Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the management of solid waste during monthly environmental sanitation exercise in different residential areas of Ibadan municipality, Nigeria. The study also examined how the government performed its responsibility during the exercise. This is expected to assist in improving the conduct of sanitation exercise in one of Africa’s populous indigenous settlement, Ibadan. Design/methodology/approach Collection of data for the study was through participant observation, administration of questionnaire, and interview. As a way of participating and observing, the authors were involved in the conduct of the exercise in the different residential areas of Ibadan municipality. Questionnaire was administered on respondents drawn from one of every ten buildings (10 percent) in the study area using systematic sampling technique. A respondent (preferably a household head) was surveyed from a floor of selected residential building. A total of 367 copies of questionnaire were completed and returned for analysis. Information provided in the questionnaire was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Interview was conducted to collect information from the head of environmental sanitation unit in each of the five local government areas of Ibadan municipality. Findings The most widely used medium of storing solid waste was the polythene bag, which accounted for 22.8 percent of all the storage receptacles and was employed by 50.4 percent of the residents. Similarly, residents employed a combination of waste disposal methods which included burning, and dumping in the drains, river banks and on vacant plots. Methods of solid waste storage and disposal varied across the different residential areas of Ibadan municipality. It was established that despite the huge amount of money expended on the collection of solid waste during the exercise, only government-owned vans constituted less environmental health hazard. Practical implications It would assist in evaluating the success and failure of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise. It would also reveal to policy makers’ direction to which policy initiative should focus. Findings of the study could serve as a guide for the management of solid waste from similar exercises in countries of the developing world with similar socio-economic and environmental sanitation practices. Originality/value Presented in this paper are results of an investigation into solid waste management during monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Ibadan municipality, Nigeria. The study was an attempt at examining the different storage and disposal methods employed by households in the management of solid waste during the exercise. It also revealed what is committed financially into the collection and transportation of solid waste for final disposal during the exercise by government.

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This study examined the social, economic, health, and environmental aspects of child waste picking at the Olusosun dumpsite in Lagos, Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered through the convenience sampling technique to 150 child waste pickers. Findings showed that recovering materials from the dumpsite involved physical energy and manually-operated rudimentary tools. A majority (62.0%) of the child waste pickers were males between 13 and 17 years (77.8%). The daily average income from their operation was N1 180 (N416.00 = $1.00). Although the child waste pickers were aware that waste picking exposed them to health and environmental hazards, they continued the operation for social and economic reasons. The study concluded by recommending a pragmatic regulatory framework for different actors' involvement, direct assistance program, and prohibition of children from engaging in waste picking, as well as educational policy measure to address the menace of child waste picking in Nigeria.

This study investigated the relationship between the refugees' responses to the available amenities and the expressed health needs that are environment-related. Subjecting the data obtained from the refugees in Oru-Ijebu international refugee camp, Nigeria to analysis, a link between the adequacy level of existing environmental amenities and environment-unfriendly behaviour exhibited by the refugees, producing conditions that favour diseases was established. Similarly, a very high degree of relationship was found between the environment produced by refugees' responses and the expressed health needs of the refugees as revealed by the records of the diseases treated in the camp's health centre over a five year period. The study concluded that the need to provide adequate amenities and enforce environmental sanitation rules and regulations cannot be overemphasized. Furthermore, environmental education and enlightenment programs should be introduced in all the different phases of a camp's development.