Investigating the role of Informal sector in the delivery of sustainable low cost waste management services in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria.

Kaduna is an emergent city evolving from a colonial centre of administration prior to Nigerian independence to a modern state capital. The population is over 1.56 million and like many cities in developing countries, the metropolis is currently undergoing rapid urbanization which is believed to be responsible for the increased pressure on public services and infrastructure. As in major cities of the world, waste management services are increasingly attracting public attention. This is because of their relationship to public health and environmental quality. The success of these services depends on their quality, efficiency and sustainability. These factors vary with local regulations, public participation and cost and resource recovery schemes. Publicly engaged waste contactors are the major providers of waste management services in Kaduna metropolis. Most of these contractors lack expertise and experience in waste management. The services are mostly spatial, intermittent or totally absent in some segments of the metropolis. Although the informal sector is critical in the delivery of these services in deprived areas of the metropolis, their activities are neither recognised nor encouraged by the government or the waste contactors. No attempt is being made to exploit opportunities for cost and resource recovery from locally generated Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). While pockets of recycling markets exist in the metropolis, their activities lack public and private investments. This paper investigated functions and challenges faced by the informal sector in the delivery of waste management services in the metropolis and proposed sustainable solutions for the future. The strategy if implemented will greatly improve the quality and sustainability of waste management services in the Metropolis and similar cities in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]