Solid waste reforms and informal recycling in Enugu urban area, Nigeria

The status of solid waste management in a city is often considered an index for assessing governance. In cities of the developing world, the informal sector plays an important role in the management of solid waste. This paper examines the position of the informal recycling sector in the planning and reform of solid waste management in the city of Enugu, Nigeria. The paper is based on direct field observations, key-informant interviews with important stakeholders in solid waste management in Enugu, and review of relevant legislation, policy documents and reports on solid waste management. The paper highlights recent efforts to visibly improve governance through reform of solid waste management in the urban area. Contribution of informal recyclers towards handling the city's solid waste problem, job creation and poverty alleviation is also noted. The study also reveals that the import of the informal recycling sector has not been given adequate consideration within the framework of the reforms in solid waste management. With the focus of the Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction, improvement of quality of life and environmental sustainability, this paper observes that the informal recycling sector in Enugu possesses unacknowledged development potential. The paper calls for official recognition and support of the activity and empowerment of people involved in it within the context of this reform programme. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.