Assessment of Pesticide Wastes Disposal Practices by Cocoa Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria
Mosudi Babatunde Sosan, Olalere W. Oladepo, T.S. Ajibade
Abstract
A survey of pesticide wastes disposal practices by cocoa farmers was carried out using a structured questionnaire supplemented with personal interviews to obtain information from respondents. Data were subjected to statistical analysis. Sixty-three percent of the farmers had no formal training on proper disposal of pesticide wastes with about 51.8% lacking information on how to dispose the wastes. The practices regarding the disposal of left-over spray solutions include re-spraying already treated crops (33.9%) and/or apply over un-cropped land area (25.9%) until the spraying tank is empty. Concerning the rinsates generated from washing spraying equipment and pesticide containers, majority (74%) released rinsates onto non-cropped land and about 5% released into streams and other waterways near their farms where the washing was done. Common practices on disposal of empty pesticide containers include throwing away on the farm where it was used (30.4%), burning in the air (23.2%), throwing away into the village waste dumps (11.6%) and re-use for another purpose (7.1%). Current disposal practices revealed that farmers dispose wastes via unsafe practices which may increase environmental contamination and human exposure. Training of farmers on proper disposal of pesticide wastes and awareness campaign on government policies on waste disposal are recommended.