Beyond Infrastructure: Sociocultural Factors Shaping Household Waste Disposal Practices in Katsina State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Improper household waste disposal persists in Katsina State, Nigeria, despite periodic sanitation exercises and existing state-level environmental protection structures, yet much of the existing scholarship explains the problem primarily through infrastructure deficits, institutional capacity, or socio-demographic correlates, while sociocultural explanations have been developed mainly in southern Nigeria.

Objective: Drawing on Social Practice Theory and its attention to materials, competences, and meanings, this conceptual, literature-based review examines household waste disposal as a sociocultural practice.

Methods: Purposively selecting and thematically analyzing peer-reviewed studies, institutional reports, and theoretical works; because Katsina-specific evidence is limited, it is used illustratively alongside comparative Nigerian studies.

Findings: The review shows that infrastructural shortfalls coexist with patterned household behaviours, including the delegation of disposal to children, burning waste to produce manure or ash, and dumping outside designated sites, patterns that appear consistent with gendered competences and with meanings that treat waste partly as a resource. It also suggests that appeals by traditional authority have not, on the available evidence, been sufficient on their own, although the analysis remains interpretive and does not establish causation.

Implications: The findings imply that reliable and affordable waste collection is necessary but not sufficient, and that interventions should combine it with culturally responsive education, gender-sensitive design, and engagement with religious and traditional leaders; six testable propositions are offered to guide future field research in Katsina State.