Influence of Socio-demographic Characteristics of Households on Plastic Waste Management Techniques in the Federal Capital Territory and Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

The escalating crisis of plastic waste mismanagement represents a critical bottleneck for environmental governance across the Global South, particularly in Nigeria, where annual generation exceeds 2.5 million tonnes with a recovery rate of less than 10%. The structural deficiencies of waste management systems remain poorly characterised at household and community level. This study assesses the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on plastic waste management within Nigeria’s two most significant urban centres: The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos State. Adopting a robust mixed-methods research design, the study utilised a cross-sectional survey of 770 households selected via proportionate systematic sampling complemented by Key Informant Interviews (KII) involving stakeholders from government and private sectors. A multistage sampling technique was adopted. FCT and Lagos State were selected due to their high population density and recent plastic waste management initiatives. Two Area Councils in FCT and ten LGAs in Lagos State were purposively selected due to high population density, random selection (balloting) of ten wards from each of the ten study locations. A sample of 385 households each from FCT and LS were proportionately and randomly selected amounting to 770 households. Structured questionnaires were administered to household heads or knowledgeable representatives, yielding 385 completed responses from each state. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. The findings revealed that FCT had 194 males (50.4%) and 191 females (49.6%), while the Lagos State had 197 males (51.2%) and 188 females (48.8%). Level of education was comparatively higher in FCT, where 73.5% of respondents had tertiary qualifications, compared to 55.1% in Lagos State. Respondents with secondary education constituted 17.9% (FCT) and 26.2% (Lagos State), while those with primary education accounted for 4.7% (FCT) and 12.5% (Lagos State) and no formal schooling accounted for 3.9% (FCT) and 6.2% (Lagos State). Regarding employment status, self-employment was reported by 42.6% (FCT) and 33.0% (Lagos State) of respondents, employees accounted for 44.4% (FCT) and 44.4% (Lagos State), while students constituted 13.0% (FCT) and 22.6% (Lagos State). The mean age of respondents was 35.2 (±10.3) in FCT and 35.8 (±10.3) in Lagos State, with 35 years being the most frequent. Mean household size was 4.7 (±2.9) in FCT and 4.9 (±2.7) in Lagos State, with 5-person households being the most frequent. Findings indicate that 58.2% of respondents did not segregate plastic waste from general household waste, while 41.8% reported practising separation. The most frequent source of plastic waste in FCT was food packaging (38.2%), beverages packaging (39.4%), personal care products (12.8%), others (5.5%) and electronic device packages (4.1%); while in Lagos State, food packaging (39.5%), beverages packaging (37.0%), personal care products (14.2%), others (4.4%), and electronic device packages (4.9%). The dominant Plastic Waste Management Techniques (PWMT) used by households in the FCT were recycling (51.7%), open dumping (27.4%), waste-to-energy (8.8%), burning (7.2%), and biodegradation (4.9%); while in Lagos State, recycling (51.0%), open dumping (28.1%), waste-to-energy (6.9%), burning (8.4%), and biodegradation (5.6%) were used. Chi-square analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between gender and burning (p = 0.009), and between occupation and open dumping (p = 0.017). These findings underscore the need for targeted, socio-demographically informed interventions to improve plastic waste practices. Policy efforts should not just prioritise public education campaigns, but infrastructural investment in plastic waste systems, and regulatory frameworks that account for socio-demographic heterogeneity in urban Nigerian contexts.