Circular Economy and Waste Management Actions during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Circular economy is gaining global acceptability, and its practice is rather poor in Nigeria similar to other developing countries. COVID-19 pandemic has caused enormous amounts of hazardous wastes, which require special attention. The present study aimed to assess circular economy and waste management actions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

Data were collected using quantitative and qualitative methods and analyzed to determine the challenges of hazardous waste management in Nigeria by two notable healthcare centers in Ilorin as the cases. In total, 204 questionnaires were distributed among the staff, and 202 (99%) were returned.

The respondents were 102 men (50.5%) and 100 women (49.5%) with various disciplines, including health workers (n=104; 51.5%), maintenance staff (n=42; 20.8%), and cleaners/waste handlers (n=56; 27.7%). The majority of the subjects (97%) believed that COVID-19 wastes should be segregated, while 111 subjects (55%) rated the management of personal protective equipment to be appropriate during the pandemic.

According to the results, the implementation and enforcement of national policies regarding solid waste management are essential through the training and retraining of staff on hazardous waste management in the studied healthcare centers.