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5.0 Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1 Conclusion In consonance with the aim and objectives of this study, results of the field
data have shown lucidly that, residents of households in the surveyed area do not know what it means to separate household waste from source, and even a significant proportion of those who claim to
know what is meant by reduce, reuse and recycle (a concise expression of the waste hierarchy guideline) could not further elucidate on how this knowledge can be integrated into sustainable waste management habits in their households. The enlightened few who practise source separation of food scraps and pet bottles do so, not because the law requires them to do it but due to the personal and economic benefits they derive from such a practise. The waste management regulator’s expectation of the use of one unit of litre wheeler
bin by residential households, coupled with the widespread use of one waste bin for the storage of different categories of waste overwhelmingly indicate that, there is presently no source separation of residential household solid waste in the entire Alimosho Local Government area comprising of 6 LCDAs,
and worse still, the wastes collected by the waste management agency are not sorted before final disposal in landfills. However, the one thing that resonates throughout this study is the existent awareness about the threat posed by the unsustainable practice of non-segregation of waste from source by a few of the respondents and the overwhelming willingness by a significant proportion of the respondents to learn the process, which is an open window of opportunity to policymakers and stakeholders in the environment. While a number of studies have overemphasized the problems with a few suggestions hovering around the need to increase public knowledge of pro- environmental behaviours with
public awareness campaigns, this study,
in its recommendations, suggests the modus operandi of carrying out such campaigns, and the specific audience to target if the dissemination process will yield any positive results within a short time. Having observed an obvious disconnect between the existent environmental law in Lagos enacted in March 2017
and the people surveyed, it is recommended that a further study that seeks to carryout a critical evaluation of the specific laws) on solid waste management (like the EU’s Waste Framework Directive) that addresses the source separation of household solid waste with a view to measuring the level of public understanding and implementation.
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