Abstract

Settlement patterns play an important role in shaping municipal solid waste management practices, particularly in developing countries where waste management infrastructure is often inadequate. This study assessed the influence of settlement pattern on solid waste generation, storage, collection, transportation, disposal, waste separation, and recycling practices in selected urban (Okada), semi-urban (Usen), and rural (Iguomon) communities in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 80 respondents using structured questionnaires administered via simple random sampling. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test at a 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that organic waste and plastics constituted the dominant waste streams across the study area. Open burning and open dumping were the predominant waste disposal methods. At the same time, self-disposal, wheelbarrows, and self-transport were commonly employed for waste collection and transportation due to inadequate waste management infrastructure. Chi-square analysis showed that the settlement pattern did not significantly influence the waste generation, storage, collection, transportation, or disposal practices (p > 0.05). However, the settlement pattern significantly influenced waste separation (p = 0.007) and recycling/reuse practices (p < 0.001), with urban residents exhibiting higher levels of waste separation and rural households demonstrating greater recycling and reuse of organic waste for agricultural purposes. The study concludes that settlement patterns primarily influence behavioural aspects of solid waste management, whereas infrastructural deficiencies affecting waste collection, transportation, storage, and disposal remain common across all settlement categories. The study recommends strengthening waste management infrastructure, expanding waste collection services, promoting waste separation at source, supporting community-based recycling programmes, and implementing settlement-specific waste management strategies to improve environmental sustainability.

Keywords: Settlement pattern, Solid waste management, Recycling, Environmental sustainability