Assessment of Waste Management Practices in a Paint Factory in Bauchi State

This research assesses industrial waste management practices in a paint manufacturing factory in Bauchi State, North East Nigeria, examining compliance with environmental regulations and identifying opportunities for waste reduction and resource recovery. The paint manufacturing industry generates a range of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes including pigment residues, solvent-contaminated rinse water, and off-specification product batches, all of which require responsible management to protect both worker health and the surrounding environment. This study employs a waste characterisation and compliance audit approach, combining waste stream inventorisation, regulatory gap analysis against the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency guidelines, and semi-structured interviews with environment, health, and safety personnel. On-site measurements of effluent discharge parameters including chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and heavy metal concentrations were also conducted. Results reveal that effluent from the resin preparation section exceeds permissible chemical oxygen demand limits by a factor of two-point-three, and solid waste segregation practices are largely absent. Recommendations include installing an effluent pre-treatment plant, formalising a waste segregation and labelling system, and establishing relationships with certified hazardous waste disposal contractors. Keywords: waste management, paint manufacturing, NESREA, Bauchi State, industrial effluent