The Economics of Solid Waste Management in Enugu City: Challenges, Costs, and Policy Options

Rapid urbanization in sub-Saharan African cities has intensified the challenge of solid waste management, creating significant economic costs for city governments and environmental externalities for residents. This study examines the economics of solid waste management in Enugu City, focusing on the cost structure, financing gaps, and policy options available to the Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA) for the period 2020 to 2024. The study is theoretically grounded in the Theory of Externalities and Public Goods, which provides a framework for analyzing market failures in waste management and the rationale for public sector intervention. A descriptive survey and document analysis research design was adopted. Data were collected from ESWAMA, Enugu City residents, and private waste handlers through structured questionnaires and secondary financial records. A sample of 310 residents and 45 waste management firms were surveyed using stratified and purposive sampling methods. Findings reveal that ESWAMA's annual operational cost for Enugu City waste collection averaged 2.8 billion naira between 2020 and 2024, yet cost recovery through waste levies covered only 19 percent of this expenditure. Informal waste pickers absorbed an estimated 30 percent of recyclable material processing at no public cost. The study concludes that Enugu City's solid waste management system faces a structural financing crisis rooted in low cost recovery and limited private sector formalization. It is recommended that a graduated waste levy system be introduced, alongside a formalized integration of informal waste pickers into a revenue-sharing cooperative framework.

Keywords: Solid waste management, externalities, Enugu City, ESWAMA, cost recovery