Household waste management practices and barriers in Lokoja, Nigeria: implications for sustainable urban development

Abstract

Sustainable urban development in Nigerian cities is increasingly constrained by ineffective household waste management. This study examined household waste management practices and the barriers that shape them in Lokoja, Nigeria, and drew out their implications for sustainable urban development. A descriptive survey design was adopted, and structured questionnaires were administered to 200 households selected through a multistage sampling procedure across five residential areas spanning the low, middle and high income strata of the city. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, namely frequencies and percentages. Open dumping and roadside disposal emerged as the dominant disposal practices, accounting for 35.5 percent and 32.5 percent of households respectively, while sorting, recycling and composting remained marginal at 17.5 percent, 15.5 percent and 10.5 percent. The barriers most frequently reported were inadequate waste management regulations (97.5 percent), informal sector activities and behavioural factors (95.5 percent each), economic constraints (94.0 percent), insufficient funding (91.5 percent) and limited infrastructure (84.0 percent). A pronounced disconnect was observed between educational attainment and sustainable practice, indicating that knowledge alone does not translate into behaviour where enabling infrastructure and enforcement are absent. The study concludes that improving waste management in Lokoja requires stronger regulatory frameworks, targeted infrastructure investment, integration of the informal sector, stakeholder collaboration and sustained behavioural change interventions that together advance sustainable urban development.