Household wastes are stored in bins by the affluent and in sacks, plastic bags, cut jerry cans,
cardboard boxes by the low-income households, and a large percentage of domestic waste
storage containers (e.g. sacks, polythene bags and boxes) used by the poorer urban community
are dumped with the wastes(Figure1). There is no sorting as such, but households separate
components of wastes considered of value such as vegetables and food leftover (for animal feeds
– used at source or sold, sometimes given free), plastic bags (reuse), bottles- plastic/glass (reuse and
sale), tins (reuse and sale) and scrap metals (for sale) are separated by some households from
waste that is usually stored mixed. Sorted/separated wastes are either reutilised at source or
sold to itinerant buyers who afterwards sell them to middlemen who supply recycling
industries. Waste separation also takes place at transfer stations (e.g. bunkers, skips, road
verges,), on transit to the landfill and at the landfill or dump sites.