The Effect of Public Awareness on Solid Waste Management in Sabon-Gari Local Government

The paper examined the effect of public awareness on solid waste management in Sabon-Gari local government, Kaduna State. Nigeria. One of the major problems bedeviling the waste sector is inadequate public education on waste management practices such as proper waste disposal which have resulted in indiscriminate disposal of solid waste thereby posing serious hazards to the environment and human health. The major objective of the paper is to assess the level of public awareness on the waste management problems in Sabon-Gari and the extent to which the public awareness strategy put in place by the local government has changed public attitude towards waste disposal. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and semi- structured interview. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages while Pearson correlation was used to test the hypothesis with SPSS. Data generated through interview were analyzed qualitatively. The paper established that residents of SabonGari local government are aware of the waste management problems in their environment and the public awareness strategy put in place by the local government has had no significant effect on solid waste disposal practices. The paper recommends that Sabon-Gari local government should intensify its public awareness campaign through regular public awareness, promote the creation of environmental clubs in schools, adequate provision of waste containers etc. in order to safeguard health and protect the environment