Characterisation of Municipal Solid Waste in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State

This study characterises the composition, generation rate, and spatial distribution patterns of municipal solid waste in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in South West Nigeria. Ibadan is Nigeria's third most populous city, and its waste management infrastructure has struggled to keep pace with the volume of waste generated by a rapidly growing urban population. A systematic waste composition survey was conducted across six residential zones classified by socioeconomic status, three major market areas, and two commercial districts. Waste samples were collected, sorted, and weighed over a four-week period during both a regular season and a festive period to capture temporal variation. Waste fractions quantified include organic food waste, paper and cardboard, plastics, glass, metals, textiles, hazardous household waste, and inert materials. Findings reveal that organic food waste constitutes the dominant fraction at 61 percent of total waste weight, followed by plastics at 14 percent and paper at 9 percent. Per capita waste generation averages 0.52 kilograms per day, with high-income zones generating significantly higher quantities than low-income residential areas. Market areas produce the highest organic fraction, while commercial districts show elevated paper and plastic content. Festive periods show a 38 percent increase in per capita generation. The high organic fraction indicates strong potential for composting and anaerobic digestion as resource recovery options. These characterisation findings provide the evidential basis for designing an integrated waste management plan. Keywords: municipal solid waste, waste characterisation, composition analysis, Ibadan, waste management.