Waste Management Practices of Food Vendors in Lagos State (a Case Study of Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies)

Chapter One of Waste Management Practices of Food Vendors in Lagos State (a Case Study of Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies)

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

According to Gilpin (1996), waste management is a systematic plan for effectively controlling the production, storage, collection, transportation, processing and disposal or utilization of wastes in a sanitary aesthetical acceptable and economical manner. It also includes all administrative, financial, legal and planning activities as well as the physical aspect of waste handling waste management can involve solid liquid and or gases waste, and the management methods are certainly different. Traditionally managing domestic industrial wastes consists of collection and disposal.

Depending on the kind of waste and region, a level of processing can follow collection. Thobangious George et al (1977) disclosed that the processing may be to minimise the hazard of the waste recover material to recycling and to produced energy from the waste or minimise volume level for more efficient disposal. The collection methods may also vary widely in different countries and regions and it would be impossible to describe them at once. The disposal methods are also numerous especially in different parts of Nigeria where inadequate facilities are the major problem

Food vendor companies Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro are recognised to deliver a comprehensive supply of processed foods of high quality to their consumers which make fundamental contributions to wealth creation and supports improved quality of life of individuals in any country. The number of food vendor companies in Nigeria has increased over the years and so also have various areas of specialisations like the Chicken Republic that specialises majorly on snacks of all kinds. There are various fast food companies spreading throughout the country in which Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro are two of the recognised companies. Several unregistered fast food outlets are also spreading out in the country’s major cities. The ever increasingly human populace, increasing sophistication of consumers due to improved wages and improved product quality has brought increased interest in fast and convenient food. (Ladipo et al., 1986, Omolayole, 1983). The fast food entrepreneur generates varied types of wastes ranging from solid, gaseous to highly contaminated liquid waste from their various handling and processing operations (Raghupathy, 2004).

Examination of metropolitan solid wastes (MSW) disclosed that large proportions were improper disposed packaging materials like cans, disposable packs, plastics, cardboards, and other non-biodegradable materials that can make cause harm to the environment. Nevertheless, there is no available statistics for the actual quantity of wastes caused by these fast food outlets in Nigeria. The companies however make private arrangements for disposal of their wastes, with no proper supervision (Onibokun and Kumuyi, 2005).

The generations of wastes bring about different levels of air, water and land pollution. Pollutions emerge on the grounds that numerous industrial effluents contain harmful metal particles and fascinating natural and inorganic materials, which make the effluent turbid, acidic or alkaline in varying degrees (NEST, 1997). However, despite different methodologies used to manage various waste types in the Nigerian cities and towns, the environment remains polluted; this is obvious in the ecological litigation and communal pressure on firms lately (Adeoti, 2001).

A significant number of the developed nations have been found to give specific consideration to waste management practices and technological strategies of their pollution intensive food manufacturing areas, utilizing different approaches for example, se of waste as manure, landfill, composting, recycling, sedimentation of factory effluents, physical, chemical and organic transformation of waste to marketable by-products, chemical and microbiological decomposition, adoption of returnable containers, and anaerobically converting distillery waste to biogas for supplementary heating fuel, and as feed for Tilapia mozambica fish and fermentation using genetically modified microorganisms (Hulse, 2004). In developed nations where waste disposal techniques have been very much appraised, disposal of packaging materials is a significant consideration in choosing packaging materials, companies also tackle the issue of waste from product definition and in many cases; incentives instituted to encourage proper handling of waste (Zaror, 1992). For example, in Canada there is discount of cash for packaging materials returned to the company or retail shops.

Some fast food companies in Nigeria have inner waste treatment plants for wastes generated within the premises but with little or no attention to what happens outside the company premises. Conversely in Nigeria, many fast food companies are confronted with a challenge of managing solid wastes, which constitute up to 30% of incoming raw materials (Schaub and Leonard, 1996). This study examines waste management practices of food vendors in Lagos State by using Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies as case studies.

Statement of the Problem

Access to improved sanitation and disposal of waste is fundamental to health and the prevention of many diseases across the world (WaterAid, 2019). Over the years, problems relating to sanitation have become a glaring problem in most metropolitan communities in Nigeria (Daramola, Olowoporoku & Popoola, 2017). This can be ascribed to lack of environmental infrastructures, poor sanitary behaviour, population growth and the likes (Olowoporoku, 2017). According to World Health Organization (WHO) (2020), sanitation is a group of strategies to gather human excreta and urine as well as community waste waters in a hygienic way so that human and community health is not altered. It expects to diminish the spread of diseases by proper disposal of excreta and other wastes from sight and appropriate treatment of water and food to limit the spread of disease (WaterAID, 2020; Olowoporoku, 2014).

Waste generation and disposal are among the general medical problems in Africa. Wastes are useless by-product of human actions which genuinely contains the very substance that is available in the useful product (Nwafor, 2014). It is comprehensively characterized into three types dependent on its physical attributes. They are liquid, solid and gaseous waste. Hence, waste disposal is defined as the methods of discarding any product or material which is not important to the producer (Amasuomo & Baird, 2016).

Issues relating to sanitation practices and waste disposal have provoked the attention of researchers in Nigeria (Olanrewaju & Ilemobade, 2009; Afon, 2012; Olowoporoku, 2017; Daramola, Olowoporoku & Popoola, 2017). However, they have only focused on the various aspects of sanitation and waste disposal in a region rather than specific groups or variables, hence the peculiarity of a composition, types and volume of waste generated and disposed and sanitation practices of food vendors like Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies were not considered. They did not comprehensively deliberate on sanitation practices, quantity of waste and disposal systems with respect to these companies. Similarly, the availability of waste and sanitation amenities were not deliberated. The intent of this study is therefore to examine waste management practices of food vendors in Lagos State by using Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies as case studies. This type of study is imperative as it will examine the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of the food vendors (Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies) waste management practices in Lagos State and in Nigeria in general.

Objectives of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to examine waste management practices of food vendors in Lagos State by using Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies as case studies. However, the specific objectives are:

i)           To examine the current methods of waste disposal, waste collection, and waste transportations and treatment adopted by Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies in managing their solid waste

ii)         To identify the categories of solid waste generated by Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies

iii)        To examine other efficient and sustainable options that Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies can adopt to improve their waste management system

iv)        To find out if Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies are aware of indiscriminate waste disposal in their environment

v)         To outline the various ways the policymakers/environmentalists can help in changing human behavior and responses to environmental options that will promote waste management

Research Questions

This study was designed to address the following questions:

i)           What are the current methods of waste disposal, waste collection, and waste transportations and treatment adopted by Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies in managing their solid waste?

ii)         What are the categories of solid waste generated by Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies?

iii)        What are the other efficient and sustainable options that Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies can adopt to improve their waste management system?

iv)        Are Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies aware of indiscriminate waste disposal in their environment?

v)         What are the various ways the policymakers/environmentalists can help in changing human behavior and responses to environmental options that will promote waste management?

Research Hypotheses

From the aforementioned objectives, the following hypotheses were formulated

i)               There is no significant difference in methods of waste disposal, waste collection, and waste transportations and treatment adopted by Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies in managing their solid waste

ii)             There is no significant difference in categories of solid waste generated by Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies

Significance of the Study

This study is significant as it is aimed at finding out waste management practices of food vendors in Lagos State and also the importance of food vending in the society, with the following benefits for examples food create businesses, such as food vending, fast food, food joint, which are commonly found around the area of resident works, places and also on the street. Food vending also save time for cooking especially those who are workers that are to wake up early for their daily activities which could make them late for work, in the process of cooking, they can easily patronize a food vendor to buy food both in the morning or lunch time during work, it is convenient and make it easier for commuter or people vending to reduce the effective cost of cooking. It is cheaper to buy food from food vendor rather than expensive cost of cooking, most nature of works of people that buy food from food vendors engaged in transportations, retailing services, factory workers, and so on, most food waste are waste bone, waste food, which are sold or dirge to people, and companies in return for money. Despite the derivable benefits, various problems which can affects food vendors, such as waste environmental pollution, poor sanitary habit which can lead to social conflict, for example inappropriate disposal of waste water on the road or mistakenly pouring waste water on passengers can create menace due to improper waste management by either competing food vendors. This study will throw more light on the importance of food vending waste in the society through the use of research method such as observation, interview and also useful for further research in knowing the problems, regulation that guide food vendors in disposal of their waste.

Scope of the Study  

This study will focus on the activities of food vending, how they manage their waste in Lagos State and it will be limited 10 selected Chicken Republic and Kilimanjaro Fast Food Companies (five each) in Lagos State, in addition the study will view and suggest ways of solving problems encountered by food vendors base on some challenges they face by disposal of their waste materials and also in terms of economic factor.

Definition of Terms

Food vending: Selling of food on the street e.g. Fast food, food joint etc.

Waste Management Authority: Can be directed to (VIWMAs) waste management authority wastewater treatment plants for treatment and disposal. Wastewater treatment plants do not accept any liquid other than wastewater.

Garbage: Waste food, paper etc that you throw away.

Solid: Hand or firms not in the form of a liquid or gas.

Liquid: Substance that flows freely and is not a solid or gas.

Discarded: To get rid of something that you no longer want or need.