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UTILIZATION OF VISUAL ARTS IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AS A CONTRIBUTION TO SOLVING PROBLEMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN ABA METROPOLIS, NIGERIA
BY ONOH, OLUCHI GLADYS PG/PHD/09/51403
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA IN FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D) IN ART EDUCATION
OCTOBER, 2014
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CERTIFICATION
Onoh, Oluchi Gladys a postgraduate student in the Department of Fine and Applied
Arts, with registration number PG/Ph.D/09/53403, has satisfactorily completed the requirement for the award of Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Art Education. The work embodied in this thesis is original and has not been submitted in part or in full for any diploma or degree of this or any other university.
……………………... …………… Prof. O.K. Oyeoku Date (Supervisor)
……………………… ……………. Dr V.E. Ali Date (Head of Department)
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APPROVAL PAGE
THIS THESIS HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR THE SCHOOL OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA
BY
……………………... ………… Prof. O.K. Oyeoku Date (Supervisor)
……………………… ………… Dr V.E. Ali Date (Head of Department)
……………………… …………. Prof. Ola Oloidi Date (Internal Examiner)
………………………. ………….. Prof. S. R. Ogunbiyile Date (External Examiner)
. ………………………. ………….. Prof. P.A. Okpoko Date (Dean of Faculty)
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DEDICATION
TO MY HUSBAND THE REVEREND DR TORTY OKWARA ONOH I DID THIS FOR YOU.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The success of this work was only possible because the Lord God (in whom dwelleth the fullness of wisdom and power) positioned people at different points and in different places to encourage, support and provide the academic, financial and emotional support needed. THANK YOU FATHER.
I wish to sincerely thank my amiable supervisor, Professor O.K. Oyeoku, who encouraged me to work on this topic and for meticulously reading the work despite his very tight schedule. I also acknowledge that the idea of taking a doctoral degree was as result of the motivation and encouragement of late Dr. Ernest Okoli who was supervising this work until the Lord called him to His nearer presence. I appreciate my internal examiner, Professor Ola Oloidi, Dr. G.O. Diogu and my head of department
Dr. V.E. Ali, for their efforts, counsel and willingness to read through and correct the work. My thanks also go to Dr Ikenna Onwuegbuna, Dr Mrs. Ogbuanya (Faculty
Representatives in the School of Post Graduate Studies) and Professor Mrs. C. Umano for their expert advice that moved the thesis forward.
I also appreciate Elder Dr. K.U. Kalu who made sure that I got all the art catalogues that he could lay his hands on and for his fatherly love. Thank you Elder O.
Ntima, Professor J.C. Agunwamba and Professor S.N. Uchegbu for providing the materials from your libraries that gave me bearing for the initial take off of the work.
May God bless Rev. Professor /Dr Mrs B. Mba, Professor Catherine Oreh, and
Mr/Dr Mrs Nick Egu for their hospitality, support and encouragement. I remain very grateful to Sister Gloria Umerah for her prayer support, encouragement, printing of this work and various forms of assistance.
I sincerely appreciate the staff and students of Premiere International School,
Aba, especially the administrator Ms. Florence Achinivu; the principal, Pastor Dr. vi
O.E.G. Iwueze; and the art teacher Miss Lucy Uka. I also appreciate the staff and students of Osusu Secondary School, Aba especially the art teacher Mrs C.U. Igwe and the school principal Elder C.M. Onwuka.
I wish to thank Mrs A. O.Ukpai, Mrs Ugwu, Mrs G.N. Ezerendu and all the other administrative staff in the general office of the Department of Fine and Applied
Art, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. They were very friendly and supportive.
Finally, my deepest appreciation goes to my dear husband who had so much faith in me and who would not let me abandon the work. I deeply appreciate my family members (the Nwagbaras); my in-laws (the Onohs); my children: Oziomachukwu
Beulah, Nmesomachukwu Shalom, Fechi Bethel, Akachidike Peniel, Ucheomachukwu
Olive; and many others who I may never know but who might have prayed for me through this period.
May God bless you all. Amen.
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ABSTRACT
Environmental degradation is a subject that is currently receiving attention all over the world and one of its causes is improper management of solid wastes. Many Nigerian cities like Aba in Abia State are currently facing serious environmental problems arising from this situation. Apart from the obvious aesthetic cost of improper management of solid wastes, some of the problems go deeper because many of the things thrown away like aluminum products, bottles and plastics are eventually indestructible in nature and if not properly disposed of, they cause pollution which invariably give rise to environmental problems that affect the ecology and human health. The study was embarked on because of the need to explore and examine the contributions of the visual arts in solid waste management in Aba metropolis. This is in line with the current awareness all over the world that solid wastes can either be a liability or an asset depending on how they are managed. The study is divided into six chapters and was guided by seven objectives. It adopted the ethnological and descriptive approaches. The basic ground for the involvement of the visual arts in sustainable waste management is anchored on the second option in waste management hierarchy which is known as ‘reuse’. Artists who are engaged in ‘waste to art’ show how wastes can be reused creatively. They have equally demonstrated that art works are not just objects of decoration or merchandise but are also important historical documents and mediums of social re-engineering and can be used to make environmental statements. Positive changes were observed in students that were exposed to waste to art. This was evident in the way they become peer educators on the prospects in waste to art; showed interest in discarded objects as materials for artistic creation; and the art works they created with waste materials.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Page
Title Page … … … … … i
Certification … … … … … ii
Approval Page… … … … … iii
Dedication… … … … … iv
Acknowledgement… … … … … v
Abstract… … … … … vii
Table of Content… … … … … ix
List of Tables… … … … … xi
List of Figures… … … … … xii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION… … … … 1
1.1 Background of Study… … … … 1
1.2 Statement of Problem… … … … 9
1.3 Objective of Study… … … … 11
1.4 Scope of Study… … … … 12
1.5 Significance of Study… … … … 13
1.6 Organization of Study… … … … 15
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW… … … … 16
2.1 Environmental Degradation… … … … 16
2.1.1 Environmental Pollution… … … … 27
2.1.2 Deforestation… … … … 36
2.2 Solid Waste Management… … … … 39 ix
2.2.1 Open Dumps… … … … 48
2.2.2 Landfills… … … … 50
2.2.3 Incineration… … … … 52
2.2.4 Composting… … … … 53
2.2.5 Recycling… … … … 54
2.2.6 Summary… … … … 56
2.3 Visual Art… … … … 57
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY… … … 65
3.1 Research Methodology… … … … 65
3.2 Aba in Abia State… … … … 67
3.3 Solid Wastes in Aba Metropolis… … … 72
3.4 Solid Waste Management in Aba Metropolis… ... … 79
3.4.1 Refuse Tonnage in Aba Metropolis… … … 80
CHAPTER FOUR
VISUAL ARTS AND SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT … 85
4.1 Visual Arts and the Reuse Concept of Solid Waste Management… 86
4.2 Waste to Art… … … … 89
CHAPTER FIVE
WASTE TO ART SECONDARY SCHOOL PROJECT… … 111
5.1 Waste to Art in Secondary Schools in Aba Metropolis… … 111
5.2 Waste to Art by Secondary School Students in Aba Metropolis … 115
CHAPTER SIX
FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, SUMMARY, AND CONCLUSION… 126
6.1 Findings of the Study… … … … 126 x
6.2 Implications of the Study … … … … 132
6.3 Recommendations … … … … 134
6.4 Limitations … … … … … 135
6.5 Suggestions for Further Studies … … … 136
6.6 Summary … … … … … 137
6.7 Conclusion… … … … … 139
REFERENCES… … … … … 141
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LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table 1: Decomposition Rates of Solid Waste … … … 41
Table 2: Solid Wastes in Aba Metropolis: Sources, Types and Description… 77
xii
LIST OF FIGURES Page Fig. 1: The Interaction of Natural Hazards, Environmental Degradation and Urbanization… … … 24
Fig. 2: Air Pollution from Industrial Plant… … … 30
Fig. 3: Waste Management Hierarchy… … … 47
Fig. 4: Map of Aba, Abia State… … … 67
Fig.5: Aba Blue River… … … … 73
Fig. 6: Refuse Dump at Opobo Junction, Ogbor hill Aba… … 73
Fig. 7: Refuse Dump along Faulks Road Aba… … … 74
Fig. 8: Piles of Cow Horns on Aba Blue River Abattoir … … 74
Fig. 9: Earth’s Skin… … … 89
Fig. 10: Ameno (Mask of Humankind)… … … 90
Fig. 11: Waiting for a Bus… … … … 91
Fig. 12: Politicians… … … … 91
Fig. 13: Journey out of Africa… … … … 92
Fig. 14: Acid Rain Water… … … … 93
Fig. 15: Bottled Life… … … … 93
Fig. 16: Shield… … … … 94
Fig. 17: Twisted Ambience… … … … 95
Fig. 18: Abandoned History… … … … 95
Fig. 19: Precious… … … … … 96
Fig. 20: Precious… … … … … 96
Fig. 21: Discussion… … … … … 97 xiii
Fig. 22: Painting on Fabric… …. … … 97
Fig. 23: Painting with used Recharge Cards… … … 99
Fig. 24: Painting with used Recharge Cards… … … 99
Fig. 25: Chukwuma Gerald Cutting up Recharge Cards … 100
Fig. 26: Waste Plastic Bottle Wall House… … … 101
Fig. 27: Waste Plastic Bottle Wall House… … … 101
Fig. 28: Children Stuffing Waste Plastic Bottles with Sands… … 102
Fig. 29: Junior… … … … 103
Fig. 30: Peacock… … … … 103
Fig. 31: Fishes… … … … 104
Fig. 32: Beauty Pageant… … … … 104
Fig. 33: Chandeliers… … … … 105
Fig. 34: The Chair… … … … 105
Fig. 35: Shipwreck (1)… … … … 106
Fig. 36: Shipwreck (2)… … … … 106
Fig. 37: Monumental Environmental Art Work… … … 106
Fig. 38: The Guardian… … … … 107
Fig. 39: Womb… … … … 107
Fig. 40: Giant Fish Sculpture … … … 109
Fig. 41: Giant Fish Sculptures… … … … 109
Fig. 42: Thrown to the Wind… … … … 110
Fig. 43: Lecture Time in Osusu Secondary School, Aba… … 114 xiv
Fig. 44: Lecture Time in Premiere International School Aba … … 114
Fig. 45: Warrior for Christ… … … 115
Fig. 46: The Clock… … … … 116
Fig. 47: Bouquet (1)… … … … 117
Fig. 48: Bouquet (2)… … … … 118
Fig. 49: Bouquet (3)… … … … 118
Fig. 50: Gown… … … … 119
Fig. 51: Pretty Lady… … … … 120
Fig. 52: Shoe and Bag… … … … 120
Fig. 53: Decorative Bowl… … … … 121
Fig. 54: Decorative Bowls… … … … 121
Fig. 55: Water Trough… … … … 122
Fig. 56: The Butterfly… … … … 122
Fig. 57: Belts… … … … 123
Fig. 58: Mosaic Design with broken bottles… … 123
Figs.59: Purse… … … … 124
Fig. 60: Purses… … … … 124
Fig. 61: Plastic Necklace… … … … 125
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The environment is a subject that is currently receiving attention all over the world because its fast deterioration has become a global issue and calls for intervention from all, ranging from the school child to the housewife, the smoker, the builder, the market woman, corporate bodies, industrialists, scientists, environmentalists, the visual artists, among others. This is because it has become apparent that the present generation has a responsibility to protect and replenish the fast deteriorating natural resources in order to preserve its environment for the future generation.
The environment according to the American heritage dictionary is, “the combination of external or extrinsic physical conditions that affect or influence the growth and development of organisms.” This involves all the external factors affecting an organism. These factors may be other living organisms (biotic factors) or non living variables (abiotic factors e.g. temperature, rainfall, length of day, wind and ocean current). This is why Okonkwo in Mba, Uchegbu and Moughalu, (2001) sees the environment as an amalgam of land, sea, river, streams and coastland, the country side, natural vegetation, animals, fishes, hills and mountains. Canter (as cited in
Uchegbu, 2002) and Holderness and Lambert (1982), summarize by categorizing the environment into air, water, noise, sociological, cultural and socio-economic environments. To him, in a physical sense, the environment is made up of things in the air, land and water.
Organisms and their environments often interact and both are changed by this interaction. The interaction of organisms with both biotic and abiotic factors is what 2 forms an ecosystem (Zimmermann, 2009). In an ecosystem, every minute change in any one factor can determine whether or not a particular plant or animal species will survive. Therefore any activity in the environment can pose a threat or a blessing to the flora or fauna in an ecosystem.
Over the years, the environment has often witnessed negative changes with disastrous consequences which are exemplified by such phenomena as soil erosion, notably sheet and gully erosion; earthquakes; volcanoes; deforestation and desertification; air and water pollution; over grazing; testing of nuclear weapons and missiles with all their attendant radioactive fallout; and oil spillage leading to unproductivity of the land and water in agriculture. As if the above index is not bad enough, currently, the ozone layer is reported by scientists to be constantly diminishing. They warn that if urgent steps are not taken to check the trend, the environment may be in great danger of exposure to radiation (Mba et al 2001, Duggan
2010).
This erosion of natural environment through the depletion of natural resources, the destruction of the ecosystems, the extinction of plants and animal species is known as Environmental Degradation. Hence, the glossary of Environmental
Statistics (1997) describes environmental degradation as, “the deterioration in environmental quality from ambient concentration of pollutants and other activities and processes such as improper land use and natural disaster”. This can be as a result of changing lifestyles. For instance, the increase in the use of disposable materials, excessive packaging, scraps from machines and cars are all contributing to increase in the amount of waste being generated. The result is that waste management becomes a huge challenge and Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) becomes complex because of the quantity and diversity of the nature of wastes and also financial 3 limitations on public services in large cities. When waste management is not properly implemented, it contributes immensely to environmental degradation which currently has become a global concern. This problem is not only confined to land, it also includes air and water as well.
Nigerian cities and towns are currently facing serious environmental problems arising from poor solid waste management. The rate of solid waste generation in
Nigeria is said to have increased with rapid urbanization. According to Okpechi
(2007), “this rapid urbanization in Nigeria did not bring with it, a commensurate growth in public infrastructure.” She points out that the draft National Urban
Development Policy (FMHUD, 2004) stressed that many Nigerian cities were growing without adequate planning with people constructing houses on drainage channels causing obstructions and resultant flooding of roads and houses as are being currently experienced in cities like Ibadan, Lagos and Aba. Millions of people also live in sub-standard and sub-human environments with grossly inadequate social amenities. This gives rise to solid waste being generated at a rate beyond the capacity of the city authorities to handle in order to maintain a sustainable urban environment.
The result is poor solid waste management system that portends serious environmental crisis.
Many of the residents dump refuse indiscriminately along the streets, roads, open spaces, market places, and frontages of residential buildings and drainage system. This often results in an unsightly mountain of refuse that have become a common feature of the country’s urban landscape (Nwachukwu, 2009). Aside from the obvious aesthetic cost, the problem of solid waste goes deeper. This is because many of these consumer products that are thrown away especially plastics, non- returnable bottles, aluminum cans etc are very difficult to destroy in nature and 4 constitute serious environmental pollution if they are not properly disposed of
(Mumbai government, 2008).
The problem of solid waste disposal in some Nigerian cities especially in Aba,
Abia state has become one of the most intractable environmental problems facing the country today. The level of environmental sanitation in the city of Aba is often considered as among the poorest in Nigeria. In recent years, there has been a phenomenal increase in the volume and range of solid wastes generated daily in the city. This is largely due to the increasing rate of population growth arising from urbanization, industrialization, trading activities and general economic growth. Aba being a predominantly trading or commercial city attracts migrants from different parts of the country. As the number of people increase, more wastes are generated and because they are not properly disposed, pollution of the air, soil and water follow. For instance, problem of water pollution arising from dangerous substances seeping into water sources from the refuse dumps cannot be overlooked because virtually every one in that city depends on surface or individually mined underground water.
In Kenya, WAMACO, (2006) reports a study which was commissioned by the
United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) on 308 children up to the age of 18 living around a municipal dump site. The report showed that half of the children had a concentration of lead in their blood exceeding the internationally accepted levels. It also showed that 42% of soil samples recorded lead levels almost 10 times higher than unpolluted soil. Almost half of the children tested are suffering from respiratory diseases including chronic bronchitis and asthma. The report was described as very worrisome and worst than expected by the UNEP. This is because chemical, metals, pharmaceuticals and other wastes often find their way into our drinking water and the 5 atmosphere and can have serious health effect ranging from toxic poisoning to hormonal disruption and cancer.
In another report by Egbere, Itelima and Opiah, (2000) on Municipal solid waste and their health hazard implication in Angwan-Rogo ward of Jos, Nigeria, it was noted that the biodegradable bulks occupied an average weight of 68.26%, while the non-biodegradables formed the remaining 37.44% of the wastes in the dumps. The bacterial isolates from the dumps with their respective percentage prevalence were E. coli (86.70%), Staphylococcus aureus (76.70%), Salmonella sp (46.700AJ), Klebsiella sp (43.30%), Shigella sp (43.30%) and Proteus sp (33.30%). Most of these bacterial isolates are generally known pathogens, hence their presence in the dumps in such high prevalence poses health hazards to the public as rodents and flies and even air could transfer the organisms into foods, water and other consumables. Hence, raised incidents of low birth weight (less than 2500g), fetal and infant mortality, spontaneous abortion and birth defects have been related to residents near dump sites and land fill sites as has the occurrence of various congenital malformations. Also, lung cancer, chronic health effects such as increased rates of bronchitis and reduced lung function, elevated rates of respiratory symptoms and also shortened life span, nausea/vomiting, and increase in hospitalization of diabetics have been recorded (Rushton, 2011).
These reports have implication for Nigerian cities like Lagos, Ibadan, and
Kaduna that have had recent flooding experiences as a result of indiscriminate dumping of refuse. They also apply to Aba where indiscriminate dump sites are located all over the city and the volume of solid wastes appears to have exceeded the urban administrators’ capacity to plan for their collection and disposal.
It is a very common sight to see some of the streets and roads practically blocked by wastes and this has contributed greatly to flood disaster, which is 6 associated with the city; and health hazards to plants, animals and people. Many areas have poorly controlled open dumps and illegal roadside dumping remains a problem.
Obioha, (2008) described the trash heaps around the city of Aba as, “so many and so high that one could mistake them for big urban landfills”. The garbage piles have turned the roads into putrid smelling mud slides and many of the folks just walk through these roads seemingly unperturbed by their dangerous implications.
This is because many people in the town do not consider dumping of their wastes indiscriminately as an environmental problem that could lead to epidemics and other severe health hazards. To them, they are simply disposing of their wastes as inexpensively and as quickly as possible especially as they do not have better options.
Many of these residents are not aware of the relationship between ways of disposing of waste and the resulting environmental and public health problems. This generates great concern for inhabitant of the city of Aba where sights like women roasting corn and frying yams/akara balls right in front of the dump sites and on top of the blocked gutters with customers patronizing them are very common.
Waste disposal in this city has generated so much controversy with the state government and the residents trading blames on who is responsible for the eye sore especially along Enugu - Port Harcourt high way. The residents accuse the government of collecting sanitation fee from them without carting away the wastes on a regular basis while the government accuses them of disposing their wastes indiscriminately. Worried by the situation, the state government in January, 2005 handed over the management of refuse to the local government authorities and also engaged the services of street sweepers to clean up the streets on daily bases.
Although the situation improved during the first few months, it later collapsed apparently due to the inability of the councils to handle it. 7
Also, in 2007, the government being aware that the quagmire in Aba, Abia state constituted a perennial source of embarrassment determined to confront the challenge of refuse disposal head on. Being aware that there is a veritably high economic value (sources of biofertilizer, biogas fuel and animal feeds) that could be generated from the wastes since a greater portion of the dumps were composed of biodegradable waste matter, it entered into partnership with an American refuse management firm, (Phoenix Environmental Resources), whose major term of reference was to evacuate all waste materials in Abia State, move them to Obingwa in the same state and convert them to organic manure. This is in line with the report by
Okonkwo in Mba, (2001) and Taiwo, (2009) that solid wastes generated in the country are characterized by a high percentage (60-80%) of organic materials which gives the waste high density with Okonkwo suggesting that modalities for evacuation should place more emphasis on the discharge points so that the wet organic refuse could be converted to other uses such as manure for farmlands and building materials.
These all took off but failed and the problem still looms large. One can attribute one of the major reasons for the failure to convert the wastes to organic manure to the fact that not all the solid wastes are biodegradable and therefore all of them cannot be converted to manure. This is because wastes generally are things discarded by individuals, households or organizations. They are unwanted materials discarded as a result of human or animal activities and they constitute of solids, semisolids or liquids in containers thrown out of houses, commercial or industrial premises. As a result, they are a complex mixture of different substances which include food and garden waste, paper and cardboard, glasses, plastics and metals.
Since the municipal government has not been able to cope with waste collection and 8 disposal successfully, the people settle for waste dumping into storm water, open dumping and stream dumping.
This type of situation may have informed Leventis in a publication by
National Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST) 1991, to opine that,
While it is proper that governments should take the lead by adopting
appropriate natural resource conservation policies, creating the institutional
framework for policy implementation, and promulgating appropriate
legislation, it has also become obvious that government alone cannot be
entrusted with all the task of combating environmental degradation.
Hence, Agunwamba, (1998) opines that successful solid waste management in
Nigeria will require a holistic program that will integrate all the technical, economic, social, cultural and psychological factors that are often ignored in solid waste management programs.
Also, Ukpong, (2006) sees the management of solid waste as one that can be conceptualized as a multi-disciplinary activity involving engineering principles, economic, urban and regional planning, management techniques, social sciences and the arts in order to maintain a viable quality of environment in a city or area. Hence the problem of solid waste management in Aba has attracted the attention of scientists who have studied the long term consequences of human actions on the environment.
Environmentalists and other professionals in various fields as well as concerned citizens have also tried to advocate ways to lessen the impact.
The world of visual arts, which has played a critical role in provoking thought and generating dialogue on crucial issues in society, is not left out in this discourse, as it has its own input to make in the preservation of the environment.
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1.2 Statement of the Problem
The Nigerian government being aware of both the aesthetic and health implications of improper management of solid wastes in the nation promulgated
Decree 58 for the establishment of a Federal Environment Protection Agency (FEPA) on 30th December, 1988. This led to the formation of a National Policy on the
Environment whose goals include amongst others: to secure for all Nigerians a quality of environment adequate for their health and well being. The policy depends on specific actions directed towards major sectors and problem areas of the environment for its implementation. In the solid waste sector for instance, the specific action required include collection and disposal of solid waste in an environmentally safe manner; setting up and enforcement of laws, regulations and standards; encouragement of public participation; environmental monitoring; and imposition of penalties on defaulters to encourage compliance (FEPA, 1989; FRN, 1991;
Agunwamba, 1998).
As a result of the formulation of FEPA and a national environmental policy, all the states in the federation including Abia state are making efforts to protect the environment by setting up structures towards the effective management of municipal solid wastes. However, the researcher having lived in Aba for four years observed that despite the Federal government policy on environment and the Abia state government’s efforts towards the management of municipal solid waste in Aba, solid waste management has remained a problem that looms large. It appears that the capacity of the residents in that city to generate wastes far exceeds the ability of the agencies in charge of waste disposal to effectively handle. This has become a matter of great concern because the negative impact of the improper management of municipal solid wastes is contributing to the deterioration of that environment in 10 addition to the health hazards on man, plants and animals. One begins to wonder if the
Abia state government is really doing enough in the issue of solid waste management.
If they are, to what extent have they gone in enforcing measures to control people’s negative attitude to the environmental issues. Or, is this situation as a result of lack of knowledge on the part of Aba residents on the danger of environmental degradation which may have resulted from improper sensitization of the public on the issue. Any of these necessitates an urgent need for appropriate ameliorating strategies of waste management through various fields including the visual Arts.
Again, solid waste management has a number of acceptable concepts and the major areas or options are reduce, reuse, recycle and recover with the ultimate aim being to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to reduce wastes to minimum before final disposal in landfill or other methods (Okpoechi, 2007). There is therefore the need to explore the contributions of the visual arts in waste minimization through their involvement in the reuse of discarded materials for the production of quality art works in the society. This can be done through examining art works that have been executed with the use of discarded materials which otherwise would have been destroyed through open burning and other waste management strategies. In addition to these waste or discarded materials being destroyed, most other methods of waste disposal also have negative effect on the environment and could be avoided through the conversion of waste to art and ultimately to wealth.
Furthermore, in 1991, the Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team
(NEST) estimated that 20kg of solid waste was generated per capita per annum in
Nigeria. This amounts to 2.2 million tons per year given Nigeria’s estimated population of more than 100 million people per year at the time of that study. With the upsurge of the country’s population in recent years to about 167 million according 11 to the United Nations report of 2011, the volumes of wastes generated have increased significantly. This is an alarming situation especially as the various agencies involved in waste disposal appear incapacitated to handle the challenges. This necessitates the call for waste reduction as a means of solid waste management and the volume of wastes generated can be significantly reduced by changing the behavior and habits of the population through intensive education on the consequences of improper waste management, and also waste management through the use of the visual arts in the area of waste reduction through the conversion of waste to art. This has given rise to the need of exploring the use the visual arts to embark on continuing education and awareness campaign in the city of Aba concerning solid wastes and their impact on the environment.
Finally, the alarming rate at which materials like plastics, aluminum cans, and bottles etc which are non-biodegradable in nature are dumped in streams and rivers or burnt in dumpsites close to residential areas, need the attention of all stake holders including the visual arts for immediate remediation. This will forestall impending risks and health related problems associated with it.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
Environmental problems are one of the main characteristic features of urban cities. These problems appear mostly in the form of solid wastes. While there have already been various efforts to raise awareness for the recycling of these solid wastes, not much formal work has been carried out through the visual arts. This study sets out to examine the contributions or the role of the visual arts in solid waste management towards intervention in the global problem of environmental degradation.
12
Specifically, the study undertakes to:
1. Enumerate the nature of solid wastes in Aba metropolis and the system of solid
waste disposal by Aba residents.
2. Ascertain Abia state government efforts in educating the residents of Aba
metropolis on solid waste management.
3. Ascertain Abia state government waste management implementation strategies
4. Ascertain the ways the visual arts contribute to solid waste management in Aba
metropolis
5. Identify contemporary artists that are engaged in the creation of art works from
waste or discarded objects
6. Examine and document some of the works of the ‘waste to art’ artists
7. Ascertain if secondary school students in Aba metropolis can create artworks from
waste or discarded objects.
1.4 Scope of the Study
The high rate of generation of solid wastes in Nigerian urban cities including
Aba has necessitated active government and private participation. All stakeholders should work towards effective disposal of solid wastes because their presence constitute environmental nuisance which invariably give rise to environmental problems that affect the ecology and human health. This makes solid waste management a matter if utmost exigency especially as it has become one of the most intractable environmental problems facing the nation today.
The term waste management, in all its ramifications encompasses all steps taken in controlling the production, storage, collection, transportation, processing and disposal or utilization of wastes in a sanitary manner. Although solid waste 13 management spans across many areas, the scope of this study however is narrowed down to:
1. The study of the nature of solid wastes generated and their methods of
disposal in three major streets in Aba metropolis.
2. The reuse of waste materials in the creation of art works. This covered
documentation of thirty samples of works of some artists who have used waste
materials in creative endeavors in the various fields of the visual arts.
3. Introduction of waste to art as a contribution to solid waste management in
two secondary schools in Aba metropolis.
4. Creation of artworks and crafts by students in two secondary schools in Aba
metropolis with waste or discarded objects.
1.5 Significance of the Study
Environmental degradation and its attendant problems which include the management of solid wastes is now a global concern both in the developed and developing nations. Rapid technological, scientific, industrial development and urbanization have largely increased the rate of waste generation and its attendant consequences.
In recent times, the subject of solid wastes and its impact on the environment is gaining wide attention from all. This is because improper waste management constitutes a great threat to human health and the environment in general. The management of the solid wastes is now conceptualized as a multi-disciplinary activity involving engineering principles, economics, urban and regional planning, management techniques, social sciences and the arts in order to maintain a viable quality of environment. 14
It is therefore hoped that the outcome of this research on the role of the visual arts in solid waste management will contribute towards the solution of some environmental problems in Aba metropolis by bringing out measures aimed at providing effective management of some solid wastes.
Again, it will provide useful materials that will help educate the public through the visual arts on the health hazards that emanate from improper waste disposal.
The research will also help sensitize the public that wastes can be converted to art and to wealth if properly handled from the point of production.
Furthermore, the outcome of this research will provide a useful document for the visual artist on the role that the visual arts can play in the management of solid wastes. This will enable him/her to consciously apply his/her skills and knowledge to contribute to solving one of the pressing problems that lead to environmental degradation.
The findings of this study, it is hoped will be of use to the art students and the public who will learn that the visual arts is not an isolated area that is meant only for aesthetic purposes but can also make its contributions to global issues.
The significance of this study is not only for the benefit of the artist or the art student but also for the government, policy makers, curriculum developers, health workers and environmentalists who can utilize the findings of the research for policy making and also in their various fields.
Finally, it will provide valuable document on what would help researchers and individuals who are interested in Environmental Waste Studies.
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1.6 Organization of the Study
The study is organized into six chapters:
Chapter 1 - The Introduction:
Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Objectives of the Study,
Scope of the Study, Significance of the Study, and the Organization of the
Study
Chapter 2 - Literature Review:
Environmental degradation (meaning, causes and effects); Solid Waste
Management; and Visual Arts
Chapter 3 - Research Methodology:
Research Methodology; Aba in Abia state; Solid Wastes in Aba Metropolis;
and Solid Waste Management in Aba metropolis
Chapter 4 - Visual Arts and the Reuse Concept of Solid Waste Management
Chapter 5 - Waste to Art Secondary School Project
Chapter 6 - Findings, Summary and Conclusion
Educational Implications, Recommendation, Limitations, Suggestions for
further studies
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CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
The review of literature is done under the following headings:
Environmental Degradation; Solid Waste Management; and Visual Arts.
2.1 Environmental Degradation
In recent times, the environment has been a subject that is receiving global attention because of the challenges arising from its fast deteriorating state and many studies have been done on it. Nnimmo, (2001) writes that it is clear that the biggest threat to human survival in today's world is not the threat of nuclear holocaust, nor the threat of so-called terrorism, but the threat of a completely devastated environment.
Also, evidence in environmental risk factors shows that improper management of the environment plays a role in more than 80% of the diseases regularly reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). For instance, in 2006, the World Health
Organization reported that globally, nearly one quarter of all deaths and the total disease burden can be attributed to the environment. This also includes children, where environmental risk factors is said to account for slightly more than one-third of the disease burden.
Hence scientists all over the world are researching on activities on the environment and their consequences (Lawanson, 2006; Eurasia, 2011). Stake holders from all works of life are also putting heads together to work out sustainable solutions to the colossal problem posed by the environment. Kafka, (2009) opines that it is no longer an issue that concerns only environmental activists. The concern has become a part of mainstream culture, across the political spectrum and cannot be left to scientists and the environmentalists alone to solve. One of such efforts was a National summit on the Arts and Environment in July, 2008 at Virginia organized by Wolf 17
Trap in which twenty nine national thought leaders in business, community development, the arts and the environment gathered to lay the groundwork for arts action in the resolution of environmental issues. In this summit, Mathew Copper
(President, PEG Environmental Engineering) made an observation that, “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something” (Trap, 2008). Other such efforts according to Eurasia, (2012) are the 3rd International Conference on Environmental
Science and Development (ICESD, 2012) which was organized by University Putra,
Malaysia; as well as the 2012 International Conference on Clean and Green Energy
(ICCGE 2012).
The Collins Thesaurus of the English Language defines the environment simply as, “the natural world”. This natural world is explained by Haluzan, (2008) to means the sum of all living and non-living things that surround an organism, or group of organisms. This includes all elements, factors, and conditions that have some impact on growth and development of the organisms. In other words, it encompasses all living and non living things occurring naturally on earth and their interactions.
Hence Okonkwo in Mba et al, (2001) sees the environment as an amalgam of land, sea, river, streams and coastland, the country side, natural vegetation, animals, fishes, hills and mountains.
The concept of natural environment is seen as complete ecological units that function as natural systems without massive human intervention. Hence the term is often referred to as an Ecosystem. Wikipedia quoting Eugene Odum, one of the founders of the science of ecology, states that,
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Any unit that includes all of the organisms (i.e. the "community") in a given
area interacting with the physical environment so that a flow of energy leads
to clearly defined tropic structure, biotic diversity, and material cycles (i.e.
exchange of materials between living and nonliving parts) within the
system is an ecosystem.
This entails all vegetation, micro organisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere and natural phenomena that occur within their boundaries and universal natural resources.
The Encyclopedia Britannica also includes non living variables i.e. abiotic factors like temperature, rainfall, length of day, wind and ocean current. This includes physical phenomena that lack clear-cut boundaries such as air, water, and climate, as well as energy, radiation, electric charge, and magnetism which do not originate from human activities while the American heritage dictionary summarizes the Environment as, “all of the biotic and abiotic factors that act on an organism, population, or ecological community and influence its survival and development”.
These biotic factors include the organisms themselves, their food, and their interactions while abiotic factors include such items as sunlight, soil, air, water, climate, and pollution. Hence Holderness and Lambert (1982) and Uchegbu (2002) citing Canter (1977), in addition to categorizing the environment into air, water, noise, also brings in the concept of sociological, cultural and socio-economic environments. This is because they also influence the environment greatly.
Organisms and their environments often interact and both are changed by this interaction. It is the interaction of organisms with both biotic and abiotic factors that forms an ecosystem i.e an environment (Eitzen, 2003; Zimmermann, 2009).
From the above definitions it can be clearly seen that man is also part of the environment. Okonkwo in Mba et al (2001) writes that man cannot do without the 19
environment. This supports the Genesis account of creation in the Holy Bible where
God created the heavens and the earth and all that is therein before He created man who He placed in the already created environment to live in it. This implies that man cannot live without a defined environment because he needs it for his survival hence its creation before he was created.
In the ecosystem, Duggan (2010), points out that man like other living creatures, has also clearly influenced his environment. In the Biblical account of creation in the book of Genesis, man was also instructed to feed from, care for and subdue his environment. This instruction may have arisen from the fact that man’s activities impinge on the environment and these have either positive or negative effects and there is the tendency for it (with time) to improve or deteriorate if not properly cared for. In other words, simply by existing, man has made major impacts on the world’s environment hence Duggan, (2010) also posits that they have done this more than all other species both positively and negatively.
The effects on the environment as a result of the actions and reactions that goes on in it cause serious changes on the organisms. However, many organisms have the natural ability to adapt or respond to the changes by evolutionary adaptations in forms and behaviors but, tolerance level or range is not the same with all species and exposure to environmental conditions at the limit of the organism’s tolerance range represents environmental stress (Haluzan, 2008). In other words, the activities on the environment have effects on the ecosystem which may cause various levels of improvement or deterioration based on the ability of the organisms to accept or resist external influences. For instance, natural processes like running water, glacier, waves and wind, bring about continuous removal of rock and soil material which eventually causes erosion to occur. Also, waves and tides cut into old land while silt 20
from rivers builds up new land. All these bring about continuous change in the surface of the continent causing them to be sculpted into new forms (Encarta dictionary).
The activities in the ecosystem have often caused the environment to witness serious changes which are mostly negative with disastrous consequences.
Mba, (2001) and Duggan, (2010) write that these are exemplified by such phenomena as climate change; soil erosion, notably sheet and gully erosion; earthquakes; volcanoes; deforestation and desertification; air and water pollution; over grazing; testing of nuclear weapons and missiles with all their attendant radioactive fallout; and oil spillage leading to unproductivity of the land and water in agriculture. And as if the above index is not bad enough, currently, the ozone layer is being reported by scientists to be constantly diminishing. They warn that if urgent steps are not taken to check the trend, creation may be in great danger of exposure to radiation.
However, Kafka, (2009) writes that natural disasters are inevitable consequences of life on a dynamic planet because we cannot hold back nature from occasionally unleashing its powerful forces on a vulnerable human population. But, human actions that cause the deterioration of the environment, as well as the ever- increasing population and built environment in hazard-prone regions, are worsening the devastation that is brought about by nature. Hence, Anthoni (2001) opines that all our problems are caused by people, for without people there would be no problems. Thus the more people and the more affluent their lifestyle, the more resources they will use and the more numerous and severe the earth’s problems will become. This erosion of natural environment through the depletion of resources, the destruction of the ecosystems, the extinction of plants and animal species is known 21
as Environmental Degradation.
Environmental degradation has been listed as one of the ‘Ten Threats’ officially cautioned by the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations, the
World Resources Institute (WRI), UNEP (the United Nations Environment
Programme), UNDP (the United Nations Development Programme) and the World
Bank (Duggan, 2010; Smith and Wallace, 2011). They warn that humans have only been given one earth to work with, and if the environment becomes irreparably compromised, it could mean the end of human existence. Scientists also warn that if urgent steps are not taken to check the trend in environmental degradation especially in the atmosphere, creation may be in great danger of exposure to radiation (Mba et al, 2001; Duggan, 2010). After the agrarian and the industrial revolution of the 1st and 2nd waves of civilization, it appears as if the 3rd revolution which must be won at all cost is the environmental revolution (Muoghalu in
Uchegbu, 2002).
Despite all the warning, severe environmental degradation appears to be threatening the long-term development prospects of countries all over the world, including the developing ones such as Nigeria. Muoghalu in Uchegbu, (2002) writes that since the world woke up to the realities of the horrendous effects which development inflicts on the environment consequent on the Stockholm conference in 1972 and later in the Rio conference in 1992, it has become crystal clear that a continuation of the windless exploitation of nature’s resources (many of which are not renewable) can only result in man singing his ‘nunc Dimittis’. It has also driven home the one depressing but incontrovertible truth that the environment can go on without man as did happen in the beginning before the creation of man but man cannot go on without the environment. 22
The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines
Environmental Degradation simply as, “the reduction of the capacity of the environment to meet social and ecological objectives, and needs”. This reduction is explained by Subhajit, (2011) to be as a result of change or disturbance to the environment which is perceived to be deleterious or undesirable through the depletion of resources such as air, water, soil and the destruction of the ecosystem which includes the extinction of wildlife. When innate habitats are destroyed and natural resources are at a low level, the environment is considered to be degraded.
Eitzen, (2000) points out that the destruction of the natural resources which constitute global environmental problem includes the overuse of resources that are not renewable such as metals and fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. He states that the consumption of such resources has rapidly increased during the past
30 – 40 years.
The glossary of Environmental Statistics, (1997); and Corbett (2009) go a step further to describe environmental degradation as the deterioration of the natural environment including the atmosphere, body of water, soil and forests as a result of the effect of both biotic (living organisms) and abiotic factors (non living variables such as temperature, rainfall, wind, ocean current, day length etc) in the ecosystem.
Zimmerman, (2008) traces this deterioration to a variety of factors which include the depletion of the ozone layer, global warming.
The resultant degradation of the environment as a result of the above factors has increased since the industrial revolution (Duggan, 2010). He also notes that although intense natural events as mentioned earlier can cause environmental degradation, they are natural occurrences and many ecosystems easily adapt to their effects. The effects of these natural disturbances are very small when compared 23
with the amount of damage the environment has sustained as a result of human actions like habitat destruction and species extinction, air pollution, water pollution, ground water depletion and contamination, chemical risk, environmental racism, fossil fuel burning, improper waste management and energy production.
Human activities and the environment are inter-related because all activities of man are done in the environment and the resultant effects can be either positive or negative. Hence, Uchegbu, (2002) and Kafka et al, (2009) emphasize that in as much as there are natural causes, most causes of environmental degradation can be traced back to human beings This is because like other living creatures, humans have clearly changed their environment. However, they have done this more than all other species both positively and negatively.
All these activities have increased significantly since the industrial revolution because the much praised industrial revolution paved the way for urbanization and gradual depletion of natural wealth which is as a result of overpopulation. As people crave for better conditions of life, more and more people migrate to the cities and urbanization which leads to overcrowding occurs. Abayomi, (2007) explains that the major attraction to urban areas is industrialization.
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Fig 1: The Interaction of Natural Hazards, Environmental Degradation and Urbanization
Human activities modify the environment in ways that create situations where environmental degradation and urbanization in hazard prone regions are worsening the devastation wrought by nature.
(source: www.blogspot.com 2012)
McLamb, (2011) writes that at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the mid 1700s, the world’s human population grew by about 57 percent to 700 million.
It reached one billion in 1800 which is only 100 years after the onset of the
Industrial Revolution. It grew to 100 percent which is about two billion people in
1927 (it was about 1.6 billion by 1900). During the 20th century, the world population increased to an exponential proportion, growing to six billion people just before the start of the 21stcentury. That is a 400 percent population increase in a single century. This implies that since the 250 years from the beginning of the
Industrial Revolution till date, the world human population has increased by six billion people! This exponential population growth led to the exponential requirements for resources, energy, food, housing and land, as well as the exponential increase in waste by-products. 25
The rapid urbanization of the world’s population over the twentieth century is emphasized in the 2005 Revision of the United Nation’s World Urbanization
Prospects Report. Also, according to the United Nation’s State on the World
Population 2007 report, the majority of people worldwide will be living in towns or cities, for the first time in history by 2007; this is referred to as the arrival of the
“Urban Millennium” or the ‘tipping point’. Govender, (2012) and Lawanson,
(2006) write that Africa is experiencing one of the fastest rates of urbanization in the world, with sub-Saharan Africa leading the way.
The issue of urbanization has become a matter of great concern all over the world because of its negative effect on the environment. Achim Steiner the under secretary general of the United Nations and the executive director of the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), at the Environmental Protection and
Urban Responsibilities Forum in Nanjing declared that,“more than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and this trend is set to rise by a further 2 billion in the next 25 years. Therefore, cities are where the future of sustainable development will be won or lost.” He warns that unless a more intelligent development path can be realized, the growth of cities will lead to significant impacts on their hinterlands, given that they already consume more than 75 percent of the world’s natural resources.
This rapid urbanization in developing nations like Nigeria did not bring with it, a commensurate growth in public infrastructure (Okpechi, 2007). As the number of people in the cities increase, tropical rain forests are destroyed to build houses and to create farms or grazing lands for cattle; pollution e.g. from mines occur; power generation, chemicals and automobiles emit harmful substances; 26
agricultural fertilizers are produced; and solid waste management become a problem. Hence, the Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Maila-fiya, while speaking on why Environmental Problems persist in Nigeria concurs that human activities (especially in urban areas) and people’s failure to adhere to regulations were responsible for the high level of environmental problems facing the country.
The minister, speaking in Abuja at the federal/states regulatory dialogue on the implementation of environmental regulations, organized by the National
Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), opines that for the country to achieve its developmental agenda there must be “a deliberate effort toward the actualization of environmental sustainability.”
The threats on the environment have been categorized by Anthoni, (2001) and Safer Environment, (2010) with the largest areas of concern in environmental degradation at present as environmental pollution, the loss of rain forests
(deforestation), and solid waste management. These all pose very serious threats to the ecosystem which according to them can be classified into four groups namely:
• Threats to humans: health, food and water, shelter, recreation, hindrance,
social cohesion, wealth.
• Threats to atmosphere and water cycle: climate change, sea level rise,
atmospheric pollution,
• Threats to land and soil: water, exploitation, soil erosion, species diversity,
• Threats to the sea: exploitation, soil erosion, habitat loss, nutrient discharge.
Finally, Smith and Wallace (2011) summarize environmental degradation as, “A process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way which brings about reduction in biological diversity and the general health of the environment.” This process, they write, can be entirely natural in origin, or it can be 27
accelerated or caused by human activities. In the case of natural environmental degradation, resources such as air, water, and soil simply become contaminated/depleted. This is because they are vulnerable to depletion through overuse, just like natural resources like minerals and oil deposits. Habitat pressures which force animals into a small area can also contribute to resource depletion where the animals consume a high volume of material in a small area.
2.1.1 Environmental Pollution
Central to the issue of environmental degradation is Pollution. This is defined by Abayomi, 2007 as, “the presence of one or more contaminable substances in the atmosphere resulting from gaseous, liquid or solid wastes or by- products that is detrimental or tends to be detrimental to human health or welfare, or can attack infrastructures.” In other words, it is a form of weather condition which involves the introduction of harmful substances into the air, land and water. When the environment becomes polluted, it means that toxic substances have rendered it unhealthy.
Pollution can come from a variety of sources, including vehicle emissions, agricultural runoff, accidental chemical release from factories, and poorly-managed harvesting of natural resources and improper management of solid wastes (Smith,
2010). In some cases, pollution may be reversible with costly environmental remediation measures, and in other instances, it may take decades or even centuries for the environment to cope with its effects. For instance, Eitzen (2000) notes that the production of synthetic chemicals amounts to over 1 billion pounds per day that are eventually released into the environment. These chemicals take the form of fertilizers, detergents, pesticides, plastics, insulation, clothing etc. Consumers and employees of chemical processing plants are seriously affected. 28
Pollution as documented by Wikipedia became a popular issue after World
War II, due to radioactive fallout from atomic warfare and testing. Then a non- nuclear event, The Great Smog of 1952 in London, killed at least 4000 people and
8,000 more died within the following months. This prompted some of the first major modern environmental legislation – The Clean Air Act of 1956. It began to draw major public attention in the United States between the mid-1950s and early
1970s when Congress passed the Noise Control Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean
Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The worst short term civilian pollution crisis in India was the 1984 Bhopal Disaster. Leaked industrial vapours from the Union Carbide factory, belonging to Union Carbide, Inc., U.S.A., killed more than 25,000 people outright and injured between 150,000 to 600,000 people. Also, an accidental leak of anthrax spores from a biological warfare laboratory in the former USSR in 1979 near Sverdlovsk is believed to have been the cause of hundreds of civilian deaths. The worst single incident of air pollution to occur in the United States of America occurred in Donora, Pennsylvania in late
October, 1948, when 20 people died and over 7,000 were injured.
Here in Nigeria, Uzokwe, (2003) writes that Nigeria is gradually being condemned to desolation and barrenness by sustained and unmitigated pollution of her air, land and sea. While there are currently no hard statistics available, in the
Nigerian case, it is clear that when people breathe in toxic fumes, eat food laced with toxic chemicals and drink water that has traces of toxic chemicals in it, they are bound to get sick, teeter on the edge of ill health or die prematurely. This is compounded by the level of ignorance of the people which prompted Abayomi
(2007) to write that quite a number of people feel that once they are not allergic to 29
a polluted environment, they are free from its harmful act. He opines that millions of Nigerians who live in polluted cities believe their body systems will adapt to it, without a second thought to the negative effects it will bring to their health. A lot have had their lives shortened through living ignorantly in such polluted environments and they suffer from its effects.
From the above, it is obvious that although pollution has been occurring throughout the earth’s history, the rate by which the human species have contributed to the amount of pollution that has entered our environment over the past several hundred years far exceeds the earth’s inherent ability to heal itself.
These are most visible in the air, land and sea.
Air pollution results from both the natural and anthropogenic (man-made) causes. Uzokwe, (2003) write that the emissions from volcanoes, desert dust storms, sea spray, plants (spores and pollens) and smoke from forest fires which constitutes particulate matters are natural causes of air pollution. Anthropogenic sources which include industrial plants, motor vehicles, power generation, mining, smoke emissions from bush burning, quarrying, gas from waste/refuse combustion, agricultural sprays and chemical processing, exerts higher proportion than the natural factors. Anthropogenic pollutants are the most toxic and are generally emitted where people live, work and play. It typically causes the greatest health problem and exacerbates respiratory problems and other health complications.
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Fig 2. Air Pollution From Industrial Plant
(Source: Uzokwe, 2003. www.nigeriaworld.com)
Air pollution’s impact on health is very complex as there are many different sources. A good number of researchers like Abiodun, 1999; Ebisike, 2004 and
Obioha et al, 2005 have documented the effect of air pollution on people. They write that in some places, air pollution concentrations reached an alarming level due to weather inversion that trapped air pollution in valleys. These historical events have been documented by other studies. A good example is the Meuse valley of
Belgium in 1930 and London of 1952 where thousands lost their lives due to air pollution (Holland, Bennet, and Cameron, 1979). The release of methyl isocyanate into the air during a temperature inversion causes 3,300 deaths and more than
20,000 illnesses at Bhopal, India, in December 1984 and the release of industrial wastes into the atmosphere resulted in smog over Lagos in October 2005. Eitzen,
(1986) also reports that in the United States more than 200 million tons of air 31
pollutants are added to the atmosphere each year which adds up to about 1760 pounds of pollutants per person. Anthoni, (2001) writes that in the 20th century, air pollution killed 25-40 million people, roughly equal to the combined kill of World
Wars 1 and 2. In the United State of America, 30,000 – 60,000 people are killed this way each year as in Poland, Czech and Slovenia (former Czechoslovakia), but it mainly affects elderly people, young children, and those with existing respiratory problems. The young children are at risk because their lungs are not fully developed; they breath faster, and they spend lots of time outdoors (Kenneth, 1999).
Again, the adventure of technology resulting in modernization, industrialization and urbanization has also contributed in a great way to the level of pollutants suspended in our environment. Brimblecombe, (1996) writes that these pollutants interacts with other components of the air (e.g. vapour) and chemical transformations occur to form chemical acids (e.g. carbonic, sulphuric, nitric acids, etc) which are absorbed by water droplets in clouds and the droplets fall as acid rain which is a major problem related to air pollution.
The term acid rain refers to what scientists call acid deposition which is caused by airborne acidic pollutants and has highly destructive results. Caroline et al, (1999) records that scientists first discovered acid rain in 1852, when the English chemist Robert Agnus invented the term. From then until now, acid rain (which is one of the most important environmental problems) has been an issue of intense concern resulting in debates among scientists and policy makers because it moves about freely in the form of snow, fog, and tiny bits of dry materials that settle to earth. It cannot be seen, and therefore cannot be consciously avoided. This results in its affecting locations far beyond those that let out the pollution. (The United States
Agency for Environmental Protection, 2007; the National Geographic; and Caroline 32
et al, 1999).
All these have many ecological effects and Caroline et al, (1999) writes that none of these effects is greater than its impact on lakes, streams, wetlands, and other aquatic environments. Acid rain makes waters acidic and causes them to absorb the aluminum that makes its way from soil into lakes and streams. This combination makes waters toxic to crayfish, clams, fish, and other aquatic animals. Again,
Saptakee (2010) writes that the chemicals in the acid rain when poured with water over beautiful buildings and monuments gradually corrode them, snatching away the beauty.
Acid rain also damages forests, especially those at higher elevations as it robs the soil of essential nutrients and releases aluminum into it, which makes it hard for trees to take up water. The consequence of acid rain is evident on the poor agricultural output which can lead to excessive increases in food price. This in turn can put pressure on economic policy leading to higher interest rates.
Another major form of environmental pollution which is causing great concern globally is land pollution and it is described as the demolition of earth’s land surface by human activities and their misuse of land resources (Ujwal, 2012). It is also known as soil pollution.
The major culprits in land pollution as in other forms of pollution are urbanization and industrialization. Improper disposal of urban and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are some of the factors that cause land pollution. Ujwal, (2012) writes that garbage dumping, especially plastics, degrade the soil fertility as they are non biodegradable; Chemical fertilizers and pesticides, when over used pollute the soil and also penetrate into ground water and make it non potable. Prabhakar, (2012) 33
adds that other causes of land pollution are: ignorance towards soil management and related systems; unfavorable and harmful irrigation practices; improper septic system and management and maintenance of the same; leakages from sanitary sewage; and fuel leakages from automobiles that gets washed away due to rain and seep into the nearby soil. Wikipedia also reports that land pollution can also affect the general environment of the earth because it leads to loss in the forest cover of earth. This is in turn going to affect the amount of rain and fewer rains mean lesser vegetation. Again, land pollution leads to extinction of species which is brought about by habitat fragmentation and habitat destruction (Prabhakar, 2012; Ujwal,
2012). Both actions can cause some species to go extinct and others to become invasive.
Land pollution, as earlier stated, affects man as well as plants and animals.
While everyone is susceptible to land pollution, its effects may vary based on age, general health status and other factors. Ujwal, (2012) opines that children are usually more susceptible. This is because kids are more sensitive to various pollutants and they may come in close contact with soil by regularly playing in the ground. Thus, soil pollution for kids always involves higher risks than for adults.
Another major form of pollution is water pollution. This is the introduction into fresh or ocean waters of chemical, physical, or biological material that degrades the quality of the water and affects the organisms living in it. This process ranges from simple addition of dissolved or suspended solids to discharge of the most insidious and persistent toxic pollutants (such as pesticides, heavy metals, and non- degradable, bio-accumulative chemical compounds).
Water pollution not only affects the fish and animals living in the water but also affects the whole food chain by also transferring the contaminants to the 34
consumers depending on these animals (Missouri botanical gardens, 2006). The
National institute of Environmental Health Sciences NIEHS, (2011); Fubra, (2003); and Missouri Botanical Gardens (2006) write that the sources of these pollutants are yet again the large industries and factories that dispose of their waste in lakes and ponds; domestic wastes and agricultural wastes. Other sources include oil spills, atmospheric deposition, marine dumping, radioactive waste and global warming.
Among these, domestic waste (domestic sewage) and industrial waste and agricultural wastes are the most important sources contributing to water pollution.
When it comes to water pollution, Russell, (1988) writes that the destruction of the Mississippi River which is now called “Cancer Corridor” stands as a dramatic example. This is because the great river now carries millions of tons of waste to the sea which accrues from a variety of sources such as municipal dumping, industrial waste, agricultural fertilizer, and pesticides. Eitzen, (2006) also writes about the
Love Canal, New York where the Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation over a number of years, dumped 43.6 million pounds of 82 different chemical substances near Niagara Falls. Three ounces of this substance can kill more than a million people. As a result of exposure to the various chemicals dumped at Love Canal, nearby residents have an unusual number of serious illnesses, a high incidence of miscarriages, and an unusual number of children born with defects.
Leakage of oil into a body of water, like a river or stream, has very unpleasant effects on the body of water. Uzokwe, (2003) writes that the surface of the water becomes coated with very thick layers of crude oil, preventing oxygen from getting to the fish or other marine life in the water. This leads to the decimation of marine life and consequent death of the organisms. Some of the fish also die from poisoning after ingesting the deadly crude oil. 35
Water pollution is very severe in the Niger Delta in Nigeria. The United
Nations (UN) is reported to have confirmed massive oil pollution in this region in a release by Amnesty International, (2011) and UNEP, (2012). The natives, who are mostly fishermen, become dispossessed of their source of livelihood and resign to their fate while some with no alternative, resort to eating and selling of poisoned fish. Of course when people eat poisoned fish, they get ill or even die. Also, some of the spills seep into the ground and contaminate ground water. Many in the Delta region have complained that water from freshly sunk boreholes show evidence of oil contamination. This makes the water undrinkable even after some treatment.
Again, some natives have been known to use or even drink polluted water out of frustration and the ensuing negative health effects cannot be overemphasized. For instance, Ofehe, (2010) reports that in 1999, a tragedy befell the citizens of Erovie, a community in the Niger delta who were poisoned by toxic waste from Shell
Petroleum Development Company operations. Local residents began to experience health problems soon after the il company injected a million liters of a waste into an abandoned oil well in Erovie. Within two months 93 people had died from this mysterious illness.
In summary, the health implications of air, land and water pollution are numerous and some are: Adverse air quality which kills many organisms including humans. This is evident in acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) due to particulate matter inhaled from indoor air pollution from household solid fuels
(WHO, 2009); There is also evidence of links between indoor air pollution and low birth weight, tuberculosis, ischemic heart disease, nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers; the impact of air pollution can put a stress on the agricultural sector with a 36
feed back on other sectors of the economy especially in developing countries like
Nigeria where agricultural practices are rain-fed; Ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, and congestion; Water pollution which leads to contamination of drinking water causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day; Oil spills can cause skin irritations and rashes while noise pollution induces hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress, and sleep disturbance; Mercury has been linked to developmental deficits in children and neurologic symptoms; Lead and other heavy metals have been shown to cause neurological problems; Chemical and radioactive substances can cause cancer and as well as birth defects. (WHO, 2009).
2.1.2 Deforestation Along with pollution, the mass deforestation of the world’s old growth forests is also posing a severe problem to the health of the environment. Deforestation is a term used to describe the process where tree cover is reduced world-wide. In other words, it is the cutting, clearing and removal of the earth’s rain forests on a massive scale (Kricher, 1997; Collins, 2001; Szalay, 2013). Haluzan, (2012) citing David
McGuire, a professor of ecology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of
Arctic Biology writes that forests are very important and should not be destroyed because they play a critical role in earth’s terrestrial carbon balance and exert considerable control over the evolution of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The World Resources Institute and the United Nations regard deforestation as one of the world’s most pressing land-use problems (Collins, 2001; Haluzan, 2012).
This according to Collins, (2001) is so because forests act as a major carbon store: carbon dioxide is taken up from the atmosphere and used to produce the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that make up the tree. When forests are cleared, 37
and the trees are either burnt or rot, this carbon is released as carbon dioxide. This leads to an increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.
It should be noted that carbon dioxide is the major contributor to the greenhouse effect which is the main cause of climate change leading to global warming (GREENPEACE, 2006; Johnston, 2011). Safer Environment, (2010) warns that the issue of climate change should not be taken lightly because it leads to an increase in the intensity and frequency of weather extremes, such as heat waves, floods, droughts and tropical cyclones. In support of this, Haluzan, (2012) writes that Alfred Wegener (a renowned scientist), from the Institute for Polar and Marine
Research, has said that one of the global challenges accruing from atmospheric carbon emission have given rise to exceptionally cold weather characterized by chilling winds and temperatures well below zero degrees Celsius which has been striking Europe in very recent times is caused by deforestation. It is said to have brought about change in rainfall patterns on a global scale such as is experienced in
Brazil as a result of clear cutting of the Amazon rain forest and ocean acidification.
Also, other consequences of deforestation according to Haluzan, (2012) arising from alteration of local and global climates through disruption of the carbon cycle are soil erosion, silting of water courses, lakes and dams; extinction of species; and desertification.
The clearance of forests without sufficient reforestation has gradually worn down nature’s natural defense against air pollution, desertification, and soil nutrient loss to the point that we are now facing a future world without trees, which would ultimately mean a world without people. World Watch, (1987) points out that from
1973 to 1981, 16 percent of India’s forest cover was lost and in Africa 29 trees are cut for everyone that is planted. Olusola, (2011) reported in the Daily Times 38
Newspaper that the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has listed
Ghana, Nigeria and Togo as countries with the highest rates of deforestation in
Africa. Ghana loses 2.19 per cent of its forests cover; Nigeria loses 4 per cent while
Togo loses 5.75 per cent on the average from 2005 through 2010.
Multinational corporations, lumber/mining companies and local governments are the major culprits of deforestation (Eitzen, 2003). This is as a result of conversion of forests and woodlands to agricultural land to feed growing numbers of people; development of cash crops and cattle ranching, both of which earn money for tropical countries; commercial logging, (which supplies the world market with woods such as meranti, teak, mahogany and ebony); felling of trees for firewood and building material; the heavy lopping of foliage for fodder; and heavy browsing of saplings by domestic animals like goats (Collins, 2001). To compound the problem, the poor soils of the humid tropics do not support agriculture for long, thus people are often forced to move on and clear more forests in order to maintain production.
Deforestation is a serious problem in Nigeria. This forest loss is reported by Olusola, (2012) to be occurring at a rate of 3.3% per year and at an average loss of 11% of its primary forests each year. He writes that since 1990, the country has lost over 6 million or 36%, of its forest cover. The most biodiverse ecosystems, the old-growth forests, are disappearing at an even faster rate. These figures give
Nigeria one of the highest deforestation rates of natural forest in the world which is causing massive desertification alongside other problems in the Northern belt of the nation.
The current government is concerned about rising deforestation and environmental degradation, which is estimated to cost the country over $6 billion a 39
year. Nasidi, (2009) reports that the then minister of environment John Odey said that current estimate shows that desert encroaches into the Nigerian landmass at the rate of 600 meters per annum thereby threatening the food base of the country.
Odey advocated the cultivation of non-timber forest trees to combat the growing problems of desertification in the Northern belt of Nigeria. The government of
Nigeria along with Cameroon, has agreed since Sept 2008, (brokered by the
Wildlife Conservation Society), to protect the habitat of the endangered Cross River gorilla by cracking down on illegal logging and the bush meat trade, strengthening monitoring, improving law enforcement in parks and increasing community involvement and conservation education. Nigeria is also a signatory to the Accra
Declaration which resulted from a FAO/ITTO workshop held in Accra, Ghana in
July 2008, which explored the problems and possible solutions to the illegal extraction of forest resources in tropical West Africa (Olusola, 2012).
Finally, since forests together with oceans are the largest carbon sinkers and therefore an important ally in our fight against climate change which has given rise to serious environmental challenges like ocean acidification, desertification, greenhouse effect etc scientists globally have agreed that the solution is to drastically reduce the amount of carbon emissions on global level and this can be achieved only with very strict international climate deal which should involve massive reforestation (Johnston, 2011).
2.2 Solid Waste Management
Wastes in whatever form, when not properly managed, constitute a great threat to human health and the environment in general. Busari and Olaleye, (2007) citing
UNEP, (1992) explains that a threat is any activity, process or event whether natural or human induced, that may cause or is capable of causing an adverse effect upon 40
the status or sustainability of any component of the ecological diversity. One of the greatest threats to the environment and human health in recent times in most
Nigerian urban cities is the heaps of garbage (solid wastes) that pile up in neighbourhoods and it’s ineffective management (Uchegbu, 2002).
Wastes are generally seen as unwanted or discarded materials from houses, streets, commercial, industrial and agricultural operation (Lawal et al, 1995;
Ukpong, 2006). It could also mean when something is surplus to requirement or any material which has been used and is no longer wanted, because the valuable or useful part of it has been taken out (Oyeniyi, 2011; Akinbola, 2009).
The generation of waste according to Akinbola, (2009) is a natural consequence of human ecological and industrial process which increases proportionately with the rate of consumption, and also with scientific and technological activities. These unwanted materials which are discarded as a result of human or animal activity are a complex mixture of different substances some of which are intrinsically hazardous to health (Rushton, 2003). Most commonly they are solids, semisolids or liquids in containers thrown out of houses, commercial or industrial premises and can be classified into domestic, industrial liquids, solid, gaseous or air borne, organic, inorganic, hazardous and non-hazardous wastes depending on their nature and effects (Akinbola, 2009).
Aside from the obvious aesthetic cost, the problem of solid waste goes deeper. This is because many of these consumer products that are thrown away especially plastics, non-returnable bottles, aluminum cans etc are very difficult to destroy in nature and constitute serious environmental pollution if they are not properly disposed of.
41
In a publication by the Mumbai government, (2008), the different rates of decomposition are tabled as follows:
Table1: Decomposition Rates of Solid Wastes
Type of litter Approximate time of degeneration
Organic waste such as vegetable and A week or two fruit peels, leftover foodstuff, etc.
Paper 10-30 days Cotton cloth 2-5 months
Wood 10-15 years Woolen items 1 year
Tin, aluminum, and other metal items 100-500 years such as cans
Plastic bags One million years Glass bottles Undetermined
(Source: Publication by the Mumbai government, (2008)
Past generations like the hunter-gatherer societies had few problems with waste disposal because they lived within small communities and their wastes were dispersed over large expanse of land causing little or no adverse effect on the environment (Ukpong, 2006; Okpoechi, 2007). Also, Okpoechi, (2007) citing
Melosi, (1981) and Brown (1993) writes that it was the neolithic revolution that brought with it the first problems of waste management because of the sedentary lifestyles and increased wealth. As early as 500 B.C., the increasing volumes of waste generated by the residents of Athens, led to edicts being issued prohibiting the throwing of garbage into the streets. By 1297, London house owners were 42
legally required required to ensure that the pavement in front of their tenements are kept clean.
Today there is a phenomenal increase in volume and range of solid wastes generated in Nigerian urban cities like Aba in Abia state. This is largely due to population growth, increase in industrial manufactures, urbanization, modernization, economic prosperity and greater material wealth (Rushton, 2003;
Ukpong, 2006). These give rise to changing lifestyles, change in consumption pattern, the increasing use of disposable materials and excessive packaging which all contribute to an increase in the amount of waste being created making waste management a global concern.
In 1991, while trying to find out the reason for the problem of poor waste disposal in Nigerian cities, the Nigerian Environment Study/Action Team (NEST) conducted a research and noted that many of these cities are made up of traditional inner core and a modern section. Very often, no form of refuse disposal services is provided for the traditional core areas because of the lack of easy access to these areas. The houses are invariably located haphazardly and most of the roads and pathways are too narrow to be motorable and are generally impassable especially during the rainy season. Thus even when the garbage trucks are available, they may not be able to pass through to evacuate the refuse. This finding is applicable to the city of Aba but the irony today is that there are so many refuse piles even in the well planned streets.
In a report for Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets, Martin, (2012) writes that in 2011, the world generated an estimated 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW). They project that over the next decade this number will grow 43
much higher. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2012) reports that in 2010, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash. In Hong
Kong, Loh, (2012) writes that their nation leads the world in producing refuse. In
2010, the city generated about 19,000 tonnes of rubbish a day. This means that on average, each person produces some 2.7kg of municipal solid waste refuse excluding construction and hazardous waste a day and it poses an enormous task which when not effectively managed, constitutes a serious threat to the environment. Also, in a publication by the university of Aberdeen, (2012) citing the
Scottish Environment Protection Agency it is noted that Scotland produces over 3.3 million tonnes of municipal waste each year, of which over 2.6 million 43esea are collected from households.
Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) which is the generation, separation, collection, transfer, transportation and disposal or utilization of waste in a way that takes into account public health, economics, conservation, aesthetics, and the environment, is responsive to public demands (Hammed, 2009; Akinbola,
2009). World bank report, (2011) writes that the overall goal of urban solid waste management is to collect, treat and dispose of solid wastes generated by all urban population groups in an environmentally and socially satisfactory manner using the most economical means available. It aims at reducing the effect of the waste materials on human health, local aesthetics and amenity (Akinbola, 2009).
Landmark events in the history of solid waste management was traced by
Hursh, (2006) to 1757 when Ben Franklin introduced street cleaning operations in
Philadelphia; By 1776, patriots recycled the statue of king George to mould bullets for revolutionary war needs; In 1885, the first garbage incinerator was introduced in the United States and in the 1950s, US Army developed “sanitary landfill” disposal 44
methods. Also, Smith, (2009) writes that waste management in the United States began in Chicago during the 1890s when Dutch immigrant Ham Huizenga transported garbage for $1.25 using his wagon. Decades later, Waste Management,
Inc., the largest waste management company in North America, was founded in
1968 by Wayne Huizenga, Larry Beck and Dean Buntrock. It quickly became the
United States’ waste managing monopoly by acquiring the Service Corp of America in the 1980s. In 1998, it merged with USA Waste and now competes with Republic
Services, Inc. for the top waste contracts in the country.
The practices of managing wastes differ for developed and developing nations, for urban and rural areas, and for residential and industrial producers. Local governments are usually authorized to have responsibility for providing solid waste management services, and most local government laws give them exclusive ownership over waste once it has been placed outside a home or establishment for collection. As cities grow economically, business activity and consumption patterns drive up solid waste quantities.
Despite the emergence of different ways of managing solid wastes, it still poses a serious problem to government agencies especially in third world countries where their management is one of the most intractable (Adeyemi et al, 2005).World bank Report (2011) states that in developing countries, it is common for municipalities to spend 20-50 percent of their available recurrent budget on solid waste management. Yet, it is also common that 30-60 percent of all the urban solid waste in developing countries is uncollected and less than 50 percent of the population is served. In some cases, as much as 80 percent of the collection and transport equipment is out of service, in need of repair or maintenance. He writes that in Nigeria, especially in major urban centers, solid waste management is a 45
critical problem and has generated research interests in which many Nigerian cities have been examined.
Researchers like Fulani and Abumere, (1986); Adedibu, (1983, 1985, 1986);
Oduola, (1986); Agunwanba, (1998); Egbere, Itelima and Opiah, (2000);
Agunwanba, (2003); Ukpong, (2006); Imam et al (2008); Agunwanba and
Udedeh, (2009); Nwachukwu, (2009) have also done extensive studies on solid wastes and their management in some major Nigerian cities and they all opine that although the Nigerian Government is putting in efforts into municipal solid waste management, a lot still need to be done by all. In fact, Nigerian Government has taken different steps in the past to combat the problem without success. Despite their efforts, you don’t need to look far before you see mountains of refuse in most urban centers.
Based on observation, waste management problem in most of Nigerian communities is multidimensional in nature. Hammed, (2009) opines that it is associated with lack of community participation in policy planning. He writes that most of the policies that concern this issue are made without considering and involving the community people who are the waste generators as this will go a long way in involving them in the management of the wastes they generate. For instance, in a study which he conducted at Orita-Aperin communities in the year 2004, it was found that attitudes and belief of community people affected their waste management practices. When they are involved in the policy making, they will cooperate better. Hence, University of Aberdeen, (2012) suggest that to tackle this problem in a way that meets the needs of the present, without affecting future generations, means changing people’s behavior and attitudes to waste by adopting a cradle to grave approach. Hammed, (2009) goes on to write that here in Nigerian, 46
the question of whose responsibility it is to take care of waste generated in a community has not been clearly answered. Unlike in some civilized areas, many people in Nigeria do not realized that they are liable to the disposal of wastes they generated so they dump them by the road sides for government workers to pick up!
Then, when and where the municipal government cannot cope with waste collection and disposal successfully, people resolve into waste dumping into storm water, open dumping and stream dumping.
Waste management has been categorized by Rushton, (2003) into two groups: Waste treatment and Waste disposal. Hammed, (2009) also writes that these can be further categorized into two methods: those that are environmentally friendly e.g. sanitary or engineered landfill, composting and recycling, and those that are not, including incineration, stream dumping and open burning. Other existing methods include petrification, bailing, and land burial, just to mention a few. Also, of all the listed methods above only the sanitary landfill, stream dumping and land burial are permanent waste disposal systems while the others are just waste treatment i.e. meant to reduce the waste volume.
The various waste management options can be placed in an order known as the Waste Management Hierarchy which reflects the relative sustainability of each.
One of the key principles underlying waste management policy in the UK is to ensure that waste is dealt with as high up the Waste Management Hierarchy as possible. Since all waste disposal options have some impact on the environment, the only way to avoid impact is not to produce waste in the first place, and waste reduction is therefore at the top of the hierarchy. Re-use, followed by recovery techniques (recycling, composting and generating energy from waste) follow, while disposal to landfill or by incineration, the worst options, are at the bottom of the 47
hierarchy (Edinburgh University Archery Club, EAUC, 2011)
Fig 3. Waste Management Hierarchy
(Courtesy: Edinburgh University Archery Club, EAUC, 2011).
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2012) sees the hierarchy as a useful guide to choosing treatment methods, but it is not applicable to every situation or to all types of wastes. For instance, wastes containing hazardous substances should not be recycled but should be removed from the ecological cycle.
However, in this hierarchy which serves as a guide to the proper management of waste in the EU (European Union), waste prevention or reduction is the highest priority, followed by reuse, recycling, and safe disposal. 48
By reducing our waste produced at source, and reusing and recycling wherever possible, we can greatly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. In other words as stated by the Waste Management For Inland Navigation On The
Danube (WANDA, 2012), waste avoidance is an important principle towards sustainability. They suggest that use of ecological products or regional food, re- usable products and packages like returnable bottles, the repair of products or an omitting of unnecessary products can help to keep waste amounts down.
2.2.1 Open Dumps
The most common and convenient method of disposing of municipal solid wastes is the open dump. In a publication by the Mumbai government (2008), open dump is referred to as an uncovered site used for disposal of waste without environmental controls. The United State Federal Centre, (2010) defines it as a land disposal site at which solid wastes are disposed of in a manner that does not protect the environment. They are susceptible to open burning, and are exposed to the elements, vectors, and scavengers. Simply put, open dumping occurs when large quantities or piles of waste accumulate in areas not designed to handle such materials (Hamilton County Public health, 2007). Greedy and Thrane, (2011) writes that throughout history, mankind has used dumps to solve solid waste problems.
In the past open dumping was used as an inexpensive and often appropriate solution which served the purpose of keeping waste separated from the populace, hence limiting exposure to disease, vectors as well as odour. However, the introduction of more complex products into the waste stream, increased urbanization and population growth, have all resulted in a huge increase in the negative impacts of open dumps because the wastes are untreated, uncovered, and not segregated and constitutes an eyesore in towns. The level of potential harm 49
depends on the type, location and amount of waste identified at an open dump. They attract populations of rodents and other pests and often emit hideous odors; they serve as mosquito breeding areas, pose safety concerns for children, harbor diseases, create unpleasant odours, and also affect soil and water quality Hamilton
County Public Health, (2007).
The impact of open dumping on the environment and on health has been summarized by Derek and Thrane (2011), to include: contamination of water which may occur when leachate from the dump, via flow paths on or under the surface, reaches groundwater or surface water; uncontrolled burning of solid waste
(particularly certain types of plastics) releases smoke and gaseous contaminants into the air which contains particulates e.g. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other contaminant gases, including low levels of dioxins – all of which can be hazardous to health; fauna in and around dump sites may be impacted, either by direct consumption of the solid waste, or by consumption of contaminated plants and/or animals, or as a result of leachate effects on groundwater and surface water; dumps tend to affect the type and number of plants in the area; Dead vegetation due to trampling by foot, vehicle or animals, but may also be the result of direct contamination by waste or leachate, the migration of gasses, or as a result of burning or smoke.
These result in respiratory complaints, dizziness and headaches in the short- term, as well as potentially more serious diseases, such as cancers and heart disease in the long term. They also result in direct or indirect contact with polluted soil or water by neighbouring water users. The potential for the spread of infection is large and is often related to direct contact with the waste by scavengers and other unauthorized persons. The other transmission pathway is by vectors such as 50
foraging animals, rats, birds, flies and mosquitoes; site accidents frequently occur at dump sites, mostly involving scavengers.
The effects of poorly-sited open dumps as listed above by Derek and Thrane
(2011) has the potential to severely impact quality of life for local residents. They advice that every effort should be made to cease the practice of open dumping, and to upgrade progressively to controlled dumping/basic land filling, and then to sanitary land filling with the associated environmental controls.
2.2.2 Landfills
Landfills as a method of solid waste management remains a common practice in many countries. They are generally located in urban areas where large amount of waste is generated and has to be dumped in a common place. They reduce the serious threat to community health represented by open dumping or burning.
The Environmental Research Foundation, (2003) describes a landfill as a carefully engineered depression in the ground (or built on top of the ground, resembling a football stadium) into which wastes are put. They regard a landfill basically as a bathtub in the ground which can also be double-lined. In a double lined landfill one bathtub is placed inside another.
Landfills are hygienic and built in a methodical manner involving four critical elements: a bottom liner, a leachate collection system, a cover, and the natural hydro geologic setting. Wikipedia explains that the natural setting can be selected to minimize the possibility of wastes escaping to groundwater beneath a landfill hence the facility is designed with protective measures against pollution of ground water, surface water, air fugitive dust, wind-blown litter, bad odour, fire hazard, bird menace, pests or rodents, greenhouse gas (methane) emissions, slope instability and erosion. In other words, the aim is to avoid any hydraulic [water-related] connection 51
between the wastes and the surrounding environment, particularly groundwater.
The disposing of waste in a landfill is explained by the Mumbai state government (2008), to involve burying the waste. Unlike an open dump, a landfill is a pit that is dug in the ground. They are often established in abandoned or unused quarries, mining voids or burrow pits. The waste is dumped and the pit is covered at the dumping ground with debris/ soil and spread evenly in layers. At the end of each day, a layer of soil is scattered on top of it and some mechanism, usually earthmoving equipment is used to compress the garbage, which now forms a cell.
Thus, every day, garbage is dumped and becomes a cell. The organic waste undergoes natural decomposition and generates a fluid, which is known as leachate, and is very harmful to the ecosystem. After the landfill is filled with biodegradable solid wastes, the area is covered with a thick layer of mud and the site can thereafter be developed into other uses, be it agricultural, residential or commercial uses
(Uchegbu, 2002).
A landfill, according to Ezeji, (2010) is an improvement on open dumps because it is a place where the controlled deposition of waste takes place in an environmentally responsible manner.
In as much as a landfill is an improvement on open dumps, Montegue, (2011) citing the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Federal Register writes that a large number of adverse impacts may occur from landfill operations. These include damages on infrastructure (e.g., damage to access roads by heavy vehicles); pollution of the local environment (such as contamination of groundwater and/or aquifers by leakage or sinkholes and residual soil contamination during landfill usage, as well as after landfill closure); off gassing of methane generated by decaying organic wastes (methane is a greenhouse gas many times more potent than 52
carbon dioxide, and can itself be a danger to inhabitants of an area); harboring of disease vectors such as rats and flies, particularly from improperly operated landfills, which are common in developing countries; injuries to wildlife. Ezeji,
(2010) also adds that in many areas, however, space for landfills is running out and alternatives must be found. The list is growing steadily as time passes but the most alarming of all is that even the best liner and leachate collection system in a landfill will ultimately fail due to natural deterioration (US EPA Federal Register, 1988).
However, careful management of sanitary landfills, such as confinement to an area as small as possible; compacting to reduce their volume; providing for leachate and runoff treatment as well as daily coverage with topsoil, has alleviated most of the problems. (Ezeji, 2010).
2.2.3 Incineration
Another method of solid waste disposal is by Incineration. It is a chemical volume reduction technique of solid waste management (Uchegbu, 2002). Here, solid organic wastes are subjected to combustion so as to convert them into residue and gaseous products. This method is useful for disposal of residue of both solid waste management and solid residue from waste water management and the process reduces the volumes of solid waste to 90 percent of the original volume (Busari and
Olaleye, 2007). It is common in countries such as Japan where land is scarce, as these facilities generally do not require as much area as landfills.
Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are sometimes described as “thermal treatment” because they convert waste materials into heat, gas, steam and ash . However, combustion in an incinerator is not always perfect and there have been concerns about pollutants in gaseous emissions from incinerator stacks. For instance, incinerator ash contains high ratios of heavy metals, 53
becoming a hazardous waste in itself. Particular concern has focused on some very persistent organics such as dioxins and furans which may have serious environmental consequences (Mumbai government publication, 2008).
2.2.4 Composting
Another method of waste disposal which involves the decomposition and stabilization of organic matter under controlled condition is composting. Uchegbu,
(2002) citing Oluwande, (1993) describes composting simply as the conversion of refuse to stable humus-like substance which is achieved by micro-organisms. It is a biological process in which micro-organisms, mainly fungi and bacteria, convert degradable organic waste into humus like substance.
In this method of waste management, waste materials that are organic in nature, such as plant material, food scraps, and paper products, can be recycled using biological composting and digestion processes to decompose the organic matter. The intention of biological processing is to control and accelerate the natural process of decomposition of organic matter. The resulting organic material is then recycled as mulch or compost for agricultural or landscaping purposes. According to the Mumbai government publication, (2008), decomposition and stabilization of solid organic waste materials has been taking place in nature ever since life appeared on this planet. It is not very capital intensive. In addition, waste gas from the process (such as methane) can be captured and used for generating electricity.
There is a large variety of composting and digestion methods and technologies varying in complexity from simple home compost heaps, to industrial-scale enclosed vessel digestion of mixed domestic waste. Methods of biological decomposition are differentiated as being aerobic or anaerobic methods, though hybrids of the two methods also exist. 54
The challenge with this method according to the Environmental Protection agency, (2011) is that in many developing countries the wastes which are of different categories are lumped together and the rates of decomposition vary greatly and this affects the rate of decomposition.
2.2.5 Recycling
Finally, another very important method of solid waste management is
Recycling. The Environmental protection agency (EPA) (2012) writes that recycling and composting prevented 85.1 million tons of materials from being disposed of in the year 2010 in the United States and about 15 million tons in 1980.
This helped prevent the release of approximately 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the air in 2010 (equivalent to taking 36 million cars off the road for a year). Uchegbu, (2002) and Akinbola, (2009) refer to this method of waste management as ‘waste to wealth’ system because it is used to convert trash to useful material hence EPA, (2012) defines it as, “the recovery of useful materials, such as paper, glass, plastic, and metals, from the trash to use to make new products, reducing the amount of new raw materials needed”. Okpoechi, (2007), citing Solid Waste Assessment Plan, (1989) explains that recycling involves using waste material in place of virgin material for the manufacture of new products. In other words, recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources.
In recent times, recycling has been the most advocated method of solid waste management worldwide (Ogunde, 2011). The process as explained by Vaughan,
(2009) involves waste materials being collected, sorted and made into new products and materials. The recycled product will often be the same thing it was before undergoing the process e.g. a glass bottle will still be glass but can also be “down 55
cycled” into a new product or material (glass can be ground with other materials to make road surfacing).
On a practical level, Vaughan, (2009) writes that there is need to recycle because many communities are running out of room to bury rubbish and experts in the UK state that landfill sites will be full by 2017. Furthermore, the main environmental benefit of recycling is reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He writes that manufacturing new products from recycled materials rather than new virgin material almost always results in lowering carbon dioxide emission. Glass production, for example, uses 300kg carbon dioxide less per 55ese of glass when you recycle old glass rather than using raw materials. This is because manufacturing virgin glass involves a carbon-intensive furnace process called 55esearcher5555.
Recycling waste also reduces the amount of methane generated from biodegradable waste, such as cardboard paper, breaking down in landfill. Although methane is released in relatively small quantities in the UK (2.3m tonnes a year), it is a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (EPA, 2011).
Aside from cutting emissions that contribute to global warming, recycling has the benefit of preserving natural resources. Fewer trees need to be cut down, and fewer minerals and metals need to be extracted from mines. Even when a natural resource is renewable if managed sustainably, such as paper, harvesting it can still have negative environmental impacts. Forests planted for paper, for example, are often monoculture plantations which are typically much less species- rich than a natural forest (Vaughan, 2009; EPA, 2012). He lists the benefits of recycling as follows:
Benefits of Recycling • Recycling reduces the need for landfilling and incineration. 56
• Recycling prevents pollution caused by the manufacturing of products from
virgin materials.
• Recycling saves energy.
• Recycling decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global
climate change.
• Recycling conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals.
• Recycling helps sustain the environment for future generations.
2.2.6 Summary
In summary, the overall goal of Solid Waste Management is to collect, treat and dispose of solid wastes generated by all urban population groups in an environmentally friendly and socially satisfactory manner using the most economical means available. Also, depending upon the availability of land and its topography, economic viability, types of waste, quantity of waste and social conditions, one can choose any one or combination of the said techniques for solid waste disposal.
However, one of the key principles underlying waste management policy is to ensure that waste is dealt with as high up the Waste Management Hierarchy as possible. Since all waste disposal options have some negative impact on the environment, the only way to avoid impact is not to produce waste in the first place.
Hence the Waste Management for Inland Navigation on the Danube ‘WANDA’,
(2012) writes that waste avoidance (which is ranked highest in the waste management hierarchy) is the most important principle towards sustainability. This can be achieved through the use of ecological products or regional food; re-usable products and packages like returnable bottles; and the repair of products or an 57
omitting of unnecessary products. Re-use, followed by recovery techniques
(recycling, composting and generating energy from waste) follow, while disposal to landfill or by incineration which are the worst options are at the bottom of the hierarchy.
2.3 Visual Art
From the beginning of human existence, visual awareness has been a key element to communication. This is because optical or visual communication has the ability to disseminate information or feelings more effectively than almost any other form of communication. Hence, Ogbu in Adewunmi, (2007) citing Trowell (1965) writes that the root of the visual arts is man’s personal desire to create things of beauty, his need to use his product in the service of his community, and his wish to link himself with the spiritual power or powers behind the visible world through the use or offering of his own small creation. This creativity which is necessitated by man’s interaction with his environment, his basic needs, coupled with his desire for utilitarian objects forms the basic tenet of the visual arts.
The compulsion to create a visual vocabulary has been as innate in every society as the desire to acquire a system of spoken symbols hence the symbols of the early cave paintings held a deep significance for the artists and cultures that produced them (Stonehill, 1998). When an artist creates a visual work of art such as a painting, he or she is communicating just as surely as if he or she were talking.
His “words,” however, are not verbal (spoken), but rather comprise of color, line, shape, form and texture. There are so many different things an artist can say just by employing the different combinations (Jewell, 2002). When the medium of transmission of information is connected with sight as opposed to other senses, it is said to be visual (Larsen, 2002). However, Onoh, (2003) citing Doumont (2001), 58
points out that sometimes the term ‘visual’ really refers to the coding and not necessarily to the channel as seen by the eyes. She gives the examples of slides which are referred to as ‘visual aids’ which in most cases contain just texts. Texts are verbal coding not visual. Another example is the road sign ‘STOP’ which is regarded as visual communication but is in actual fact made of only texts. To make a distinction, the channel of transmission in visual communication is the visual art.
The term ‘visual art’ is used for a broad category of different types of art including the traditional fine arts such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture; communication and design arts such as film, television, graphics, and product design; architecture and environmental arts such as urban, interior, and landscape; folk arts; and works of art such as ceramics, fibers, jewelry as well as works in wood, paper, and other materials (Esaak, 2012).
As earlier noted, the current usage of the term “visual arts” includes the fine arts as well as the applied arts, decorative arts and crafts. This was not always the case because an object regarded as art today may not have been perceived as such when it was first made, nor was the person who made it necessarily regarded as an artist (Witcombe, 1997). Wikipedia writes that before the Arts and Crafts
Movement in Britain at the turn of the 20th century, the term “artist” was often restricted to a person working in the fine arts (such as painting, sculpture, or printmaking) and not the handicraft, craft, or applied art media. The distinction was emphasized by artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement who valued vernacular art forms as much as high forms. Art schools also made a distinction between the fine arts and the crafts maintaining that a craftsperson could not be considered a practitioner of Art.
These changes led Witcombe, (1997) to write that “art” lacks a satisfactory 59
definition. He opines that it is easier to describe it as the way something is done.
Hence he quotes the Encyclopedia Britannica that art is, “the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others.” In the production of emotions of aesthetic character through the use of skill and imagination, the artist transmits his feelings unlike in verbal arts where the communicator transmits his thoughts. This is achieved by consciously utilizing signs and symbols in order to hand on feelings he had lived through thereby infecting or affecting others. This means that one is supposed to feel something when viewing a work of art i.e. one is supposed to react to it, even if the work induces tears, anger, or discomfort. Works of art in general are meant to move the perceiver, especially in ways that words often can’t. Jewell, (2002) explains that when searching for the meaning of a work of art, one shouldn’t be looking for some kind of abstract symbolic meaning or other intellectual idea. It may be there intellectually, or it may not. Either way, what really is there is
‘feeling’.
This may have informed, Esaak (2012) to see visual art as a large part of one’s everyday life that one may hardly even stop to think about it since virtually all around us are products of skill and imagination. The desk or table where we work, our shoes, our coffee cup, the design on the back of the exercise books etc are products of art because someone imagined and designed them. He opines that all functional designs, if they are well executed are art. Hence he defines art as,
“something that is both functional and (hopefully) aesthetically pleasing to our eyes.”
Also, Van Camp, (2006) in a compilation of excerpts from the work of Leo
Tolstoy writes that in order to correctly define art, it is necessary, first of all, to 60
cease to consider it as a means to pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life. Viewing it in this way we cannot fail to observe that art is one of the means of intercourse between man and man. Hence every work of art causes the receiver to enter into a certain kind of relationship both with him who produced, or is producing the art, and with all those who, simultaneously, previously, or subsequently, receive the same artistic impression. According to Leo Tolstoy, art begins when one person, with the objective of joining another or others to oneself in the same feeling, expresses that feeling by certain external indications. While speech may serve in similar manner, the peculiarity of Art as a means of intercourse, distinguishing it from intercourse by means of words, consists in this, that whereas by words a man transmits his thoughts to another, by means of art he transmits his feelings (Onoh, 2003).
On what a visual art entails, Esaak, (2012) explains that it consists of two things: Form and Content. Form means the elements of art, the principles of design and the actual, physical materials that the artist has used. The material that the artist uses in the production of his work is solely dependent on him and what he intends to portray. It can range from poster color to found objects including discarded waste materials. Sculptor Okay Ikenegbu in Adewunmi, (2007) writes that the materials in the hands of the artist are transfigured by imagination into media of a particular sort of symbolic transaction with reality. This is in line with Collingwood (1889-1943) who argued that the real work of Art exist first in the imagination of the artist and then in the imagination of those who appreciate his work. Form is concrete and fairly easily described no matter which piece of art is under scrutiny. Content on the other hand is idea-based and entails what the artist meant to portray, what the artist actually did portray and how we react, as individuals, to both the intended and 61
actual messages. Additionally, content includes ways in which a work was influenced: by religion, or politics, or society in general, or even the artist’s use of hallucinogenic substances at the time it was created. All of these factors, together, make up the visual art.
In summary of what visual art is, Jewell, (2002) writes that it is a language of its own which is different from the normal spoken language. The language of the visual arts, like the other art forms are feeling (emotion and intuition), and form or idea without words. Through the visual arts, one can discover worlds of experience that are all around us, or inside of us that cannot be described quickly or easily with mere words. They can help give meaning to what seems meaningless and help recapture feelings and experiences that we have once had or would like to have again.
The use of art to give meaning is captured by Melcher, (2010) who reports that Eve Mosher, an artist, made a film on the overall effect that art can have on environmentalism. Mosher used visual art to make environmental issues more readily available to people because she believes that the first important step towards a healthier world is environmental education as only knowledge can trigger change in behavior. She also believes that scientific information and debates can sometimes overwhelm people who are not familiar with the technicalities of the issues but when visual art is employed, the same issues can be presented in more digestible manner or format. This is because visual art is a field that finds practical use in other subject areas. It is a channel that helps other subject areas to be understood better. For instance, good and accurate illustrations are quite helpful in explaining points which would otherwise be difficult to be understood with only words. Hence, organizations like the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Art for 62
the Environment Initiative are working at generating environmental awareness by using the universal language of art as a catalyst for individuals, communities and leaders to focus on environmental values. UNEP hopes that, by sharing artists' sensitivity to the plight of the planet through works of art ranging from ancient and indigenous objects to contemporary forms and multimedia visions, they can promote a deeper understanding and connection to the natural world. (UNEP, 2010)
Also, Reed, (2011) writes about the photography of Edward Burtynsky whose work and the work of many other artists and photographers step beyond the linkages between environmentalism and social justice to take this relationship a step further in tracing the links between environmentalism, social justice and the visual arts. Through documentation and his framing of the physical state of landscapes, he conveys a disturbingly exquisite depiction of environmental destruction. Through the artistic photographs, the viewer becomes aware of the extent to which the earth’s landscape has changed as a result of the environmental destruction that has occurred and continues to occur in the name of ‘progress.’ Here in Nigeria, Tell Magazine, (2011) writes about a young Nigerian artist, Temitayo Ogunbiyi, amongst others, who through a unique weaves of clothes, hair attachments and basket materials, shows her love for the environment and its conservation.
Some nations like Ghana are adopting visual arts in the form of waste to art as a strategy for reducing and managing some of their solid wastes. Anyemedu and
Ahenkora-Banya, (2010) write about the Recycling in Schools Project, an initiative of Nestlé Ghana, the Swiss Embassy, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural
Development (MLGRD), and the United Nations Global Compact Network in
Ghana which was launched for five weeks in three selected educational institutions in Accra. The objective of the pilot project was to educate primary school children through visual arts on the environment, proper plastic waste disposal and health and 63
sanitation issues relating to plastic waste. By involving the various stakeholders directly, each sector encouraged the others to remain motivated and to share the responsibility of addressing the plastic waste menace. Also, by increasing awareness of plastic waste disposal, the project encouraged behavioral change in primary school children. The project also informed the parents and other stakeholders of the benefits of proper plastic waste disposal and the consequences of improper disposal, thereby encouraging them to also participate. By combining education and reward, the project sought to promote long-term behavioral change and an understanding of the issues related to plastic waste disposal. The project was merged with a two week international artists’ workshop on waste management. The concept was to mobilize artists to adopt waste materials (especially plastic waste) and make creative things from them.
Also, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Christopher (2012) writes about an enormous outdoor installation of fish which was constructed using discarded plastic bottles on Botafogo beach. This was constructed as part of the UN Conference on
Sustainable Development in which people were encouraged to use visual art to solve part of the problem of solid wastes. The sculptures are illuminated from the inside at night creating a pretty spectacular light show.
In a small village in Nigeria, Shopmpman, (2011) writes that a solution has been applied through the visual arts not only to provide shelter for the poor, but also to find a use for plastic bottles that end up in refuse and constitute environmental problems. Packing sand into plastic bottles and using them to build houses is a technique that started nine years ago in India, South and Central America. It is named “bottle brick” technology. The compacted sand inside the bottles is said to be almost 20 times stronger than bricks. The best part is that in a region that does 64
not have much money to spend on building materials, the houses are estimated to cost 1/3 of a house made of concrete and bricks. This art of building houses with plastic bottle waste is being encouraged all over the world as an artistic way of managing bottle wastes. One of such houses is the Washington Court Bottle House in Ohio which was made with 9,963 bottles of all sizes and colors. The builder was a bottle collector. To display his collection, he built the bottles into a house which is on display at Meyer's Modern Tourist Court. Others can be seen in Simi Valley in
California, Alexandria, Louisiana, Kaleva, Michigan, Boston, Massachusetts,
Wimberley and Texas.
In conclusion, visual art as can be seen from the literature above is not just a means for creating aesthetic or utilitarian objects but can also be used to draw attention to environmental issues as the first step towards environmental health is environmental education. Artists who are engaged in ‘waste to art’ while showing how wastes can be reused creatively, have equally demonstrated that art works are not just objects of decoration or merchandise but are also important historical documents and mediums of social re-engineering and can be used to make environmental statements.
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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter includes: the Research Methodology employed in the Study; Aba in Abia State; Solid Waste in Aba Metropolis; and Solid Waste Management in Aba
Metropolis.
3.1 Research Methodology
This research on environmental degradation and the management of solid wastes through the visual arts was carried out using the ethnological approach which involved a descriptive survey as the researcher has lived in the geographical area under study. Being an ethnological study, it involved field trips to the area under study, identifying with the people, identifying sources of waste output, their impact and the effect on the people.
Since Aba is an industrial and a major market city, the researcher visited and interacted with business men, traders, students and residents in streets that are responsible for the refuse generation in order to find out the types of wastes produced, levels of awareness on proper disposal of solid wastes, and efforts being made to properly and safely dispose of the refuse within the ambits of the law.
Refuse management authorities were also interacted with to establish their methods of collection and disposal in the area of delimitation.
The research relied on primary and secondary data, through in-depth interviews, critique of selected art works, as well as careful accumulation of textual and photographic data from publications.
Interviews which were recorded with the aid of digital sound recorders as well as pen and paper were used to obtain information from primary sources. This 66
method of data collection was used in order to record the discussions with the various interviewees accurately. The areas where the solid wastes are found intensively as well as art works under study were photographed and recorded with cameras.
Secondary sources include published materials in exhibition catalogues, journals, books, magazines, as well as electronic devices (particularly the internet), unpublished students’ projects, theses, dissertations, seminar papers and proposals.
For the field work, the secondary school students selected for the study were given lectures on the environment, proper waste disposal strategies, and health/sanitation issues relating to solid wastes. They were also lectured on the potentials of converting the wastes-art-wealth. Demonstrations on how waste products can be converted to art were carried out. The students were given one week to search for re-useable waste objects after which they were encouraged to create art works and crafts from the found objects. The art works were assessed by the art teachers and other artists. The selected ones were put up for exhibition and for sell.
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3.2 Aba in Abia State
Fig 4. Map of Aba, Abia State (Source: www.wikipedia.com 2012)
Aba which is popularly known as “Enyimba city” (elephant city) is the biggest city in Abia State and it is the economic nerve center of the State.
Abia State is one of the 36 States which constitute the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. It was created on the 27th of August, 1991 out of the old Imo state with
Umuahia as the State capital by the then Military President of Nigeria General
Ibrahim Babangida. According to Iroegbu (2009) in an official documentation by the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), the name “A.B.I.A” has scriptural, political and alphabetical derivations. It was taken from the first letters of Aba, Bende, Isuikwuato and Arochukwu representing the four geo- political zones in the state and has a strong rooting in the Holy Bible, hence the title
“God’s own state”. It is also one of the nine constituent states of the Niger Delta region and has had eight governors (five military and three civilians). 68
Abia state is bounded on the West by Imo state, on the North and North-East by Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi States, on the South-East by Cross river and Akwa
Ibom states and on the South by Rivers state. It has a population of over 5.2 million people with density of 1.2 million people per square kilometers and a total land mass of mass of 5833.77sqkm. The southern part of the State lies within the riverine part of Nigeria. It is low-lying with a heavy rain fall of about 2400mm/per year especially intense within the months of April and October. The rest of the State is moderately high plain (Iroegbu, 2009).
The people of Abia state are of the Igbo ethnic group. However, people of other ethnic origin as well as some foreign nationals also live and work in the state in a very peaceful and congenial atmosphere. The indigenous language is Igbo while the official language is English. The most common religion in Abia state is
Christianity. They are entrepreneurial, known and reputed to be industrious and highly market oriented. Abians are very dynamic, creative, republican, hospitable and accommodating. The people are also migratory in nature because of their trading activities hence they are found virtually everywhere in Nigeria.
The people of Abia state are education conscious, having been involved in, and benefited from western education. Their pattern of education enjoys gender sensitivity with government managed secondary schools besides those that are privately owned in the state. There are also some higher institutions which include two universities, one polytechnic, one college of education, and one school of health technology.
The state also has very rich culture, which is reflected not only in their language and food but also in cultural dances and festivals. The New Yam festival is the most popular. Cultural societies like Mboko, Ekpe, Okonko and Oboni also 69
exist in the state. During the initiations, which is exclusively for adult men, children and women are not allowed close to the arena. The age-grade system which serves as a vehicle for community development is also practiced in the northern zone of the state and in parts of the central zone. Women groups exist and also serve as catalysts for development.
There are crafts for which some parts of the state are popular for example,
Akwete town is known for the Akwete cloth (hand woven clothes that are very colourful in design), while Uturu is known for mat making.
Abia state is also richly blessed with abundant human and mineral resources namely: crude oil, gas, gold, lime stone, gypsum, kaolin, bentolite clay, phosphate, copper, salt, lignite, silica sand, tar sand/oil shale, bitumen, laterite, gravel etc.
(Iroegbu, 2009). These resources have given the state great economic and investment potentials and have placed her among the economically viable states in
Nigeria with crude oil and gas production as prominent activity. Wikipedia writes that this contributes to 39% of the GDP. Agriculture contributes to 27% of the GDP and employs 70% of the state work force. With its adequate seasonal rainfall, Abia has much arable land that yields much agricultural produce including yam, maize, cashew, cassava among others. The manufacturing sector only accounts for 2% of the GDP.
Despite the abundant resources that the state is blessed with, baseline survey by the Federal Office of Statistics indicated that Abia state was and is still one of the poorest states in Nigeria. About 52.6% of the populations as reported by Federal
Office of Statistics (FOS) are poor while 85% of this group lives in the rural areas.
To check the veracity of this finding the state conducted Social Institutional Needs
Assessment pilot studies in twenty-four communities. The result of the assessment 70
confirmed the poor status of the state. Furthermore, a World Bank Appraisal
Mission from June 25 to July 7, 2000 also confirmed this. Social indicators of the state do not generally portray a favorable picture in general and is often worse for the poor and the vulnerable group (women and children). The above situation is compounded by total collapse of infrastructure and social amenities (roads, health, educational institutions, water supply and other social services), environmental degradation, massive unemployment, insecurity, inadequate housing provision and also overcrowding.
The above is the picture of the city of Aba. It is the major urban center in
Abia state and was originally settled by the Ngwa clan of the Igbo people of Nigeria along the Aba River. Upon the creation of Abia state in 1991, Aba was divided into two local government areas namely; Aba south and Aba North. It is made up many villages such as: Umuokpoji Aba, Eziukwu-Aba, Obuda-Aba, Aba Ukwu and other villages from Ohazu which are merged for administrative convenience.
Historically, the city of Aba according to Ohakwe, Nnorom and Nwosu,
(2011) is located on the land conceded to the British crown by the Eziukwu – Aba community. It eventually became an administrative center of British colonial government who established a military post in it in the year 1901. The city became a collecting point of agricultural products following the British railway line which runs through it to Port Harcourt in 1915 through which goods like palm oil and palm kernel where transported. In 1929, Aba was the site of a revolt by Igbo women known as the “The Aba Women’s Riot” which was a protest of the colonial taxation policy. Again, during the height of Nigerian-Biafran War in 1967, the capital of
Biafra was moved to Aba from Enugu as Nigerian troops advanced into Biafra from the North. 71
Physically, the town is well connected, with roads leading into it from Port
Harcourt, Owerri, Umuahia, Ikot Ekpene, and Ikot Abasi. The state is properly linked to the rest of the country by Federal highways, railway lines and other internal road networks.
Aba was established by the Igbo people of Nigeria as a market town and it features a high concentration of small scale industries and a number of sizable markets including the famous Ariaria market and Ahia ohuo. It is surrounded by oil wells which separate it from the city of Port Harcourt. A 30 kilometres pipeline powers Aba with gas from the Imo River natural gas repository
(Hoiberg, 2010). Its major economic contributions are textiles and palm oil along with pharmaceuticals, plastics, cement, and cosmetics which made the Ariaria international market to become one of the largest markets in west Africa. Ubochi,
(2009) writes that the city has about the highest number of small scale industries on the continent. The Ariaria market is the home of homemade shoes and bags and other house hold items and it is highly patronized by people all over Nigeria and neighboring countries while Ahia ohuo is the centre for the sale of fabrics. Aba has a large population of artisans and is famous for its handicrafts and it’s fame rests on its production of materials such as dresses, nails, metals works, bags and shoes which are known as “Aba made”. There is also a brewery (Nigeria Brewery) and distillery within the city.
Finally, the city has played a lasting role in the Christian evangelism of the
Southeast of Nigeria. General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist, (2014) writes that Christain evangelism in Aba started when the British brought the Church
Missionary Society (CMS), an evangelism vehicle of the Church of England, which was used to plant what today has become the Anglican Church of Nigeria. In 1923, 72
the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA Church) was established. The Seventh-day
Adventists are well known for their Biblical faith, quality hospitals and good educational institutions. The Roman Catholic church and the Penticostal brand of
Christianity are also very prominent in Aba. Muslims and mosques are also present in the city.
3.3 Solid Wastes in Aba Metropolis
The industrial impact of Aba small-scale artisans has earned it the name
“Japan of Africa’. The products of these micro-industrial concerns are sold all over
Nigeria and abroad. People from every part of Nigeria and the West-African sub- region flock to Aba to patronize her products.
While applauding the ingenuity and industry of the average trader, businessman or manufacturer in Aba, it is worthy to mention the environmental challenges that the dwellers are being exposed to. For instance, there is no functional industrial layout; People locate and run their industries where and how they want; Emission of gas into the air from factories is a common sight and this runs counter to the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 (an agreement geared towards reducing gas emissions by nations to reduce the negative impact on the environment); Solid wastes from factories and even homes are indiscriminately dumped. Even the erection of buildings except in the old town plan is haphazardly done such that if nothing is done and quickly too, Aba may soon turn into a large slum. The attendant problems of these in terms of flooding and fire outbreak are better imagined.
Again, the rivers and streams have been turned into receptacles of solid, liquid and industrial wastes. This has contaminated the water making it dangerous for human and animal consumption and also destroys the aquatic life. During the rainy season, the drainages are blocked because of the wastes dumped into them 73
leading to the flooding of roads, homes and offices. The above scenario is not in the interest of the health of the populace especially the vulnerable group (low income earners, women and children).
Fig 5. Aba blue river is now smelly and murky because of the abattoir on its banks. (Photograph by Researcher)
Fig 6. Refuse dump at Opobo junction, Ogbor Hill. Aba. 74
(Photo by researcher)
Fig 7. Refuse dump along Faulks Road, Aba. (Photo by researcher)
Fig 8. Piles of cow horns on Aba blue river abattoir with murky water in the background. (Photo by researcher)
75
Reacting to this problem, Ubochi, (2009) laments that this is not what Aba used to be. According to him, “that once beautiful city of those days has become a shadow of its old self”. He notes that there were days when Aba used to beckon to all and sundry. Then, it was fondly referred to as the ‘Taiwan of Africa’ but over time its beauty has been slain on the altar of bad governance, greed, corruption, lawlessness and planlessness. He describes Aba as not only the big slum of the former Eastern Region; it also has the worst roads any eye can see. Ohakwe et al,
(2011) also points out that in this town, people live and work beside heaps of garbage. The heaps are so many and so high that the management of the solid wastes has become a huge challenge. Ezeji, (2010) agrees that the city of Aba has become another mound of refuse because the Abia State Government and her people seem preoccupied with other issues.
The genesis of the problem may have been when Abia State was carved out from Imo state in the year 1991 and there was a mass movement of people from
Imo state to Abia state. Some people in the rural areas also perceived opportunities for better life afforded by the creation of a new state and moved to the newly created urban cities. Many of the people relocated to Umuahia (the capital city) and also to Aba which was seen as a place that would afford them the opportunity for economic growth because of the business opportunities that the town offered.
Ohakwe et al, (2011) laments that with the overwhelming influx of people into Aba, the town’s waste management system has collapsed, turning it into one of the dirtiest cities in Nigeria.
The substantial increase in the quantity and diversity of the solid wastes being churned out (on daily basis) from various households, markets, industries, hospitals, offices, restaurants and other business centers in the city of Aba can 76
therefore be attributed to the urban population growth rate and living standards of the people.
The municipal solid wastes in the city according to Ogwueleka, (2009) include refuse from households, non-hazardous solid waste from industrial, commercial and institutional establishments (including hospitals), market wastes, yard wastes, and street sweepings. Nnorom and Osibanjo, (2006); Ekhaise and
Omavwoya, (2008); Oyelola and Babatunde, (2008) in trying to break them down write that they include virtually all categories of solid wastes: pure water packages, food wastes, paper, cardboard, plastics, textiles, leather, yard wastes, wood, glass, metals, ashes, potentially hazardous wastes including consumer electronics, medical/hospital waste, batteries (dry cells, and rechargeable batteries) condemned oil, waste tyres etc. The wastes are so many and piled up all over the city that
Imohiosen, (2007) describes the city as ‘bedevilled by this bane called solid waste’.
A study of the dumps in Aba by the researcher confirms Uchegbu, (2002) that the solid wastes can be classified into garbage and rubbish. Garbage is putrefied waste from food such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetable while rubbish is the perishable waste that are either combustible or non-combustible such as paper, carton, wood polythene, iron, glasses and ceramics.(See table 2 below).
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Table 2: Solid Wastes in Aba Metropolis: Sources, Types and Description
SOURCE TYPE DESCRIPTION
Residential areas Garbage Domestic refuse, wastes from preparation and cooking of food. Rubbish Pure water bags, cloths, polythene, tins, paper, plastics, empty cartons, glass, sticks, leather, enamel plate, ceramics, metals, leaves, grass, rubber, wood etc. Market areas Garbage Wastes from preparation and cooking of food, market refuses. Rubbish Plastics, polythene, pure water, empty cartons, paper, wood, cloths, leather, tins, ash, rubber, leaves, grass, metals, ceramics, yard trimmings, bricks, glass, bottles. School areas Rubbish Mainly paper, plastics, polythene, pure water and few food wastes Hospital areas Medical wastes Laboratory wastes, surgery wastes, pathological wastes, maternity wastes, syringes, expired drugs and chemicals. Municipal/ Bulk wastes Discarded large motor parts, large appliances, transportational furniture, refrigerators, tyres, metal scraps (streets, gutters, Street refuse Street sweepings, dirt, silt from gutters, leaves, workshops) content of refuse, cloths, plastics, paper, pure water Industrial/factory Industrial refuse Solid wastes resulting from industrial processes areas and manufacturing operations, wood, plastic and metal scraps, hazardous wastes, radioactive materials Construction and Roof scrapings, lumber, conduit pipes, wire demolition insulation scraps, nails, blocks, cement bags wastes
(Table by researcher)
From the above table, it is evident that solid waste generation in Aba metropolis cuts across many sectors. However, a number of them stand out prominently as posing serious threat to the sustainable development of Aba. These include problems like the challenge posed in recent years by the pure water packaging which litter virtually every part of the town. In a data presented by
Nwachukwu (2009) on solid wastes in the city of Onitsha which is very similar to
Aba because they are large trading towns, it was noted that plastic and polythene 78
wastes constitute 17.9% of solid waste components. This ranked second highest next to food wastes and it is followed by junks produced by manufacturers. One of the reasons for the increase in plastic wastes as opined by is the substitution of traditional green leaf packaging used in wrapping foods like moi moi and agidi with plastics by the food industry. This is in a bid to apply a measure of sophistication. These plastics although cheap and neat in appearance are not durable and when they are disposed of, they significantly increase the volume of refuse generated as they are non biodegradable and therefore do not disintegrate easily.
Another major threat to the environment in Aba is the pollution of surface water as in the case of the Aba blue river at the foot of Ogbor hill which the butchers, traders and the residents in the nearby streets have turned into a dump place. The Aba blue river which used to be the pride of Aba has been turned into a smelly, stinking unsightly place; ground water sources have also been grossly affected by leakages from the refuse heaps and dump sites; pollution of the aesthetics of the city, and blocking of drainages, leading to flooding and other attendant social problems. (See fig 5)
These all have widespread consequences. For example, Subhajit, (2011) notes that diseases are spread by uncollected garbage and blocked drains; the health risks from hazardous wastes are typically more localized, but often acute.
3.4 Solid Waste Management in Aba Metropolis
Solid Waste Management (SWM) has been an integral part of every human society (Ohakwe et al, 2011 citing Shekdar, 2009). The city of Aba is not an exception. It is obvious that different communities have different unique profiles of solid waste, the composition of which depends on variables such as urbanization, lack of sound policies for waste management by the government, inadequate 79
infrastructure, and the unwillingness of people to co-operate and participate in waste management activities. These are major challenges facing sustainable waste management in developing countries with the city of Aba as an example. Okpoechi,
(2007) among others points at urbanization as the main culprit.
One obvious consequence of rapid urbanization is the growing generation of solid wastes, their collection and disposal and many city authorities face unprecedented challenges in managing this. The collection, transfer, treatment, recycling, resources recovery and disposal of solid waste in urban areas are referred to as Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM). The goals of municipal solid waste management are to promote the quality of the urban environment, generate employment and income, protect environmental health and support the efficiency and productivity of the economy.
In a city like Aba where there is so much increase in trading and industrial activities without consideration of best available technologies and abatement equipments, there is much strain on the existing inadequate urban infrastructure.
This strain appears to be more obvious in the waste management sector where the existing system, appears to be incapable of coping with the mountain of waste generated and heaped on the surface within neighbourhoods and along roads.
Typical examples are the mountains of refuse dumped at Opobo junction in Ogbor hill,old Port Harcourt road, Azikiwe road, Aba Motor Park area and the Aba –
Portharcourt highway. These have put so much pressure on the administrators of
Aba metropolis for sustainable municipal solid waste management.
In an interview with the Director of Administration of the Abia State
Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Mrs Ugo Nwabuko, it was revealed that there is no official documentation on the tonnage of refuse in Aba. However, 80
she said that studies on the refuse tonnage generated in Aba metropolis is about five times the total refuge tonnage in Umuahia which is the state capital. Based on the information and the documentation on Umuahia, the daily refuge in Aba was calculated by ASEPA as follows:
3.4.1 Refuse Tonnage in Aba Metropolis
a. Ecopower Trucks (A×10) Maximum tonnes disposed in a day trips × 40 tonnes (40,000kg) = 640 tonnes/day Weekly = 640 tonnes × 7days = 4480 tonnes/week Monthly = 640 tonnes × 30 days = 19,200 tonnes/month Annual = 640 tonnes × 365 days = 233,600 tonnes/year
b. N.D.D.C Trucks Daily Tonnage = Maximum of 24 trips × 15 tonnes =360 tonnes/day Weekly Tonnage = 360 tonnes × 7 days = 2,520tonnes/ week Monthly Tonnage = 360 tonnes × 30 days = 10,800 tonnes/month Annual Tonnage = 360 tonnes × 365 days = 131,400 tonnes/year
Overall Estimated Yearly Total Tonnage Ecopower truck 233,600 tonnes + N.D.D.C truck 131,400 Tonnes = 36500 tonnes/year
(Source: ASEPA Headquarters Umuahia)
From the data above, the amount of waste that accumulates in Aba metropolis in a matter of hours is more than waste collectors can haul in a day. The common methods employed by the residents for the disposal of the wastes in Aba include open dumps, open burning and dumping into rivers.
The refuge is neither separated at source nor at the collection point. People simply dump them at the collection points. Most of these points are not officially designated for the collection of refuse and they are usually located within residential areas i.e. beside houses and along the roads. When they are filled up, they are carted away in trucks to large open dumpsites which are actually dug-up pits for burial. These dump sites are located along Aba-Port Harcourt highway at Ariaria 81
and at Obehie and they are usually set on fire to reduce waste volume. The location at Ariaria used to be at the fringe of the city. Unfortunately, the city’s rapid growth has caught up with it and people live, work and trade in the vicinity of these large dumps and it constitutes a serious problem both from the aesthetic and health point of view.
The dumps are uncovered sites and they do not have environmental controls.
The waste is untreated, uncovered, and not segregated; they are exposed to flies and rodents; they generate foul smell and unsightly appearance; loose waste is dispersed by the action of wind; drainage from dumps contribute to pollution of surface and ground water and also the rainwater run-off from these dumps contaminates nearby land and water thereby spreading disease.
In the case of open burning, solid wastes in Aba metropolis are typically dumped on low-lying land where they are burnt to reduce their volume and lengthen the life span of the dumpsite. It must be noted that most of the refuse like plastics does not burn well and smoldering dumps produce clouds of smoke that can be seen from miles away. They also smell bad and create a breeding ground for flies and rats. The result is unsightly and unsanitary conditions. Again, potentially valuable re-useable and recyclable materials are lost. Moreover, some plastics when burnt form poisonous gases (Okonkwo in Mba et al, 2001).
Also, Agunwanba and Udeh, (2007) citing Strausses (1991) confirmed this by stating that, “particulates emitted during burning have deleterious effect on materials, paintworks, glasses and fibre material. Other impacts of such gaseous emissions include deterioration of clothing materials, curtains and wood and the corrosion of metals.” Most of the time, the residents in Aba who live by water sides and beside rivers simply dump their wastes into the waters. This leaves the waters 82
stagnated and smelly.
The Abia state government through Abia State Environmental Protection
Agency (ASEPA) has made efforts towards solving the solid waste problem in Aba metropolis which in the past fifteen years has constituted a perennial source of embarrassment not just to the government or the citizens but also to the investors and all tourism and aesthetics loving individuals (Iroegbu, 2009). The state government has tried to confront the quagmire in the state by employing various approaches towards achieving sustainable solid waste disposal. It has procured several waste management equipment and implements to complement the existing ones for efficiency in waste management in the state. These include:
• ECO power trucks and tippers
• Industrial size receptacle
• Waste bins
• Bulldozers
• Grader
• Light weight waste containers
• Domestic waste bins
• Motor vehicle waste basket/container
• Bio-degradable waste bags(black bags). (Iroegbu, 2009)
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has also donated Reikse buckets and disposal trucks.
The first step taken by the government towards ridding the city and the state in general of refuse was to enter into partnership with an American Refuse
Management Firm, Phoenix Environmental Resources, based in California whose term of reference was to evacuate all waste materials in Abia state, move them to 83
their factory in Obingwa and convert the waste to organic manure which they will in-turn sell to farmers in the state and beyond. However, this contract has been summarily terminated after about two years of inefficiency of the organization in carrying out the task because Aba became worst than it was when they started.
Consequently, the state government returned the schedule back to ASEPA (Iroegbu,
2009).
In addition, the state government according to its official document, through the Ministry of Environment and the Abia State Environmental Protection
Agency (ASEPA) has engaged the services of street sweepers who are to sweep all the streets of Aba and Umuahia daily to keep them clean. ASEPA has also introduced a monitoring scheme. This is a strategy aimed at policing all the various dumpsites and waste collection points to ensure proper and regular disposal of wastes. To further ensure effective waste management and to forestall the outbreak of epidemics associated with dirty environment, the state government has closed down the Ariaria dumpsite due to wrong citing and poor management. Also, mindful of the imperatives of effective sanitation in the state, government has reconstituted the Environmental Sanitation Mobile Courts (ESMC) to enforce compliance to environmental laws and standards of the state.
Despite the said efforts of the government, the challenge of solid waste management in Aba is still immense. Wastes of all categories are still dumped indiscriminately, and the improper implementation of the waste management strategies currently in place in the state have rubbished the efforts of government and the huge sums of money being spent to check the menace. For instance, it is worthy to note that in the year 2006, according to the director of administration of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Mrs Ugo Nwabuko, 84
ASEPA conducted an experiment in Umuahia in which waste buckets and refuse disposal bags were introduced and sold from house to house to encourage proper disposal of refuge. This house to house sale was not done in Aba and the residents complain that when the refuse disposal buckets known as ASEPA buckets and bags were eventually introduced in Aba, residents and shop owners were forced to buy them at exorbitant prices from the government organizations that had constituted themselves as extortionists. This met a high level of resistance from the people.
Again, those employed to monitor the implementation of the efforts made by the government also used it as an opportunity to catch and extort money from people who come to dispose of their refuse even at the legal points. At the end of the day the residents in frustration end up coming out late in the night to quickly dispose of their wastes anywhere close to them and run back home to avoid being caught. The result is that wastes are still pilled all over the city and constitute an environmental nuisance. Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia state remains an ugly, filthy, garbage-strewn, urban rundown! 85
CHAPTER FOUR
VISUAL ARTS AND SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
4.1 Visual Arts and the Reuse Concept of Solid Waste Management
Waste has the potential to be either a liability or an asset, depending on how it is managed (Akinbola, 2009). In Art for Zero Waste, (2010) the great artist Leonardo
Da Vinci is quoted as writing 500 years ago that “there is no such thing as waste.” He believed that it doesn’t make sense to burn or bury those materials that can still serve a purpose. Many years after this statement, the new wave in waste management is to treat waste materials as resources to be exploited instead of simply a challenge to be managed and disposed of. This realization has created much awareness that have brought people from all fields of endeavour to study the prospects in waste or discarded objects.
The world of visual art is not left out as it was discovered that artists have long been using second-hand materials, waste materials and found objects to shape their creations. Ogbu in Adewunmi, (2007) notes that even in olden traditional African setting, art was not separated from life: the traditional artist tapped from the vast wealth that nature offered or that man discarded. Mann and Levinson, (2012) write that as far back as in the early 90’s, a public art program of Phoenix Arizona constructed a solid waste management facility, in which Phoenix Public Art create opportunities to merge the civic infrastructure of solid waste with the imaginative work of artists.
Again, organizations like the United Nations Environmental Project (UNEP)
Art for the Environment Initiative are working at generating environmental awareness 86
by using the universal language of art as a catalyst for individuals, communities and leaders to focus on environmental values especially now that the environment is facing serious challenges emanating from the management of solid wastes.
Another example is the Recycling in Schools Project (an initiative of Nestlé
Ghana, the Swiss Embassy, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural
Development (MLGRD), and the United Nations Global Compact Network in Ghana) which was launched for five weeks in three selected educational institutions in Accra.
The objective of the pilot project was to educate primary school children regarding the environment, proper plastic waste disposal and health and sanitation issues relating to plastic waste and the potentials of converting the wastes to art and to wealth.
Also, organizations like the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts,
Americans for the Arts, and the Aspen Institute are committed to engaging artists and arts organizations in making the connection between art and the environment; encouraging them to make positive changes in their organizations and communities to reduce environmental impact; and providing tips and best practices on how to partner locally to make this work as dynamic as it can be. On Monday, July 14, 2008, Wolf
Trap organized a National Summit on the Arts and Environment where twenty-nine national thought leaders in business, community development, the arts, and the environment gathered to lay the groundwork for arts action in the resolution of environmental issues. It is hoped that, by sharing artists' sensitivity to the plight of the planet through works of art ranging from ancient and indigenous objects to contemporary forms and multimedia visions, the visual arts which in the words of Leo
Tolstoy (published in 1896) is “a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of 87 individuals and of humanity” can promote a deeper understanding and connection to the environment.
The basic ground of the involvement of the visual arts in sustainable waste management is anchored on the second option in waste management hierarchy which is known as ‘reuse’ (Bruce, 1997; Edinburgh University Archery Club (EUAC), 2011; and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2012). It requires an item that was to be disposed of being used again for the same or different purpose. This is where the visual artist is involved especially in this eco-conscious era when waste and art are intermingling in very creative ways.
Also, a Nigerian artist Mr. Ayo Adewunmi has been organizing art exhibitions titled “Art is everywhere” in which young artists are encouraged to discover special qualities in/of discarded objects. The exhibitions use art to give new meaning to the discarded things in the environment converting them into objects of beauty and usefulness.
Many artists who are engaged in waste to art see it as a way of making a difference, and at the same time a means of sharing a positive message about beauty that can be gained from the aesthetic experience of appreciating art, as well as giving examples of how we can reuse wastes in creative ways. These artworks exemplify commitment of artists to express contemporary social and environmental concerns.
Artists like Ghana born Professor El Anatsui and John Dahlsen (an award-winning
Australian contemporary environmental artist) have found expression through the use of wastes or trash as they are known in some quarters in the creation of awe inspiring art works (Levinson, 2010).
Professor El-Anatsui worked and taught Art in the University of Nigeria
Nsukka from 1975 and has mentored many upcoming artists. Aside from being a 88 creative mentor of many of the significant Nsukka-trained artists, Anatsui’s concern for the impact of man’s modern technology and consumerist culture on the natural environment has been very significant and thought-provoking. Hence his unique technique of working wood is a direct and unambiguous demonstration of ways by which modernization in general, and manufacture/international trade in particular, have impacted negatively on the natural environment (as symbolised by Africa’s tropical wood (Onuzulike and Obodo, 2012) Anatsui’s environmental/climatic concerns can be readily and most consistently located in his numerous works in wood and found metal.
To artists like Dahlsen who are involved in waste to art, it is hoped that by presenting his art to the public, people will start thinking about the deeper meaning of the works, and the current environmental issues (Dahlsen, 2012). He hopes that these works will act as a constant reminder to people about awareness. Hence he states, “I would like them to find enjoyment of the work on many levels and find themselves becoming identified in various ways with each of the artworks they see. I also look forward to the possible discussion that these works may generate”. He feels that even if just a fraction of the viewing audience were to experience a shift in their awareness and consciousness about the environment and art, through being exposed to the artworks then it would be worth it. This stems from the fact that he believes that presently humanity is at a critical point, with our planet currently existing in a fragile ecological state and with global warming hastening unheard of changes. Hence, he scouts Australian beaches picking the discarded wastes thrown away by people and the things that have been washed ashore by the waters and converts them to powerful, creative awe-inspiring artworks. 89
However, despite the wave in the world of visual art in the area of waste to art, the researcher through interviews and observations found out that there are very few studio artists in Aba metropolis and they are not exploiting the prospects of creating art works from waste or discarded objects.
Many artists involved in the art of waste to art find expression in the various fields of fine and applied arts like sculpture, painting, and textile and craft works.
Many of these works are used both for aesthetic and utilitarian purposes. Some are used for the beautification of the environment as installation art. Examples of some of the artists and their works are shown below:
4.2 Wastes to Art
Fig 9. Earth’s Skin by Prof El Anatsui, (2007). Aluminum and copper wire, 177 x 394 in. (449.6 x 1000.8 cm). (Courtesy of Guggenheim)
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Fig 10. Amemo (Mask of Humankind) by Prof El Anatsui, (2010). Aluminum and copper wire, 208 5/8 x 161 3/8 in. (529.9 x 409.9 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. (Photograph by Andrew McAllister, courtesy of the Akron Art Museum)
Ghana born Prof El Anatsui is an internationally acclaimed artist who uses discarded resources such as liquor bottle caps and cassava graters to create awesome complex sculpture assemblage that defies categorization. His works reflects his interest in reuse, transformation, and an intrinsic desire to connect to his continent.
Anatsui also wishes to inspire creativity in the people charged with installing his work and says he merely provides “data” for others to re-envision and manipulate.
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Fig 11. Waiting for a bus by Dilomprizulike, (2003). Installation artwork with wood, fabrics and found objects. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
Fig 12. The politicians by Dilomprizulike, (2010). Installation artwork with cotton, wood and found objects. (Courtesy: www.gaswork.org) 92
Fig 13. Journey out of Africa by Dilomprizulike, (2005). Installation car wreck, wood, found pieces. 365 x 122 cm (Courtesy: www.artco-art.com)
Dil Humphrey-Umezulike, known as Dilomprizulike is a contemporary artist working in sculpture, performance and painting who has adopted the name 'The
Junkman from Afrika'. In his works he recycles and transforms heaps of old clothing and other detritus found on city streets, creating sculptural installations and performances that reflects what he describes as “the alienated situation of the African in his own society.” His concepts attempt to expose the tragic but often overlooked and underrated elements of the African-Urban communal life which largely influence it. He believes that there is a struggle inside the African which arises from a consciousness of living with the complications of an imposed civilization. He can no longer go back to pick up the fragments of his father's shattered culture; neither is he equipped enough to keep pace with the white-man's world.
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Fig 14. Acid Rain Water, by Bright Eke, (2005). Materials: water, cellophane bags, amoniun chloride. (Courtesy: www.creativeafricanetwork.com)
Fig 15. Bottled Life by Bright Eke, (2008). Materials: water bottles. Size:822.96 x 186.88 x 60.96 cm. (Courtesy: www.creativeafricanetwork.com)
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Fig 16. Shield by Bright Eke, (2005). Installation with pure water sachets. (Courtesy: www.creativeafricanetwork.com)
Bright Eke is one of the most outstanding young Nigerian artists who have engaged with environmental/climatic change using materials and objects of daily use.
He creates socially oriented art, exploring the ways in which people interact with their environments. Using water as a theme and medium, he challenges viewers to think about this precious resource politically, ethically, and ecologically (Onuzulike et al,
2012) writes that Eke was initially inspired by an acid rain attack in Port Harcourt, south-eastern Nigeria hence his works reference the elemental structures of the environment within the phenomenal changes that occur within time and space in the natural world. His fascination with water and the basic potentials it holds for both sustenance and devastation of man on earth influence his works which are principally installations with either natural water or the discarded transparent materials used for its packaging. Eke’s many installations using plastic water bottles represent his fears about the threats of global warming, which has been continuously causing a gradual rise in water level as it melts the Arctic ice. 95
Fig 17. Twisted Ambience. by Nnenna Okore, (2009). Materials: Newspapers, sticks and twine.Varied dimension. Courtesy: www.wffd.cc.demo.faelix.net
Fig 18. Abandoned History . By Nnenna Okore, (2008). Materials: Paper, wax, and thread. 60"x70"x10". (Courtesy: www.wffd.cc.demo.faelix.net)
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Nnenna Okore is a Nigerian born sculptor who uses ordinary materials to create extraordinary sculptures. She relies on the use of flotsam or discarded objects, which are transformed into intricate sculpture and installations through repetitive and labor- intensive techniques. These objects are mostly biodegradable material such as old newspapers, rope, thread, yarn, burlap, dye, coffee, starch and clay Her works are largely abstract works and are inspired by textures, colors and landscapes of her milieu. Her methods include fraying, tearing, teasing, weaving, dyeing, waxing and sewing which involves repetitive processes which she learned by watching local
Nigerians perform daily tasks.
Figs 19&20. Precious by Ayo Adewunmi. Materials: palm flower, sponge fibre, calabash, metal and POP to create the eggs. (Courtesy: Art is everywhere catalogue 2007).
Ayo Adewunmi was born in Odo-Ere in Kogii State. He teaches Art and design in the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu. His painting technique involves pouring liquid oil paints on the painting surface and monitoring the dynamic synthesis of the various hues until the desired or acceptable effect is achieved. He is 97 one of the organizers of the Art is everywhere project. This is a waste to art initiative where young artists are encouraged to reuse waste materials for creating artworks.
Fig 21. Discussion, by Kolade Oshinowo. (Courtesy:www.blogspot.com)
Fig 22. Painting on fabric by Kolade Oshinowo. (Courtesy:www.blogspot.com) 98
Kolade Oshinowo is a Nigerian artist whose technique involves painting on wastes of fabrics which he collects from tailors, fashion designers and other individuals. His works reflect natural collage-like effect and tags his technique as
“recover and reuse (R & R). On his new progression in painting on fabric, he explained the process as follows, “After collection, the fabrics are first sorted out into colour schemes before the desired scheme is selected. The fabrics if need be are reduced to smaller pieces. And in order to have an exciting surface, I try to ensure that pieces from the same fabric are not glued side by side. Where the pattern of a particular fabric is too bold and too brightly coloured, acrylic paint is used to harmonize the pattern and subdue the colours. When the fabrics have been glued down to the canvas and allowed to dry, a thin coat of glue is applied again to the entire surface for protection and to ensure there are no loose threads. This is left for about a day or two to cure before commencement of the painting.”
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Fig 23. Painting with Used Recharge Cards by Chukwuma Gerald. (Courtesy: Samuel Okocha www.digitaljournal.com)
Fig 24. Painting with Used Recharge Cards by Chukwuma Gerald. (Courtesy: Samuel Okocha www.digitaljournal.com) 100
Fig 25. Chukwuma Gerald cutting up Used Recharge Cards. (Courtesy: Samuel Okocha www.digitaljournal.com)
Nigerian artist Chukwuma Gerald is recycling used phone recharge cards that hitherto littered streets and business centers and drink cans into wonderful art pieces.
Chukwuma is fascinated by the fact that the recharge cards supply all the colors he needs for his panels hence Okocha, (2011) quotes him as saying, "I don’t need to mix colors, I get the colors from those cards."
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Fig 26. Waste Plastic Bottle Wall House. Kaduna, Nigeria. (Courtesy: Steven Shoppman www.visualnews.com)
Fig 27. Waste Plastic Bottle Wall House. Kaduna, Nigeria. (Courtesy: Steven Shoppman www.visualnews.com)
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Fig 28. Children Stuffing Waste Plastic Bottles with Sand (Courtesy: www.visualnews.columnfivemedia.com)
To build walls with bottles, sand is packed into waste plastic bottles and used to build walls. Packing sand into plastic bottles is a technique that started nine years ago in
India, South and Central America. Named “bottle brick” technology, the compacted sand inside the bottles is said to be 20 times stronger than bricks and is estimated to cost 1/3 of a house made of concrete and bricks. The houses are completely bullet proof (Shoppman,
2011). Bottles are mostly sourced from hotels, restaurants, homes and foreign embassies.
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Fig 29. Junior by Arowolo Wasiu. Medium: Alumosaic. Materials: aluminum cans and enamel. (Courtesy: Life in my City Art Festival Catalogue, 2012).
Fig 30. Peacock by Gyegwe Gabriel. Medium: palm frond and tin cans painted with enamel. (Courtesy: Art is Everywhere Catalogue, 2007) 104
Fig 31. Fishes by Ekene Ireagwu. Medium: cow horn, bone and cowries. (Courtesy: Art is Everywhere Catalogue 2007).
Fig 32. Beauty pageants by Odo Sunday Ernest. Medium: take away packs and mesh (foil). (Courtesy: Life in my City Art Festival Catalogue, 2012).
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Fig 33. Chandelier byArman (1958). Created with waste light bulbs strung together with waste wires. (Courtesy: www.zerowasteeurope)
Fig 34. Chair (unknown artist). Waste wood assemblage tied together with twine. (Courtesy: www.zerowasteeurope) 106
Figs 35&36. Shipwreck by John Dahlsen. 60cm x 75cm. (Courtesy: John Dahlsen www.johndahlsen.com)
Fig 37. Monumental Environmental Artwork by John Dahlsen. Materials: Camphor Laurel root ball and trunk, organic oil, beeswax & concrete plinths. Size 4.15 meters Wide x 3.33 meters High x 5.80 meters long. (Courtesy: John Dahlsen (http://www.johndahlsen.com) 107
Fig 38. The Guardian by John Dahlsen Size: 10.5m × 3m base. (Courtesy: John Dahlsen www.johndahlsen.com)
Fig 39. Womb by John Dahlsen Size: 2.2m. x 1.7m. Contemporary environmental art installation, made from found plastic objects and nylon rope. Recycled art created from plastics collected from Australian beaches. (Courtesy: John Dahlsen www.johndahlsen.com)
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John Dahlsen is an Australian artist who creates his art works with objects found while scavenging along Australian beaches. Shipwreck is a contemporary abstract environmental assemblage wall work, made from found driftwood from Australian beaches. Monumental Environmental Artwork is a sculpture piece installed as an environmental art work. It is made from the trunk and root ball of a fallen Camphor
Laurel tree. The work was made over a 2-year period between 2008 and mid 2010. While
The Guardian is a public artwork which was made from recycled leftover road construction materials namely galvanised guard rails and concrete pipes. It stands next to
Story Bridge in Brisbane. The Womb sculpture was a work from Dahlsen’s hanging installation series, which evolved very naturally. It originated from fisherman's netting which he found on the north coast beaches. As he worked with this in the studio it began to take the shape of a kind of pregnant shape which at first had many holes in it. He mended all of those holes and began to draw it together and saw that it naturally started to take the shape of a kind of a kind of pregnant shape or womb. It was in this shape that he began to put literally hundreds of empty Coca-Cola plastic bottles and drink bottles and mineral water bottles that he had found on the beaches over the years.
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Fig 40. Giant Fish Sculpture Rio de janeiro, Brazil (Courtesy: Christopher Jobson www.pinterest.com)
Fig 41. Giant Fish Sculptures Rio de janeiro, Brazil (Courtesy: Christopher Jobson www.pinterest.com)
As part of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development enormous outdoor installation of fish was constructed using discarded plastic bottles on Botafogo beach in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The sculptures are illuminated from the inside at night creating a pretty spectacular light show. 110
Fig 42. Thrown to the Wind by Wang Zhiyuan. An installation made entirely from Plastic Waste. (Courtesy: Janelle McIntosh www.pinterest.com)
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CHAPTER FIVE
WASTES TO ART SECONDARY SCHOOL PROJECT
5.1 Waste to Art Project in Secondary Schools in Aba Metropolis
A project was carried out using students in two secondary schools in Aba metropolis. The aim of the project was to find out if the students would show interest in solid waste management through the visual arts. This would be evidenced through their creating artworks from waste or discarded objects after being lectured on, ‘Visual arts and the reuse concept of solid waste management’.
Subject: Visual Art
Topic: Visual Art and the Reuse Concept of Solid Waste Management
Project Type: Art Education
Project Location: Aba Metropolis, Abia State
Study group: Students in two secondary schools located near refuse dumps in Aba metropolis.
Age Range: 10-20 years
Project Aim: The project was designed to develop solid waste management through the visual arts as an important contribution to solving environmental problems. Emphasis is on creation of awareness through the visual arts on the negative impacts of improper management of solid wastes and on how discarded objects can be reused through the visual art thereby solving aspects of the environmental problem. It aims at encouraging students to look at creative ways to reuse resources that would normally be thrown away i.e. to teach the students to find ways and means of making something useful out of waste thereby making them very imaginative and creative. 112
Design Categories: The art works to be produced were in three categories:
• 2 Dimensional – Poster/Painting/Collage
• 3 Dimensional – Sculpture/Installation art
• Functional – furniture, craftworks or wearable items made from discarded
materials
Instructional Materials: Artworks, photographs, art catalogues, video projector/slides, glues, twine, scissors, cutters, colours, found objects, etc.
Terms:
• All artworks must demonstrate the re-use of waste or discarded objects.
• All artworks must include a brief description of the student’s composition, the
materials and inspiration of the artwork.
• The results of the exercise will be announced
• Photographs of the most creative works shall be taken with the names of the
students that produced them. They shall be included in the research.
• The works shall not exceed a size limit: 2 dimensional – 1x1 metres & 3
dimensional – 2x2x2metres.
• The artworks shall not exceed a weight of 20kg
• They shall be safe for public exhibition
• The judges shall be the art teachers and other artists
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Procedure:
Two secondary schools in Aba metropolis were selected. The schools are:
Premier international secondary school, Ogbor hill Aba; and Osusu secondary school, off
Faulks road Aba. The criterion for their selection is that they are located near major dump sites. This is to enable the students have concrete visual examples of the problem of solid waste and also for them to have dumpsites that they can scavenge to pick discarded materials that they can use to create art works. The areas near the schools where the solid wastes are found intensively were photographed and recorded by cameras. The students were organized and given lectures on ‘Visual art and the reuse concept of solid waste management.’ This was done with the aid of power point projector, photographs, art catalogues, artworks etc. Pictures of artworks created from wastes were also used.
Demonstrations on how found or discarded objects can be used creatively to form art works were carried out by the researcher and the art teachers.
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Fig 43. Lecture time in Osusu Secondary School Aba. (Photograph by researcher).
Fig 44. Lecture time in Premiere International Secondary School with the school principal in attendance. (Photograph by researcher).
Thereafter, the students were encouraged to source for wastes materials in the schools, homes, dumpsites and streets over a period of one week. The found objects were collected and brought to school where they were sorted and classified based on their 115 usefulness and usability under the supervision of their art teachers. Design classes for the best use of the solid waste objects were organized among the students. The best creative designs were chosen and used for the project. Two and three dimensional works of art were produced. The students were allowed to work together with their peers if they desired to work in groups and produce group works.
5.2 Waste to Art by Secondary School Students in Aba Metropolis
Fig 45. Warrior for Christ By Ogbonna Sebastine SS2 Premiere International Secondary School, Aba Materials: Papers, carton and plastic frame
This graphics was designed with pieces of discarded papers found in a
printing press. The letters were cut and pasted with gum on paper with the shadow
effect created using cut foil paper. The design was framed with a plastic frame
which the student sourced from an old broken picture frame and placed on used
carton. 116
Fig. 46 Clock By Obika, Victor Chigozie SSS 2. Premiere International Secondary School, Aba. Height 18” Medium: Cardboard paper, cellophane and found discarded clock materials
The clock was constructed with cardboard papers picked in the school compound.
The hour, minute, second hands and numbers were taken from an old discarded clock while the front cover was got from discarded cellophane. A short rod and wire were used to form the frame for balancing.
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Fig 47. Bouquet (1) By Ogbonna Rosemary. JSS 3 Premiere International Secondary School, Aba. Materials: local sponge and umbrella/bicycle spokes
The bouquet arrangement was created from found local sponge which were soaked in poster colour for the colour effect. Spokes got from old discarded bicycles and umbrella were used to prop them up.
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Figs 48. Bouquet (2) By Okeke Victoria JSS 3C Premiere International Secondary School Materials: waste fabrics
Figs 49 Bouquet (3) By Okeke Victoria JSS 3C Premiere International Secondary School, Aba. Materials: fabrics
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The bouquets were made from fabrics found in a tailor’s workshop. The materials were first folded lengthwise and placed on top of each other on a table. Afterwards, they were pleated with the loose end placed together. The pleats were held together at the base with a bold strong tape. Thereafter, the pleats were unfolded one after the other to give the bouquet a full fluffy effect.
Fig 50. Gown By Enyinna Favour SSS 2 Premiere International Secondary School, Aba. Materials: Waste fabrics
This patchwork on gown was created by the student using pieces of fabric sourced from a tailor’s shop and sown on an old blouse thereby giving it a new beautiful new look. 120
Fig 51. Pretty lady By Ogbonna Uche JSS 3 Premiere International Secondary School, Aba. Materials: Sinamey and chicken feather
Hair fascinator made with cut off sinamey picked in a milliners shop. The feather is chicken feather got from a waste chicken feather
Fig 52. Shoe and bag By Ukaku Janet Premiere International Secondary School, Aba Materials: found fabrics old bag and old shoe
The student created this work with pieces of fabric sourced from a tailor’s shop, her mother’s discarded old shoe that still had a good sole and her mother’s worn out old 121
bag. For the shoe, the old leather was removed and used to cut a pattern which was
glued on the shoe sole with shoe gum. For the bag, the worn out old bag was loosened
the fabric was gummed on it. Then the parts were glued together.
Fig 53. Decorative bowls By Chukwu Silas JSS 3C. Osusu Secondary School, Aba Medium: Paper mash, balloon and fabric
Fig 54. Decorative bowls By Akpan ThankGod. JSS 3C. Osusu Secondary School, Aba Medium: Paper mash, balloon and fabric
The decorative bowls were created with pieces of fabrics and papers picked from a tailor’s workshop and in the school compound. The papers were soaked and mashed then 122 wrapped around the fat end of a balloon. It was allowed to dry and then strips of fabric were glued over the forms.
Fig 55. The water trough By Ukpai Joseph JSS 2b Osusu Secondary School, Aba Materials: Magazine and cardboard paper
Collage painting designed with papers picked from the school compound.
Fig 56. The Butterfly By Uzomma Micheal SS1 Osusu secondary school, Aba Materials: bottle crowns, Newspaper, cardboard paper and poster colour
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Mosaic butterfly designed on cardboard pasted on a piece of wood. The mosaic was made with bottle crowns and newspapers and coloured papers. All materials used were sourced from dump sites. Poster colour was used to paint some areas.
Fig 57. Belts by Chinedu Ezechimere JSS 3A Osusu secondary school. Aba Materials: nylon fabrics picked in s tailor’s shop and woven together to form a rope.
Fig 58. Mosaic design with broken bottles by Okafor Kingsley Osusu secondary school, Aba Materials: pieces of broken bottles, flat wooden board and poster colour
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Fig 59 Purse By Chijoike Emmanuel JSS 3A Osusu secondary school. Aba Materials: plastic bottle sand cloth zippers
Fig 60. Purses By Onoh Blessing JSS 3A. Osusu secondary school. Aba Materials: plastic bottle sand cloth zippers
The purses were made by cutting the base of plastic mineral bottles that were picked from a refuse dump to a desired size. The two bases were joined with zipper 125 picked in a tailor’s workshop with glue. The zippers can also be sown on the plastic bottle with needle and thread.
Fig 61. Plastic Necklace By Akamnonu Daniel JSS 3b. Osusu Secondary School. Aba Materials: wire, plastic bottles, beads
This necklace was made with shapes cut from used plastic bottles. Discarded wires were picked from an electrician’s workshop and used in stringing the cut shapes. Found beads in between. 126
CHAPTER SIX
FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
This chapter focuses on the Findings, Recommendations, Summary and
Conclusion of the Study. Also included are Implications of the Study, Limitations and
Suggestions for further Studies.
6.1 Findings of Study
The Findings of the study are discussed below based on the major issues raised in the Objectives of the Study.
1. Nature of Solid Wastes in Aba Metropolis and the System of Solid Waste Disposal by Aba Residents
The study showed that the solid wastes in Aba metropolis can be classified into garbage and rubbish. Garbage is putrefied waste from food such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetable while rubbish is the perishable waste that are either combustible or non- combustible such as paper, carton, wood polythene, iron, glasses and ceramics.
The wastes found in the residential areas and market areas were garbage like domestic waste and wastes from preparation and cooking of food. The rubbish included things like polythene, pure water packages cloth materials, tin, metals, leather, plastics, wood and rubber. Solid wastes in school areas were made up of rubbish which included paper, plastics, polythene, pure water and few food wastes. In the hospital areas were found medical wastes which included laboratory wastes, surgery wastes, pathological wastes, maternity wastes, syringes, expired drugs and chemicals. In the municipal/transportation areas, bulk and street wastes were found which included discarded large motor parts, large appliances, furniture, refrigerators, motor tyres, metal scraps, street sweepings, dirt, silt from gutters, leaves, cloths, plastics, paper, pure water 127 while wastes in factory areas were industrial refuse, construction and demolition wastes.
These included solid wastes resulting from industrial processes and manufacturing operations, wood, plastic and metal scraps, hazardous wastes, radioactive materials roof scrapings, lumber, conduit pipes, wire insulation scraps, nails, blocks and cement bags.
It was discovered that the wastes are neither separated at source by the residents in Aba metropolis nor at the collection point. People simply dumped their wastes into water sides, streets and at the collection points. Most of these points were not officially designated for the collection of refuse and they were usually located within residential areas i.e. beside houses and along the roads. When filled up, they were carted away in trucks by Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) workers to large open dumpsites located along Aba-Port Harcourt highway at Ariaria and at Obehie. These dump sites are actually dug-up pits where the wastes are buried. They are eventually set on fire when full to reduce waste volume.
The dumps were uncovered sites and do not have environmental controls. The wastes were not segregated. They were untreated and left uncovered thereby exposing them to flies and rodents. As a result of their being left uncovered, the loose wastes were dispersed by the action of wind all over the immediate neighbourhood. They also generated foul smell and unsightly appearances. The rainwater run-off from these dumps run into and contaminate nearby land and water.
2. Government Efforts in Educating the Residents of Aba Metropolis on Solid Waste Management
Not much has been done by the Abia state government, who appear to be more interested in arresting sanitation defaulters, on educating the residents in Aba metropolis on solid waste management. 128
The few things that have been done include occasional educational programmes through the public media on the need to keep the environment clean and also on the health implications of improper solid waste management. A walk around the city revealed that there are very few posters on billboards informing the people to keep their environment clean. Some posters are seen along the highway at the entrance into Aba informing people of Abia State government beautification projects.
3. Ascertain Abia State Government Waste Management Implementation Strategies
On waste management implementation strategies in Aba metropolis, in the year
2005, the State government had handed over the management of refuse to the local government authorities. This did not work out because the local government authority did not appear to have the capacity to handle the enormous task.
In 2006, the Abia State government entered into partnership with an American
Refuse Management Firm, Phoenix Environmental Resources, based in California whose term of reference was to evacuate all waste materials in Abia state, move them to their factory in Obingwa and convert the waste to organic manure which they will in turn sell to farmers in the State and beyond. This project did not appear to have taken off.
It must be noted that in the same year, the State government through ASEPA conducted an experiment in Umuahia (the State capital) in which waste buckets and refuse disposal bags were introduced and sold from house to house to encourage proper disposal of refuge. This house to house sale was not done in Aba and the residents complained that when the refuse disposal buckets known as ASEPA buckets and bags were eventually introduced in Aba, residents and shop owners were forced to buy them at exorbitant prices. This did not go down well with the residents and met some resistance. 129
Sequel to the failure in converting the waste to organic manure, the Abia State government procured some waste management equipment and implements to complement the existing ones for efficiency in waste management. These include: ECO power trucks and tippers, industrial size receptacles, waste bins, bulldozers, graders, light weight waste containers, domestic waste bins, motor vehicle waste basket/containers, and bio-degradable waste bags (black bags).
In addition, the State government, through the Ministry of Environment and the
Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) had engaged the services of street sweepers who are to sweep all the streets of Aba daily to keep them clean. From observation, the street sweepers were not enough to take care of all the streets in Aba metropolis thereby leaving most of the work undone.
The Abia state government through ASEPA also introduced a monitoring scheme.
This was a strategy aimed at policing all the various dumpsites and waste collection points to ensure proper and regular disposal of wastes. The researcher observed that some of the people engaged in the monitoring sometimes use it as avenue to victimize and extort money from residents. Again, mindful of the imperatives of effective sanitation in the state, government had reconstituted the Environmental Sanitation Mobile Courts
(ESMC) to enforce compliance to environmental laws and standards of the state.
4. Ascertain the ways the Visual Arts Contribute in Solid Waste Management in Aba Metropolis
A walk round the city of Aba revealed that very little has been done through the visual arts in the area of solid waste management. The only posters sensitizing people to keep Aba clean and informing people of the governor’s beautification programmes are mounted on billboards along the highway. Sign posts are also seen near some of the 130 dumpsites instructing people not to dump refuse. It was also discovered that there are no visual artists in the city of Aba that create artworks with waste or discarded objects. The artists in Aba appear to be more preoccupied with commercial arts or they are engaged as art teachers in the schools.
5. Contemporary Artists and Waste to Art
The great artist Leonardo Da Vinci is quoted as writing 500 years ago that “there is no such thing as waste” (Art for Zero Waste, 2010). He believed that it doesn’t make sense to burn or bury those materials that can still serve a purpose. Many years after this statement, the researcher observed that the new wave in waste management is to treat waste materials as resources to be exploited instead of simply a challenge to be managed and disposed of.
This is not only for the scientists and the environmentalists but also for the visual artists because it was discovered that artists including contemporary artists have long been using second-hand materials, waste materials and found objects to shape their creations. These artists include artists like Ghana born prof. El Anatsui and John Dahlsen
(an award-winning Australian contemporary environmental artist). Others are Dil
Humphrey-Umezulike, Bright Eke, Nnenna Okore, Kolade Oshinowo, Chukwuma
Gerald, Ayo Adewunmi
From observations, interviews and secondary data, it was discovered that many artists who are engaged in waste to art see it as a way of making a difference, and at the same time a means of sharing a positive message about beauty that can be gained from the aesthetic experience of appreciating art, as well as giving examples of how we can 131 reuse wastes in creative ways. These artworks exemplify commitment of artists to express themselves in contemporary social and environmental issues.
It was also observed that artists involved in waste to art find expression in the various fields of fine and applied arts like sculpture, painting, and textile and craft works.
The works are used both for aesthetic and utilitarian purposes. Some are also used for the beautification of the environment as installation art. Some of them have also been exhibited internationally and have won awards. Many of these waste to art artists have enjoyed patronage from government, organizations and art lovers.
6. Examine and Document Some of the Works of the ‘Waste to Art’ Artists
The artworks are documented in figures nine to forty two.
7. Waste to Art Secondary School Project in Aba Metropolis
During the research, a project was designed to develop solid waste management as an important aspect of environmental problems by means of the visual arts in secondary schools in Aba metropolis. Emphasis was on creation of awareness through the visual arts on the negative impacts of improper management of solid wastes and on how they can be reused through art thereby solving aspects of the environmental problem. It aimed at encouraging students to look at creative ways to reuse resources that would normally be thrown away i.e. to teach the students to find ways and means of making something useful out of waste thereby making them very imaginative and creative.
The researcher observed first that the students who participated in the project were fascinated during the lectures on environmental issues and demonstrations on conversion of waste to art. They showed much enthusiasm, asked many questions and were eager to practice making use of discarded objects to create works of art. Again, the 132 researcher observed positive change in behavior in the students after they were given lectures and demonstrations on visual arts and the reuse concept of solid waste management. This was evident in the way the students were seen to show interest in discarded objects in the school compound. They were seen to pick these discarded objects and discuss the potentials in their being converted to works of art. These students unconsciously became peer educators on good sanitation practices. They also began to see waste products as an economic opportunity as they were seen after the lectures discussing with their friends what they learnt. The students also participated enthusiastically in the waste to art design classes where they created works of art from the sourced found objects. These works were mostly crafts and textiles.
6.2 Implications of the Study
The study has implications for the government, curriculum planners, the environmentalists, residents and art educators.
First, the findings of this study revealed that the most important step towards a healthier world is environmental education as only knowledge can trigger change in behavior. This was confirmed by the observed positive changes in behavior of the students in Aba metropolis after they were given lectures and demonstrations carried out on visual arts and the reuse concept of solid waste management. This change can be attributed to the fact that visual art is a channel that helps other subject areas to be understood better for instance, good and accurate artistic illustrations were quite helpful in explaining points which the students found difficult to understand with only words.
Again, despite the fact, as shown in this study, that many contemporary visual artists both within and outside Nigeria have made contributions through their art works to 133 the discourse on environmental issues, the world of visual art appears to have hardly received any substantial attention or publicity when issues on environmental management is being discussed. Also, only a limited population get to view, appreciate, and get educated through the works of art created from waste products. This is because, as shown in this study, most of the works of the artists who make their statements through waste or discarded objects are usually not in formats that private art collectors, museums and other categories of art patrons can buy and display based merely on aesthetic considerations.
They are made with unconventional materials to express the messages or ideas held by the artists on environmental issues.
Based on these observations, the findings of this study have implications for the government who are looking for ways and means of solving the problem of solid wastes because of its adverse effect on the environment.
The curriculum planners and the environmentalists, through this study, will come to the knowledge that the visual arts can be employed to help curb the menace of solid wastes in the city of Aba. This knowledge will help the curriculum planners in designing curriculum that will inculcate in the Nigerian child the prospects of waste to art. The environmentalists will also maximise the knowledge of the contributions of the visual arts in solid waste management in making plans that will help to check environmental threats.
The findings also have implications for the residents of the city of Aba who will learn that waste minimization through reusing their waste in creative ways will go a long way in providing some solution to the problem of solid wastes in Aba metropolis.
Finally, it is hoped that this research will inspire and motivate art educators and the Nigerian Society of Education through Art to encourage artists to delve more into 134
waste to art and to find ways and means of presenting the works of artists who are
already involved to the public.
6.3 Recommendations Based on the findings of this study, the researcher makes the following
recommendations:
1. The curriculum planners should adopt a cradle to grave approach in matters that concern
solid waste management. This will involve the inclusion of ‘waste to art’ in formal
education curriculum from nursery to university levels (where it can be studied in the
general studies department) and even in adult education classes. This is because the
Nigerian child/student should be made aware of the need for healthy environments and
engaged in participation of solid waste management through reusing waste objects in the
creation of works of art. This crusade should also be carried to informal institutions such
as youth organizations, boys/girls brigade, churches, and clubs where they can be used in
stimulating waste to art culture.
2. The state government and the ministry of environment should use the visual arts to
embark on continuing education and awareness campaign in the city of Aba concerning
solid wastes and their impact on the environment.
3. The current method of waste collection and disposal by the Abia state government in Aba
metropolis which is mostly burning in open dumps should be immediately reversed to
the new option of Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) been campaigned for in
the recent times all over the world. ISWM advocates waste minimization; conversion of
waste to wealth through recycling or reusing and also community participation. This
should be followed by stringent sanction and heavy penalty for the deviants and
offenders. 135
4. Visual artists and art educators should be actively involved by the government and policy
makers in discourse on issues concerning environmental management. This will also
entail government employing artists and art educators in the ministry of environments
where they can make contributions in policy issues concerning the environment.
5. The Abia state government should commission artists to produce environmentally themed
art which will be installed in key areas in the city of Aba and create an award as an
incentive for artists and arts organizations to be rewarded for works produced with waste
materials.
6. The government and art societies should engage the services of curators whose work will
be to present the waste to art artists and their works in the way that they can be better
appreciated by the Aba public and Nigerian society in general.
7. The Nigerian society of education through Art should mobilize action in form of
workshops, seminars, conferences and other training avenues to create more awareness of
these findings to the artists, art educators, art students and the general society. This will
encourages people to look at creative ways to reuse resources that would normally be
thrown away.
6.4 Limitations
The researcher encountered some limitations in the course of this study. These
include:
1. Most schools in Aba metropolis do not offer fine arts in senior secondary schools. This
limited the population of study for the waste to art secondary school project to only two
secondary schools. Within these two secondary schools, only a very limited number of
senior secondary school students were available and had to be merged with junior 136
secondary school creative art students. This may have highly affected the quality of
works produced.
2. Unavailability of adequate art materials for the students to work with. This was as a result
of the fact that in the junior secondary schools in Nigeria, fine arts is merged with music
and drama as one subject called Creative arts and adequate time is not given to the
different subjects areas. Therefore, not much practical sessions are held in the fine arts so
the students do not have many art materials.
3. Finally, the staff of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) was very
reluctant to give information on the sanitation situation in Aba metropolis. This includes
not being open to interviews and the researcher not being allowed to take photographs.
Every question on the management of solid wastes in Aba was referred to Umuahia (the
state capital) and the information given was mostly from government published
documents.
6.5 Suggestions for Further Studies
This study is not considered to have exhausted all that is necessary for a study of this
nature. Based on this, the researcher makes the following suggestions for further studies:
1. That similar study should be conducted in other locations using a wider
population so as to make for broader generalization.
2. That a research of this nature on waste to art can be carried out using the residents
in Aba as a population of study.
3. That research be done to ascertain the extent of patronage of works of art created
from waste or discarded objects
137
6.6 Summary
Solid waste management has been an integral part of every human society and the city of Aba, where the problem appears to have overwhelmed the authorities, is no exception. This problem has been increasing with change in consumption pattern, increase in consumerism and unavailability of adequate waste management facilities.
The study was embarked on because of the need to explore and examine the contributions of the visual arts in solid waste management in Aba metropolis. The basic ground of the involvement of the visual arts in sustainable waste management is anchored on the second option in integrated solid waste management hierarchy which is known as
‘Reuse’ (Bruce, 1997; Edinburgh University Archery Club (EUAC), 2011; and
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2012). It requires an item that was to be disposed of being used again for the same or a different purpose.
The study, which was guided by seven objectives, adopted an ethnological and descriptive approach which involved in-depth interviews, careful accumulation of textual and photographic data from publications on the selected art works as well as personal observations. It also involved a project designed to develop solid waste management as an important aspect of environmental problems by means of the visual arts in secondary schools in Aba metropolis.
The findings of the study showed that the solid wastes in Aba metropolis can be classified into garbage and rubbish and that the state government has made various unsuccessful efforts to manage the solid wastes that accumulate in the city. It revealed that very little has been done in the city of Aba through the visual arts in the area of solid waste management and that no studio artists in the city are actively involved in waste to 138 art. It also showed that visual artists including contemporary artists have been using second-hand materials, waste materials and found objects to shape their creations. The study also revealed a positive change in behavior in secondary school students who were exposed to lectures and demonstrations on solid waste management through the visual arts. This was evident in the way they become peer educators on the prospects in waste to art; showed interest in discarded objects as materials for artistic creation; and the art works they created with waste materials.
These findings have far reaching implications for the government, environmentalists, artists, art educators and curriculum planners as well as art students.
The researcher recommends that since it is obvious that the visual arts make remarkable input in solid waste management in public enlightenment and the area of reuse, that the government while embarking on aggressive public education through the visual arts empowers the visual artists to be effective advocates with decision makers on matters concerning the environment. The government should also encourage artists who are involved in shaping their art with waste materials; working with academic institutions to integrate the arts and the environment through introducing waste to art in the school curriculum from the nursery to the tertiary levels of education. This will encourage people to look at creative ways to reuse resources that would normally end up in the dump sites which eventually constitute environmental problems.
139
6.7 Conclusion
We may not be able to change the way the city of Aba is rapidly urbanized; the way companies in that city manufacture goods overnight; or the way traders and the residents churn out wastes but we can alter the behavior of people to be more environmentally friendly, saving our resources for another day and preventing streets and roads from becoming mere hosts for wastes which eventually contribute to environmental degradation.
To tackle this problem in a way that meets the needs of the present, without affecting future generations, means changing our behaviour and our attitudes to waste by adopting a cradle to grave approach. This can be done through the visual arts which can creatively call attention to wasteful, harmful, and unsustainable solid waste disposal practices by bringing solid wastes into the public's awareness and everyday life, and not allowing them to simply accumulate and be burnt up in dump sites. This is so because waste is a subjective concept as items that some people discard may have value to others.
It is widely recognized that waste materials are a valuable resource, whilst there is debate as to how this value is best realized.
Artists who are engaged in waste to art see it as a way of making a difference, and at the same time a means of sharing a positive message about beauty that can be gained from the aesthetic experience of appreciating art, as well as giving examples of how we can reuse wastes in creative ways. They have equally demonstrated that art works are not just objects of decoration or merchandise but are also important historical documents and mediums of social re-engineering and can be used to make environmental statements. 140
In conclusion, finding the answer to the challenging task of managing solid wastes, which is one of the causes of environmental degradation, is no one man’s job but needs the constant effort of all stake holders because in the final analysis, environmental crisis affects everyone. No one can do everything, but everyone including visual artists can do something!
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