Appraisal of Waste Management Practices and Sanitary Landfill Suitability at Ceremonial Spaces in Oyo Town, Nigeria

Abstract Given the vital role of ceremonial spaces to social cohesion, celebration of life milestones and connection to collective values within the society, this study provides on-site appraisal of waste management practices at ceremonial spaces and suitability of sanitary land fill in Oyo town. Primary data on the socio-economic drivers, type and quantity of waste generated and disposal methods were sourced from 17 managers. Field observation and waste measurement over two peak periods via weighing scale was determined. Locations and areas of land occupied by the selected ceremonial spaces were obtained from Google Earth and ArcGIS environment respectively. Secondary data on Land use/Land Cover Raster resources as well as Digital Elevation Model Raster Data were accessed from the websites of ESRI Living Atlas and USGS Earth Explorer. Arc Map’s weighted overlay analysis was utilised in the production of Landfill suitability map for the integration and ranking of each criterion based on its importance to landfill siting. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize socioeconomic drivers of ceremonial spaces managers, type and volume of waste generated and method employed for waste disposal. Findings reveals that food wastes (97.4%) generated at wedding receptions (56.9%) at school fields (52.3%) were disposed at nearby dumpsites (33.8%). Of the total volume of waste measured, 58.7kg, 52.8kg and 51.4kg respectively were generated at school fields, Government Organisation premises and Event centers. To address waste management deficits, the study recommends establishment of designated landfill sites at optimal locations to ceremonial spaces. Such interventions are essential to foster compliance with sustainable sanitation practices.