Assessment of Solid Waste Collection Efficiency and Coverage in Sokoto Municipal Council Area

This study assesses the efficiency and coverage of municipal solid waste collection services in the Sokoto Municipal Council area, North West Nigeria. Sokoto is one of the most densely populated cities in northern Nigeria, and inadequate solid waste collection has led to the proliferation of illegal dumpsites in residential and commercial areas, creating environmental health hazards and contributing to flooding through drain blockage. The assessment combined route efficiency analysis of existing collection vehicles, a household survey on waste collection service satisfaction and actual collection frequency, and a spatial mapping exercise identifying informal dump sites using GPS coordinates. Waste collection vehicle fleet condition was assessed through inspection. Survey interviews were conducted with 300 households across six wards stratified to represent high, medium, and low-income residential areas. Results show that formal waste collection reaches only 41 percent of residential households, with collection frequency averaging once every twelve days against the standard of twice weekly. The operational waste collection fleet is at 58 percent functionality due to deferred maintenance. High-income areas receive significantly more frequent collection than low-income areas. A total of 47 informal dump sites were mapped within the municipal boundary. Households in underserved areas predominantly resort to open burning or dumping in vacant lots. The study identifies inadequate fleet maintenance funding and absence of route optimisation as the primary operational deficiencies. Recommendations include a fleet refurbishment programme funded through ring-fenced waste collection levies and route optimisation using GIS-based planning. Keywords: solid waste collection, municipal waste, collection efficiency, Sokoto, urban sanitation.