Characterization of Solid Wastes in the Non-Residential Areas of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Human activities create waste; the composition of solid waste varies from town to town and depends on food habits, cultural practices, occupations and the presence and types of industries and institutions. In Nigeria, only a little is known about the characteristics of solid wastes generated in institutions of higher learning. The study therefore characterized solid wastes generated in non-residential areas of the University of Ibadan. A cross sectional study design was adopted. The non-residential areas of Student Union Building (SUB), Works Department (WD) and Faculty of the Social Sciences (FSS) were purposively selected. Wastes generated in the three locations were weighed and their physico-chemical characteristics determined using the Standard methods. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data. The mean weekly recyclable wastes generated in the three locations were: 246.9+21.4Kg (food wastes), 111.7+10.6Kg (plastics) and 156.5+10.3Kg (paper).The mean values of the chemical constituents of the generated food wastes were: 2.7+0.59%, 2.1+0.77% and 3.4+0.72% (nitrogen) for SUB, WD and FSS respectively with no significant difference; 0.1+0.03%, 0.1+0.03% and 0.1+ 0.04% (phosphorus) for SUB, WD and FSS respectively with no significant difference; and 0.3+0.04%, 0.2+0.05% and 0.2+0.03% (potassium) for SUB, WD and FSS respectively and no significant difference was observed. The solid wastes generated at the non residential areas have good recycling potentials with a large volume. Therefore, efforts should be made for the establishment of a solid wastes recycling facility in the institution.