A Comparative Assessment of Recycling Practices and Infrastructure in Yenagoa and Ahoada, Nigeria

Abstract

Urban plastic waste has become a critical environmental and public health challenge in rapidly growing Nigerian cities, yet the effectiveness of recycling policies and infrastructure in medium-sized urban centres remains under-researched. This study adopted a comparative cross-sectional survey design to assess recycling practices, infrastructure, and policy effectiveness in Yenagoa (Bayelsa State) and Ahoada (Rivers State), Nigeria. A total of 334 respondents (167 per city) were selected through stratified random sampling, and data were collected using structured questionnaires, key-informant interviews, field observations, and a review of secondary data over a six-month period. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and thematic analysis. Yenagoa recorded a higher recycling rate (35%) than Ahoada (28%), supported by more developed infrastructure, including three sorting facilities and two recycling plants, compared with Ahoada's two sorting facilities and one recycling plant. Yenagoa recovered 150 tons of plastic waste monthly against Ahoada's 120 tons, and recorded a moderate environmental impact score compared with Ahoada's high impact score. Landfilling remained the dominant disposal method in both cities (50% in Yenagoa, 55% in Ahoada), while open burning persisted at 20% in each. A one-way ANOVA comparing composite performance indicators between the two cities produced a mean difference (Yenagoa: 62.33; Ahoada: 50.33) that was not statistically significant, F (1, 4) = 0.044, p = .844- a result attributable to the small number of indicators available for testing rather than to an absence of a practical difference. The study concludes that recycling effectiveness is shaped less by the existence of policy than by infrastructural robustness, institutional coordination, and stakeholder participation, and recommends strengthened regulatory enforcement, targeted infrastructural investment, and expanded community engagement in both cities.