¹Ezekiel John Gangaya,²Alfred D. Mshelia

¹Vimtim Central Primary School, Mubi North Local Government Area Adamawa State, Nigeria.

²Department of Geogrphy, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria

The study examines the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of waste scavengers, practitioners of a common form of solid waste resource recovery practices in Mubi metropolis. A total number of two hundred sets of questionnaire were administered to waste scavengers and eight waste merchants out of which 176 sets of the questionnaire were retrieved and analysed. The purposive and Snowball Sampling Techniques were employed to identify the respondents. Tables, percentage Charts, point bisereal correlation, t-test and one way ANOVA technique were used for the analysis. The results revealed that majority of the scavengers within Mubi metropolis are male (93.2%). The female counterparts do not partake much in these types of trade. The reason could not be far fetched from the unwholesome nature of the business and its demands. Generally, the educational status of respondents’ shows that majority of practitioners 44.3% pass through formal education or may not have attended any school system. This attest to the fact that they may not be knowledgeable with regard to the rudiment of resource recycling or reuse. Further result revealed that practitioners were overwhelmingly pushed into scavenging business (93.8%) by poverty/unemployment. Be as it may, all (100%) scavengers revealed that scavenging has increased their income and consequently their standard of living. The Pearson's point-biserial correlation coefficient shows a very weak negative linear relationship between both variables of income and impact of scavenging on health of scavengers. (rpb = -0.071, n = 176, p = 3, At p > 0.05) This relationship goes to show that there is no significant relationship between monthly income and impact (positive and negative) of scavenging on health of Merchants and scavengers in Mubi metropolitan area of Adamawa State. Conclusively, scavenging practice plays a greater role in poverty alleviation and creation of employment especially among those categories of scavengers that attended informal education or not any other school system. However, most scavengers (61.4%) affairs to be urgent need of capital to sustain and boost their businesse.

1) Afon, A.O. (2003). Issues in Urban Residential Area Solid Waste Management Sustainability: Challenges of Environmental Sustainability in a Democratic Government. Proceedings of 11th National Conference of the Environment and Behaviour Association of Nigeria held in Akure, Nigeria, 23rd – 25th Oct 2003. Akron

2) Anthony, B. (2009) Urban Environmental Problem in Ghana; a Case Study of Social and Environmental Injustice in Solid Waste Management in Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi: Norway, NTUN.

3) Adeyemi, A. S. Olorunfemi, J.F and Adewoye, T.O. (2001) Waste Scavenging in Third World Cities: case Study Ilorin, Nigeria. The Environmentalist, 21 (2): 93-96.

4) Charzan, D. (2002). A world Drawing in Litter, BBC full Tex Data Base. BBC. News Online, Accessed from http://news.bbc.co.uk/i/hi/worl/europe/1849302 stm on 12/05/08.

5) Davies, A.R. (2008). The Geographies of Garbage Governance: Interventions. Interactions and Outcomes. London: Ashgate.

6) Girling, R. (2005). Publish Dirt on our Hand and Cries Ahead. London Eden Project Books, Tran world Publishing Ltd.

7) Jessen, M. (2002). Zero Waste Services. Assessed from: http:/www.zerowaste.ca/articles html. On 21/06/2007).

8) Jones, G., and Holier, G. (1977). Resources, Society and Environmental Management. London: Paid Chap Man Publishing Limited.

9) Medina,M.(2010),Scrap and Trade; Scavenging Myths National Oceanic a Atmospheric Administration. The Canadian Geography 45, 3:387-403.

10) Muktar, M. (2011). The Economics of Waste Scavenging in Kano State Department of Economics Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. Pg. 4-5.

11) Mshelia, A. D. (2015). Municipal solid waste scavenging practice’s in Mubi, Nigeria. Sky Journal of Soil Science and Environmental Management Vol. 4(4), pp. 040 - 045, July, 2015 Available online http://www.skyjournals.org/SJSSEMISSN 2315-8794© 2015 Sky Journals Review Paper

12) Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team, Nest. (1991). Nigeria’s Threatened Environment: a National Profile. Ibadan: Nigeria Environmental Study/Action Team Ibadan. Nigeria pg. 239-240.

13) OECD, (2002). Environmental Performance Review (1st Cycle). Conclusions and Recommendations. 32 Countries. Ireland. Accessed from: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/19/56/2432829.pdf on 04/02/07.

14) Pacione, M. (2005). UIrban Geography. A Global Perspective, 2nd. Edition, London and New York Rout Edge, Taylor and Frances Group.

15) Sivapalan, K. Mohamad, A. C.M.I. Mohamad, P. A. and Muhd Noor, M.Y. (2005). Waste to Wealth. MINT Incineration and Renewable Centre (MIREC), Malaysian Institute of Nuclear Technology (MINT), Bangi, 43000, Kajang. Skinner,

16) Solomon U.U (2009). He State of Solid Waste Management in Nigeria. Wulan, Hunan, Hubei: Department of Environmental Engineering, Chin University of Geoneer, Wuhan, Hubei.

17) Tashakkori, A., Teddlie, C.(2003a). Handbook of Mixed Method in Social and Behavioral Research Thausand Daks, Sage. pp. 671 702.

18) Van de Klundert, A. and Justine, A. (2001). Integrated Sustainable Waste Management. Waste, Gouda: Netherlands. www.Waste.

19) Zaman, A.U. and Lehmann, S. (2011). Zero Waste City. Zero Waste South Australia Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour; School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia. Pp. 14-15.

VOLUME 04 ISSUE 01 JANUARY 2021