Urban food waste for digestate production: Implications for soil health and circular economy in Benin Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Food waste poses a significant environmental and socio-economic concern in urban areas of Nigeria, where disposal methods remain largely unregulated and underutilized. This study investigates food waste generation, composition, and disposal practices across four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Benin Metropolis: Ovia North-East, Ikpoba Okha, Oredo, and Egor with a view to assessing its viability as feedstock for digestate production. A structured questionnaire was employed in the survey via a multistage sampling of a total of 143 respondents, and these data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests (χ²). Results revealed that food waste originated predominantly from residential sources (mean = 64.43%, SD = 9.06), with significant variation across LGAs (χ² = 10.75, df = 3, p = 0.013). Non-cooked food waste (44.32% residential, 45.28% commercial) constituted the bulk of organic waste, though segregation practices were limited (only 16% segregated waste). Disposal was primarily via public dumpsites (41%) and commercial sanitation services (35%). The study highlights the untapped potential of food waste as an input for digestate-based soil fertility enhancement. It recommends improved waste segregation, decentralized composting infrastructure, and policy reform as pathways to advancing sustainable organic agriculture, improving soil health and food security and achieving circular economy goals in urban Nigeria.