methods of refuse disposal, types of building residents live, and material use for disposal. While refuse are collected and disposed of at a certain fees collected every month by the private companies. Study questionnaires were also used to collect data from the study area. The data sources were measured using a structure questionnaire. Primarily, a structured interview questionnaire, which was made valid and reliable by a team of other solid waste management experts, was used for data collection. The final questionnaire had 16 questions covering information about domains; information and vital information, mode of refuse disposal, and refuse disposal consistency.

2.1.8.2 How the practice is being implemented

The customers who are the citizens are expected to always clean their houses and its surroundings and their establishments and then put the solid wastes in the supplied drums form the private companies. Items to recover from the waste are the usual recyclables of metal and aluminum. Glass, paper, (non-degradable) and the kitchen / food waste which constitute the highest in the waste stream (degradable) [11]. They are to also to ensure that payment for services rendered is regularly

made and on time. The waste collection and disposal companies on their part are to regularly convey the solid wastes from their customers’ residences and business premises for proper on-site recovery and the recycling process and finally to dumping sites. They are also to enlighten the general public on keeping a clean environment. As for the cost per household, for the service rendered, the waste disposal companies’ charges are dependent on the distance from the houses to the disposal sites. At the moment it is a flat rate of N2, 000 per month based on their limited area of coverage for example the Clean Town Company initially started operating using 200 liters drum, However, a 100 liter drum was provided for recyclables with the current advancement in recovery and recycling; these drum garbage bins are typically located in its client’s compound. Using pickup trucks, the firm collects the filled drum bins at predetermined intervals and replaces them with clean ones while transporting the filled drum bins to one of the KNUPDA-approved dumping grounds for cleaning [12]. But with this recent advance of recovery and recycling a 100 liters drum was provide for the recyclables, these drum refuse bins are usually placed in its client’s compound. At an agreed interval, the company collects the filled up drum bins using pickup vehicles and replaces them with clean ones, while the collected filled up drum bins are transported and cleaned at one of the KNUPDA approved disposal grounds [12]. However, as the demand for its services increased, that is, more residencies and business premises joined, it became uneconomical for the company to be moving with replacement bins. Therefore, these private companies decided to change it mode of operation by using tipping vehicles such that the contents of every drum refuse bin is emptied into the tipper once and for all and the cleaned bin returned to the client’s compound instantly. At the end of every month the company’s revenue collector goes round to the clients to collect the agreed fees and issue receipts [8, 13]. The solid waste private operators of this new system of waste tipping are in charge of the operation and maintenance of their equipment and machines after the day’s operation. There are many reasons why this practice is set up this way; these include:

1. REMASAB being the government agencies that are charged with the responsibility of solid waste collection and disposal have not succeeded.

2. The customers have been demanding private sector participation because of their effectiveness has it was seen in the low density residential area of Kano metropolis the GRA.

3. The local and state governments have funding limitations, where only 5% of the state budget is allotted

4. Present government policy also encourages private sector participation in wastes collection and disposal although, it was found out that apart from the muted secrecy regarding number of customers, and individual companies are also at loggerhead with one another.

3. Analysis

3.1 The success of the practice

Depending on the viewpoint of the stakeholder Saga, the new and recently implemented on-site recovery and recycling of recyclables practice as well as collection and disposal of solid waste by individual or private operators/companies can be regarded to be successful or not. In general, where these private individuals or private waste companies operate (i.e., these are waste stakeholders), their places where they are engaged solid waste disposal are generally clean drastically, thereby reducing epidemic in these areas, and this was the reason why some citizens prefer their service to those of the government. The Kano State government, the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority, the eight local governments in the Kano metropolis, the Ministry of Health–Kano State, private companies, customers of solid wastes disposal outfits, individuals or companies, people living in peri-urban areas, industries, educational institutions, and public/semipublic land uses are among the stakeholders who are actually impacted by this practice. The analysis’s findings and analyses are completely stressed in the following manner:

3.1.1 Result and discussion

Kano State Government/Kano State urban planning and development Authority Information was sourced and finally collected from KNUPDA Headquarters through a personal visit of the author. Therefore, the Kano State government through its agency KNUPDA/ministry of environment and since part of its functions is to keep Kano city/eight other LGA within the metropolis clean, through the new introduced SW recovery and as well recycling of recyclables and collection and disposal of these solid wastes. However, because of limitations in funding, REMASAB cannot cope [14]. The agency sees the operation of the private individuals or companies as complimentary. Therefore, in Table 2, REMASAB as a government agency that was formerly in charge of SWM has this to say to private operations or private companies dealing in solid waste management in the study area (Table 3).

Assessment	REMASAB management	REMASAB administrative	REMASAB supervisors	REMASAB field workers	Total %
Efficiency	30	15	22	33	100
Effectiveness	36	30	12	22	100
Reliability	12	18	3	10	43
Accessibility	20	10	20	17	67
Total	98	63	67	82	75.5

Table 2.

An assessment of solid waste companies by REMASAB.

Source: Authors field survey 2021.

Efficiency – in this aspect private waste companies/contractors are efficient in most areas where they operate but are costly, and as such the poor citizen may find it not affordable to patronize them. This is because their enlightenment programs are limited in scope, however, all sample staffs under REMASAB believed (100%) that private waste company are very efficient more especially in their of operation, but in terms of reliability (43%), this is very bad, due to the fact that the assessment depends on monthly collection from customers patronizing these companies. Effectiveness – in this aspect private waste companies are again effective, since they are operating based on the objective of having a clean environment that must be achieved in their areas of operation. Even though they have, however, a limited number of equipment and vehicles (infrastructure) especially waste disposal vans and trucks. Reliability – in this aspect the table above shows that they are not very reliable, as any default in the monthly payment by the customers will result in the stopping of the services to such customers. The accessibility aspect is they are accessible as much as these customers are ready to pay for services rendered with regard to SWM, this is the reason the assessment in the table above is 67%, such agreements are said to be recent advances in SWM in the study area.

Assessment	Nassarawa local government area	Municipal local government area	Gwale local government area	Tarauni local government area	Total %
Efficiency	21	18	21	10	70
Effectiveness	20	10	30	15	75
Reliability	15	20	10	10	55
Accessibility	24	12	20	10	66
Total	81	60	81	45	72

Table 3.

An assessment of solid waste companies by local government area.

Source: Authors field survey 2021.

3.1.2 Local government area

In all the eight local governments that make up Kano metropolis Municipal, Dala and Gwale Ungogo, Tarauni, Kumbotso, Nassarawa Dawakin Topa, and kudu local government area that make up the study area. Only Nassarawa and Municipal local governments, where the private operators are active, were used to filter and collect the information. According to the constitution, local governments should be in control of SWM throughout their jurisdictions. However, because of urbanization and population growth, these local governments now view the operations of the private operators as complementary. As a result, these local governments have the following to say about the operations of the commercial garbage operators in these two local government areas.: Efficiency aspect even though they are efficient in solid wastes recover, recycling, collection and disposal but find it very difficult (61%) to expend their profits on health, sanitation and public enlightenment. While in the aspect of effectiveness these private waste companies are effective among the individual houses, companies, hospitals, hotels and markets where they operate. Although, they are not ready to operate in peri-urban areas (48%) except with government support. Reliability aspects: these private SW companies are reliable but their area of coverage is small and may need government support for expansion (64%). In the area of accessibility these companies will be needing stronger trucks to operate in peri-urban areas because of bad roads and drainage, this will be accompanied with fees reduction in such areas (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Nature of waste in the two (2) LGA OF Kano state Nigeria.

3.1.3 Ministry of Health, Kano State

This ministry is responsible for public enlightenment on health and sanitation matters and this includes solid waste in the state. Information was obtained from the Ministry of Health headquarters in Kano through my personal visits to the ministry headquarter located at Audu Bako secretariat. The ministry has this to say of the waste private operators (Tables 4 and 5):

Assessment	Staff in the ministry	Field supervisor	State health inspectors	Hospital waste managers	Total %
Efficiency	30	18	16	12	61
Effectiveness	18	12	14	20	48
Reliability	11	19	21	13	64
Accessibility	28	10	15	16	64
Total	87	59	67	61	68.5

Table 4.

An assessment of solid waste companies by Ministry of Health, Kano State.

Source: Authors field survey 2021.

Efficiency – They are efficient in those places where they are operating. However, despite ambitious coverage growth, they lack the necessary equipment for managing hospital waste (12%), and these enterprises are ineffective at educating the public about health and sanitation (18 percent). The only people that promote their services are their clients. Due to their inadequate equipment, they cannot be relied on to serve the entirety of Kano City in their operation (21 percent). Accessibility (15) Residents of Kano City’s pre-urban (unplanned) neighborhoods cannot access them. The primary causes of this are inadequate access roads and drainage systems.

Assessment	Nassarawa neighborhood I	Municipal by Taludu junction	Nassarawa neighborhood II	Municipal by K/Kabuga junction	Total %
Efficiency	44	21	0	0	61
Effectiveness	29	19	0	0	48
Reliability	48	16	0	0	64
Accessibility	50	14	0	0	64
Total	98	63	67	82	75.5

Table 5.

An assessment of solid waste companies operation by customers of solid waste companies, Kano State.

Source: Authors field survey 2021.

3.1.4 Customers of private operators

Customers of private operators include market vendors, hotels, hospitals, markets, and factories, among others. While the clients are paying for the services provided, the private operators collect and dispose of the waste from the customers' locations. Regarding the private operators, they have this to say. Although pricey, they are effective. Effectiveness. They arrive to collect and dispose of the rubbish as soon as and when required. They are dependable since they always make an effort to fulfill their own obligations under the contract. Accessibility. These private businesses are open to everyone with the means to pay for the necessary services (Table 6).

Assessment	Nassarawa Tudun Murtala	Municipal by Emir Palace	Bakin Bulo neighborhood	Municipal by Kofar Mazugal	Total %
Efficiency	23	10	10	6	49
Effectiveness	31	20	10	15	75
Reliability	25	11	10	12	53
Accessibility	10	12	10	13	45
Total	89	53	40	46	55.5

Table 6.

An assessment of solid waste companies by people leaving in peri-urban areas of Kano.

Source: Authors field survey 2021.

3.1.5 People living in peri-urban areas of Kano walled City

These are the unplanned areas where the low-income earners live. Information was collected from these people through oral interviews. They have this to say of the private operators as formal solid waste stakeholders that operate within these two earlier mentioned local government areas. Efficiency: Given their high cost (49%) and inability to be accessed by those with low incomes, they cannot be claimed to be efficient. Effectiveness because these locations are continuously maintained clean, they are effective where they operate (75%). They have a good track record when it comes to their coverage (53%). Considering that the majority of them (45%) living outside the two local government areas where the private garbage operators are not allowed to operate, low-income earners do not have access to the private operators at any time they desire to. Based on this analysis and discussion, the result of study of these forms of waste stakeholders operation in our cities in recent times has added to some of the recent advances in solid waste management in developing countries in this 21^st century of our times.

3.2 Impacts of the practice on the study area

Efficiency: Given their high cost (49%) and inability to be accessed by those with low incomes, they cannot be claimed to be efficient. Effectiveness because these locations are continuously maintained clean, they are effective where they operate (75 percent). They have a good track record when it comes to their coverage (53 percent). Considering that the majority of them (45%) living outside the two local government areas where the private garbage operators are allowed to operate, low-income earners do not have access to the private operators at any time they desire to. The participation of the private operators have helped in reducing the heaps of refuse in some locations in the city, this is an expected outcome. Although, the practice has no impact on low-income areas of the city. And the reason behind this was found to be associated with the fact that the low-income communities are either unwilling or unable to pay for the services rendered by these private operators. Most of the households contacted on their willingness to pay for commercial refuse collection and disposal claim that if they had money, their priority would be for payment of water and electricity and not waste, even though these two facilities are in a very short supply to these two local government areas. However, with vigorous public education about the risks of having an unhygienic environment owing to improper management of solid waste (SW), as advocated by the current chairman of the Nassarawa Local Government Council, people will be more prepared to pay for solid waste collection and disposal. By building access roads to these peri-urban centers (unplanned areas), the government can also encourage the private operators to begin operations there.

When asked if they had any plans to operate in such places in the near future, the managing director of the new company Cape cate managing garbage in Kano metropolis responded that they had already begun discussing the procedures with various Local Government Authorities in these urban areas. He did, however, offer the Sabon Gari market as an illustration of his company’s presence there. With the assistance of the market authority, they now have a contract for the sweeping and disposal of market waste, and they are paid from the levies that are collected from individual traders. The managing director claims that this arrangement has already achieved over 80% success and is now self-sustaining.

On-site source recovery and recycling have been found to provide income for the owners and provide employment for locals. These autonomous companies work clandestinely. Out of anxiety that more private companies might enter the waste collection and disposal market, they are reluctant to freely provide information about how they conduct their operations. The cost of waste collection and disposal will substantially decrease with increased public awareness and private sector involvement, making it possible for people with modest incomes to afford the services of private managers/operators.

3.3 Assessment of private operators’ activity

The activity of the private operator in Kano city came into limelight some decades back, precisely around 1983, during this period, the private contractor stars with only 50 houses because not all residential could afford it, but, after some period of public enlightenment , more houses decided to also joined the wagon mainly because they have seen the impact of these private operators on their surroundings, at the moment, based on personal counting of the various 200litre drum used as bin, the first private contractor (Clean Town Engineering Company) has more than 2000 of the 4500 drums counted In other words its area of operation in terms of coverage has increased. As a result of the success of this practice, more private operators have entered into this business. Whereas, the practice of solid waste collection and disposal by private operators is also operational in some parts of Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Onitsha cities of Nigeria. Presently, there are more than 10 out of the 52 registered waste contractors operating in these two local government areas. These 10 private companies have all taken the bull by the horn by including proper recovery of waste materials from the waste stream before final disposal at the designated landfill located within Kano metropolis. It should be noted that these private operators have both medium and high-income earners as their customers. However, they do not operate within the low-income areas because people in those areas cannot afford their charges. For this stakeholders practice to become more effective in the low-income areas, then a bigger stakeholder like the state and local governments need to also embark on more public enlightenment to this residents on the need for them to keep their environment clean, and free from germs, as such, the government as part of its responsibility to its citizens need to dialogue with the private operators to subsidize their rate so that collection and disposal of solid waste by the private operators in the peri-urban centers can also be radicalized for a productivity as well as replicability [15]. This can be considered recent advances in SWM, if fully implemented in these two local government areas.

3.4 Assessment of sustainability of operation

Presently, the private operators are operating independently without assistance or cooperation from the government or communities. They are registered companies that operate like any other profit making Liability Company because late last year some of the private companies started selling shares to its customers in their area of operation. In other words they have their institutional arrangements with their customers for the total management, operation and maintenance. Thereafter, profit will be shared among those that subscribe into the business, although they do not have support arrangements or external influences or inputs from outside the community they served. The practice as of now can only collapse when the commitment of the owners (owner and customers) is no more there or the government commits enough finance to its agency responsible for solid waste collection and disposal. And from the look of things these conditions are not realistic considering the enormous responsibility the government shoulder on a daily basis.

With my several personal visits to the operation areas as well as the company offices, I can out rightly say that in the area of cost recovery these private waste stakeholders are effective and that is the reason the companies are being sustained up to the present time. In order to ensure sustainability of their operation, new entrants of the operators are at the moment being registered by the newly created Kano State Ministry of Environment. The operators can also get loan facilities from banks and other financial institutions in Kano metropolitan or even from the government because they are registered firms. It has been claimed that the private operators primarily cater to middle- and upper-class residents [16]. The old institutional setup may need to be changed for greater efficacy if they are to function well in the city’s low-income neighborhoods. This alteration may take the form of private companies collecting and disposing of the solid waste from these locations; the state government, the local government, and the affected communities would then split the cost. The state and LGA should be in charge of developing and implementing the policy in order for this to be effective. The roles and duties of the stakeholders should also be clearly stated. The government, after giving a monopoly right to individual franchisees, also provides enforcement, adequate supervision and maintenance of disposal sites [17].

The above can be achieved by setting up of an effective community mobilization strategies whose responsibility is to provide awareness on the importance of sanitary habits; establish a system of cost sharing formula between the state/LGA/communities for the implementation; where to source for funds that can be used to accelerated implementation of the program me; contribute financial and material support to LGAs and communities; and facilitate construction and monitor implementation. The community’s responsibilities as solid waste stakeholders will also include mobilization and motivation of community members on the need for good sanitary habits through solid waste hierarchy concept of on-site source recovery and recycling of waste, identify and cost the resources needed for solid waste management hierarchy and sanitation activities within area of operation; ensure that households contribute financially, provide material support to households and monitor implementation of the whole operation until success is finally achieved in both recovery, recycling, collection and final disposal of refuse. Figure 1 shows proper recovery and recycling of MSW by the operators at the operators temporal waste storage facilities.

3.5 Auxiliary benefits for workers

Habitually, residential waste is composed with different kinds of recovery and recycling products such as plastic materials, bottles, and metallic materials. These kinds of products are being sorted by the employees of these private waste companies; normally laborers in all the areas of operation do sell them to either full term scavengers or scraps vendors [18]. And these are further resold to recycling companies for production of new items, both on-sorted and sorted materials from municipal solid waste are further separated to form a better recyclable that can be transported to bigger industries in Lagos and beyond by these stakeholders. However, the benefits from such sales of recyclables in the first instance above do not go to the private companies directly, but to their workers who greatly benefit from it. An in-depth investigation of one waste private contractor company reveals that, before disposal, its workers, who are also stakeholders, typically sort 35.1 kg of reuse, recovered, and recycled materials from the waste they collect in the operational area assigned to them each day on average. They make approximately =N = 49,440 per month and =N = 433,280 year from sales of these materials. The materials that are being sorted and their corresponding unit costs are displayed in Table 7, Figure 2.

Type	Amount (kg)	Price/kg (=N=)	Total =N=	Per month	Per annum
Bottles	6 3	60	378	11,340	136,080
Metals	11.2 5	5	6	1,680	20,160
Plastic	13.8	10	138	4,140	49,680
Polythene (HD)	3.8	20	76	2,280	27,360
Total	35.1	—	648	19,440	233,280

Table 7.

Daily average sorted reusable materials and their value.

Source: Fieldwork, 2021.

Figure 2.

Recovery and recycling of MSW in ancient Kano city Nigeria. Source: Field survey 2021.

4. Outstanding issues

4.1 External conditions that affect the practice

There are some external conditions, which affect the practice. Over the years governments have known that for effective solid waste collection and disposal, the private sector will fare better. However for political reasons the state government has been directly involved in environmental sanitation even though without success. The Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB), Environment Task Force on Sanitation, Kano State Environmental Planning and Protection Agency (KNUPDA) etc. have been created and scrapped. This attitude of the government has affected the private operator negatively [12]. They cannot be aggressive in expanding their area of coverage because of the government’s direct involvement. Also more new entrants cannot be encouraged by this attitude of the government. Instead of seeing government action as complimentary, they see it as competing. This activity is badly impacted by some of the issues that have been happening in Kano City, especially if the operators are not natives. There may be religious or tribal crises [19]. They regard government action as competing with them rather than as a complement. This activity is badly impacted by some of the issues that have been happening in Kano City, especially if the operators are not natives. There may be religious or tribal crises [19]. The fact that the scope of their operations is limited to residential areas, even though those areas are inside their clearly defined operational grounds, is another persistent problem that all the private enterprises that were interviewed voiced complaints about. According to 55% of the respondents, the poor state of some of the disposal sites, particularly during the wet season, makes it difficult for vehicles to go through them and prevents them from operating fully. Figure 3 contains a scenario showing the present condition of our dumpsite located with residential buildings couple with scavengers at work.

Figure 3.

Showing the state of dumpsites at the study area. Source: Author field survey 2021 a negative recent advance in solid waste management.

4.2 Information gaps during study

There are missing information gaps, which affect the analysis of the practice. Most of the private waste stakeholder’s operators are secretive about their operation. In fact the researcher found it difficult to have access to the operators, throughout the research work granted audience once. And if the necessity for a meeting with the management arises, the researcher is informed that the manager is either unavailable or busy. This is because they view the researcher as someone who may suggest to the government measures that will drive out private operators from the market. When the researcher has access to information, the operators may provide general information. For instance, they were unable to provide the number and addresses of their clients. On the other hand, gathering information was difficult in communities of low-income earners in the city due to cultural norms, where the majority of the women to be interviewed were in purdah and the researcher needed an interpreter at the interview to interpret the questions, and in most cases, the husband had to be invited.

5. Lessons learned/conclusion

5.1 Lessons learnt

In spite of the ongoing successful journey of a private waste contractor and or private sector stakeholders in municipal waste in Kano metropolis is having some operational challenges which if adequately taken care of, the full benefits identified above would be fully realized. During this research study on challenges of SWM in terms of recovery, recycling, collection and final disposal of these waste by private SW stakeholders operators in Kano City, some issues have been identified as very important and these are:

• Urban communities are willing and able to contribute to the improvement of their areas in terms of sanitation on a cost-sharing basis through recovery and possible recycling of this waste. In other words, the community is willing to pay some percentage for waste recovery/recycling and or collection and disposal by private stakeholder’s operators while the state or local governments will then pay the balance to the effective solid waste stakeholder operator.

• However this suitable program will require adequate and efficient institutional arrangement/ modification at all levels of implementation. Full participation of the private sector stakeholders in solid waste recovery, recycling, collection and disposal is highly welcomed since the government cannot cope up with the huge amount of waste generated as shown in Figure 4 below.

• The state and municipal governments are working to educate the public about the importance of a clean environment. In this regard, the Honorable Chairman of the Nassarawa Local Government Area frequently appears on radio.

• Women and children are devoted to the effective operation of the waste management system and are proud stakeholders in this arrangement.

• As more private companies enter the solid waste collection and disposal industry, slum and peri-urban populations will be able to afford their services because competition is a key role in ensuring reduced rates for prospective customers.

Figure 4.

Showing the mountainous heap of solid waste at a dumpsite in Kano metropolis. Source: Field survey 2021.

5.2 Conclusion

It is obvious from the analysis done previously on private garbage collectors operating under a franchise agreement in Kano metropolitan that their business has a role in urban solid waste management. This leads to the conclusion that their involvement in waste management extends beyond successful recovery, recycling collection and disposal, and a decrease in governmental activities to include the growth of the macroeconomic and specific industries. Since franchising is not possible, it is advised that the high density sections of Kano metropolitan should also be managed by private enterprises under contract. The government should perform its duty of providing proper oversight and enforcement when in the franchised regions, especially to deal with illegitimate operators and fee defaulters. Additionally, the location of disposal sites needs to be improved to allow for easy vehicular entry and exit. Campaigns for public education and awareness should be supported both in the research area and across Nigeria. The amount of garbage produced would significantly decrease if every resident was aware of the effects their waste has on the environment and public health. Therefore, for the waste management system to advance, general public knowledge is necessary. SWM effects on the environment and public health must be addressed and evaluated in their context. A considerable sum of money has already been spent without a thorough appraisal or development strategy. Only a few towns were able to create an efficient mechanism for a door-to-door collection system due to ineffective government legislation. Solid waste storage is a challenge as well because collection trucks can't pick up garbage every day. The secondary bins are frequently seen to be overflowing with leachate, occupied by rag pickers, and engaged in conflict with other creatures like street dogs, cows, rodents, etc. Due to poor infrastructure, the solid waste transportation system is still in the stage of development. Education and enlightenment programs are key here and it would facilitate the development of technical know-how on the conversion of waste to resources thereby enlightening more people to embrace new technological strategy skills on areas in the management of waste. Noting the complex characteristics and conditions of the low-income settlements, community based programs involving community based organizations, nongovernmental organizations and other service providers are a necessary complement to utility managed sanitation services. The project ensures that partnerships are developed not only between utilities and communities but also between utilities and service providers. The private operators engaged in solid waste collection and disposal are the other service providers and therefore their operational modes and limitations can aid. The government still have a role to play in establishing a public partnership in the various phases of solid waste management to limit the over-dependence exerted on state or its agency for waste management and increase efficiency in the management process, implementing and enforcing SWM policies as well as developing efficient avenues for the acquisition of subsidized technologies that are needed in the waste management process.

Acknowledgments

Appreciation to REMASAB, ministry of environment in collaboration with the Kano State Urban Planning & Development Authority (KNUPDA), who help with the much needed information that this study required to be successfully completed.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data and material availability

Information regarding this study is available by contacting the corresponding author.