Classification of Municipal Solid Waste in Geidam, Yobe State

Abstract

The importance of classifying municipal solid waste in the process of managing the waste cannot be
overemphasized. This is because of the powerful insights it provides regarding the composition of the
waste. This study classifies municipal solid waste (MSW) in Geidam into different component. The
result of the study indicated that the waste contains 39% food waste, 31% plastic, 10.5% paper, 4.5%
fabric, 3.5% metal, 1.5% glass and the other components constituted about 10% of the waste. The
findings of the study revealed that most of the municipal solid wastes (MSW) in Geidam are organic
wastes are organic in nature which signifies great opportunities for generation of bioenergy from the
waste. The results also revealed that plastics represented a significant portion of the waste which
informs the urgent demand to solve the problem of uncontrolled dumping of the material. The study
recommends that government and other relevant stakeholders at all levels should engage in public
awareness campaign on the health and environmental hazards posed by municipal solid wastes (MSW)
disposal and the possibilities of converting them into useful products such bioenergy and fertilizers.