WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AMONG FOOD VENDORS
ABSTRACT
Waste is generated universally; the focus of this study was designed to investigate waste management strategies among food vendors in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government. A well-designed research questionnaire and in-dept interview were administered on 150 respondents, returned and analyzed using the frequency counts and simple percentages of data analysis. The concept of waste which this study is predicated is one that reflects the adequacies in basic food vendors attitude and strategies employed in managing their waste. Food vendors have government support in managing their waste and also lack of proper management of food waste pose serious hazard to the environment and health of both food vendors and the society. The findings of the study revealed that Waste are material which is not useful to the owner and disposed off but can be re-used. There are laws that guide food vendor on how they dispose off their waste and also food vendors also have numerous supports from government towards managing their waste.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Waste is a direct consequence of all human activities which is generated universally. Waste includes materials which are discarded rejected as worthless, unwanted and no longer useful in the economy. Waste can be describe as rubbish, trash, garbage, junk, refuse, waste is a materials which can be generally classified into liquid, solid, and gaseous, solid waste is discarded as longer being useful in the economy, it consists of organic and inorganic matter in a wide variety of forms, liquid waste may be in form of fluids such as waste water, fat oil or grease oil and hazardous, Gaseous waste comprises gases and small particles emitted from fires, incinerators e.t.c. waste can loosely define as any materials that is considered to be of no further use to the owner and is hence discarded.
However it can be transformed or recycled. According to Basel Convention united nation environmental programmed (UNEP) Waste are substance national law waste is any article or substance to be dispose of. It may be broken, worn out contaminated or otherwise spoiled which as no further use. There are different methods of disposing waste, such as landfill, recycling, incinerating. Most food vendors adopt dumping of waste, in waste bin or big container and lad filling which is effective simplest, cheapest in disposing their waste. Basically wastes are not hygienic and have negative effect on human health most especially liquid waste (waste dirty water) which can cause environmental pollution. Some of the identifiable food vendor wastes includes the following; food particles waste bone, dirty water, food scrap, waste food, salient spoon, broken plate, tins, glass cup, nylon, pure water, and foil, among of several others.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problem that is of concern to this study is the various problems food vendors often face in managing their waste and the strategies put in place for the purpose of effective and adequate method of disposing such waste.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In the course of this study, the followings are the research questions;
i. Are there any regulations that guide food vendors in the disposal of their wastes?
ii. What are the challenges confronting food vendors in disposal of their waste?
iii. What are the strategies employed by food vendor towards converting their waste to financial gain?
iv. What are the methods employed by food vendor to properly dispose their waste?
v. What are the effect and benefits of food waste to the society?
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY
The aim and objective of this study to provide insight into the effective management of food vendors wastes with following objective:
i. This research work attempt to inquiry into the strategies, method, challenges and benefits of the food vending impact to the society.
ii. This research work also investigate on how food waste can be transformed or converted into financial gain.
iii. This research will also investigate on how environmental pollution is being caused by food vendors controlled or managed.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
This research is important because it is aimed, at finding out the impact of waste among food vendors and also the importance of food vending in the society, with the following benefits for examples food create businesses, such as food vending, fast food, food joint, which are commonly found around the area of resident works, places and also on the street. Food vending also save time for cooking especially those who are workers that are to wake up early for their daily activities which could make them late for work, in the process of cooking, they can easily patronize a food vendor to buy food both in the morning or lunch time during work, it is convenient and make it easier for commuter or people vending to reduce the effective cost of cooking. It is cheaper to buy food from food vendor rather than expensive cost of cooking, most nature of works of people that buy food from food vendors engaged in transportations, retailing services, factory workers, and so on, most food waste are waste bone, waste food, which are sold or dirge to people, and companies in return for money. Despite the derivable benefits, various problems which can affects food vendors, such as waste environmental pollution, poor sanitary habit which can lead to social conflict, for example inappropriate disposal of waste water on the road or mistakenly pouring waste water on passengers can create menace due to improper waste management by either competing food vendors. This research will shed light on the importance of food vending waste in the society through the use of research method such as observation, interview and also useful for further research in knowing the problems, regulation that guide food vendors in disposal of their waste.
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This project would focus on the activities of food vending, how they manage their waste in Ifako Ijaiye Local Government and it would be limited only to food vendors in Ifako Ijaiye Local Government, in addition the project would view and suggest ways of solving problems encountered by food vendors base on some challenges they face by disposal of their waste materials and also in terms of economic factor. Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government as a whole, it is chosen because of it strategies position, it has a lot of fast food, food joint businesses and it is rapidly develop as industrial centers.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Food vending: Selling of food on the street e.g. Fast food, food joint etc.
Waste Management Authority: Can be directed to (VIWMAs) waste management authority wastewater treatment plants for treatment and disposal. Wastewater treatment plants do not accept any liquid other than wastewater.
Incinerator: A container which is closed on all side for burning waste at high temperature.
Garbage: Waste food, paper etc that you throw away.
Solid: Hand or firms not in the form of a liquid or gas.
Liquid: Substance that flows freely and is not a solid or gas.
Discarded: To get rid of something that you no longer want or need.
