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Factors governing stakeholders' choice of gathering and disposing of solid wastes in some southwestern states of Nigeria were appraised using Iwo and Ibadan as case studies. The objectives were to determine associated challenges and recommend possible improvements. The study administered 1,400 structured questionnaires, out of which 873 (62.3%) were respondents. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result showed an upward trend in solid waste disposal in the two communities, according to stakeholders' income and household size. Solid wastes generally encountered in the study areas include foods, leaves, papers, clothing, leather, hair attachments, nylons, plastics, metals, and cans which often litter the dump environment. The economic cost of a sack-load of waste was *N200 in Iwo and N495 in Ibadan, and the frequency of waste removal is 150% higher in Iwo than in Ibadan. The average distance to the dumpsite is 2 km, which discourages low-income earners who are mostly pedestrians. Ibadan residents are culturally disposed to dirty streets and drainages/gutters with solid wastes; unfortunately, the situation in Iwo is not different. Stakeholder perceptions of factors impacting waste disposal in Iwo gave greater weight to (1) income and spending power, (2) culture, (3) religion, (4) governmental intervention, and (5) health factors in that order. In Ibadan, (1) income and spending power, (2) health factors, (3) occupational hazards, and (4) religion were rated in that sequence. It is conjectured that these issues demand strong attention in efforts to build functional capacities for solid waste disposal.

Aiba dam was created to supply pipe-borne water to the Iwo community and environ. This paper highlighted challenges to the dam survival and recommended opportunities for improvement in the light of deterring sociological and cultural barriers to its sustainability. The challenges facing the dam include natural viz:-climate change, sedimentation, senesce (ageing trees) and anthropogenic challenges which include management-related problems, urban sprawl, farming practices in the dam area and refuse dump. The paper suggested that relevant government agencies needs to be proactive on ensuring the sustainability of the dam especially in the areas of public enlightenment, reforestation, dredging of the dam, institution and implementation of relevant legal instruments; also, putting in place appropriate measures towards mitigating climate change impact to ensure the survival of the dam and to ascertain that it performs the purpose for which it was created. Further investigation to determine the status of the dam through the use of satellite imageries and geographic information system are suggested.

Environmental quality is a sustainability issue influenced by economic realities. To understand their relationships and influence, a comparative study of economic factors that affect pollution in Iwo and Ibadan metropolia was carried out. Data for the study was generated by administering 1067 structured questionnaires at both locations out of which 215 and 658 were, respectively, retrieved from Iwo and Ibadan. Demographic features of the respondents assessed as female gender, married status, tertiary education, a Christian sect, and household size of two to five, were 52%, 67%,79%, 67%, and 55% in that order for Iwo; while for Ibadan, the figures were 67%, 61%, 86%, 69%, and 58% in the same order. The six economic factors evaluated were; (1) income, (2) accommodation & living standards, (3) waste & noise management regimen, (4) energy utilization (5), inclination toward a green economy, and (6) waste sorting technology and adoption. KMO (74.8%) and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity showed that the data were factorable at p <  0.005. Results considered three of the economic variables as significant enough to explain 59.3% of the pollution state in Iwo and 60.2% in Ibadan. Of major importance for Iwo were waste & noise management regime (22.5%), accommodation & living standards (18.7%), and inclination towards a green economy (18.3%). In Ibadan, the three extracted factors also explained 60.2% of all economic variables affecting pollution. These were accommodation and living standards (24.4%), inclination towards a green economy (18.8%), and waste & noise management regime (17.0%). That means the strong economic influencers of pollution were common to both cities, even though, their order of importance varied. In other words, their degree of influence on pollution may be location dependent. Conclusively, the people's standard of living and inclination towards a green economy are compelling determinants of environmental pollution and so should be considered by stakeholders in formulating associated policies.

Understanding daily water use determinants is critical to sustainable water access and its efficient use at household level. To pursue this objective, primary data were generated through a survey of 276 respondents across the 5 quarters into which the city of Iwo is divided. 67.5% of the respondents were between 19 and 45 years old while 35.5% were between 46 and 65 years old and the remaining 3.9% comprised of those above 65 years. The results of factor analysis (FA) showed that 12 of the 40 factors analyzed were significant determinants of daily water use in homes. The 12 factors explained 85.794% of the observed variation in household daily water use. The factors in descending order were (i) closeness to water source; (ii) night time baths; (iii) household cooking; (iv) Sunday activities; (v) water demands of the dry season; (vi) morning time water use; (vii) household size; (viii) respondents’ attitude; (ix) water availability in the dry season; (x) break in water flow; (xi) social events; and (xii) source of water. Further evaluation condensed the results into four categories, namely, (i) season-associated information; (ii) household-related information; (iii) time of the day; and (iv) water source-related information. The result of correlation analysis showed weak associations among 83.33% of the variables, indicating that each variable should be treated separately from others in the matter relating to daily variation in home water use. The study concluded that household-related information and time of the day (contributing 62.02% of the absolute explanation) are most significant to daily variation in water use at the household level and should be considered when prioritizing effective policies for water use and management.