Abstract
Background: Food waste disposal has become a significant concern, particularly in developing countries with poor waste management practices where indiscriminate disposals on land, in the aquatic environment, and poorly designed and maintained landfill sites are now widely acknowledged as contributing to Climate Change and leading to poor health of those living within these areas. In addition to odour nuisance and air pollution in general, uncontrolled emission of methane gas into the atmosphere is also a by-product of the decomposition of the biodegradable component, which is significant in food and beverage processing waste. Open food markets are the heartbeat of communities in developing countries, especially in tropical regions. The significant waste components generated in markets are biodegradables, comprising food waste and other agricultural products. Hence, there is a need to assess the potential avenues and possibilities of sustainable solid waste management of these wastes to avoid environmental pollution and public health deterioration and encourage waste recycling.
Methods: This paper presents quantitative and qualitative waste analyses using open markets in Abuja, Nigeria, as a case study to develop an appropriate, sustainable, cost-effective waste management approach.
Results: The results showed that over 60% of market waste comprises biodegradable organic materials, including rotten foodstuff, seafood shells, fruits, meat and fish parts, vegetables and agricultural produce. This also includes domestic waste, such as leftover food from restaurant kitchens in the markets. These wastes can be biologically treated to recover economic resources such as bioenergy and biofertilizers. The organic fraction can be separated at the source at no cost through sensitisation and education of traders.
Conclusion: The successful implementation of a sustainable waste management system in the market would have a cascading effect on overall municipal waste management since the entire community is involved in both areas. This can potentially improve their attitude towards improving societal waste management.
Paper presented at the 8th International Conference on Recycling and Waste Management June 16-17, 2025, Rome, Italy.
Methods: This paper presents quantitative and qualitative waste analyses using open markets in Abuja, Nigeria, as a case study to develop an appropriate, sustainable, cost-effective waste management approach.
Results: The results showed that over 60% of market waste comprises biodegradable organic materials, including rotten foodstuff, seafood shells, fruits, meat and fish parts, vegetables and agricultural produce. This also includes domestic waste, such as leftover food from restaurant kitchens in the markets. These wastes can be biologically treated to recover economic resources such as bioenergy and biofertilizers. The organic fraction can be separated at the source at no cost through sensitisation and education of traders.
Conclusion: The successful implementation of a sustainable waste management system in the market would have a cascading effect on overall municipal waste management since the entire community is involved in both areas. This can potentially improve their attitude towards improving societal waste management.
Paper presented at the 8th International Conference on Recycling and Waste Management June 16-17, 2025, Rome, Italy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 14 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Jun 2025 |
