An Assessment of Food Residuals and Development of An On-site Composting Bin for A Community In Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Food waste among Nigerian communities constitutes a major environmental problem. This study was carried out in Ibadan, a highly populous indigenous city, the capital of Oyo State. As most of the families are traditional, food is prepared in the house at least twice daily. Various foods consumed by the households were assessed for one week for the quantity of waste generated during processing. The foods included grains, vegetables, fruits, meat, and others. Depending on the food item processed, the amount of waste generated ranged between 0 to 61 per cent of the total waste and is still the largest component of the waste stream. Corn, tubers, plantains generated more waste. For household management of these biodegradable wastes, a simple household composting bin was designed and tested using a family of about 7 to 8. The bin is made from a used
drum with a cutting and stirring device for the food residuals. The bin takes waste for about 4 weeks and at the end of 45 days, the finished compost was taken out and used for backyard gardening. This type of onsite composting involving individual families may find useful in sustainable management of household wastes.