**1. Introduction**

In recent years, there is an exponential population growth, high density of urban areas, diverse culture, changing food habits, and lifestyles have seen an unresolved problem in terms of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) in Nigeria, and Kano metropolis was not an exception. As a result, the collection, transportation, treatment, and management of solid waste have become major problems for the municipalities (local government regions). The current work is a thorough analysis

that summarizes the current state of SWM, identifies related problems, and derives prospective solutions for MSWM in the Nigerian context. Unsorted solid trash generated at the source by private solid waste management companies, public attitudes, inadequate waste assessment due to an unstructured informal waste industry, unplanned financial, and poor implementation of government legislation are all factors [1]. Also prior to industrial revolution, cities had few materials resources, money was then also scarce and cities and towns had more needs to meet, wastages were also minimized, reuse, recovered, materials were recycled, and organic matters were returned back to soil. During this time, there was an extensive informal recycling and recovery system that flourished, but this began to be displaced by emerging recent and formal municipal waste collection, recycling, recovering, as well as disposal systems, whereby recovery and recycling become large, but almost invisible. As a result of its high rate of generation and poor management, municipal solid waste management is a severe challenge in developing nations. Inefficient solid waste management can lead to a decline in environmental quality as well as the loss of potential resources [2].

However, prior to the formal involvement of private corporations in the waste management system in Kano metropolis, which dates to the 1990s, a small number of businesses functioned informally under open competition with varied degrees of success. As a result, their effects were felt more by the individual customers than by the entire refuse management system. In order to address this worrying situation, the state government in the middle of 2000 hired a single private company to handle solid waste collection and disposal in Kano Metropolis for a fee of roughly 200 million Naira (=N=200,000,000.00), or roughly \$1.17 million (US), annually. The company's contract with the government was terminated in less than 2 years as a result of its own inability to produce the required and anticipated results. This study reviews current advances in solid waste management hierarchy challenges in Kano metropolis-Nigeria and the need for an effective collection, recovery, and recycling policy. This was carried out through the use of direct field measurement, focus group discussion (FGD), inventory, individual interviews, questionnaire administration, and case study, and the use of large availability of secondary data. The challenges were mainly the government inability to deal with the waste due to growing population, and lost in state revenue, as such the need for the government to diversify by allowing private stakeholders to join the wagon. Our review is based on 85% literature searches and personal field surveys. Observations revealed that the findings were caused by the careless way in which stakeholders and Nigerians alike managed solid trash, as seen by the recent collection rates of less than 40% of the entire amount of solid garbage generated (i.e., approximately 30% was collected). Therefore, the country's large amount of solid waste could present potential for material recovery, reuse, recycling, and reduction, which would enhance the national economy and bring Nigeria closer to sustainable waste management, with an efficient collection system and proper policies. Municipalities face difficulties as a result of the inhabitants' lack of awareness of the problems with trash management and their careless behavior with their waste. The hazard posed by MSW at landfill sites, which emits dangerous greenhouse gasses and subsequently pollutes the environment and contaminates groundwater through the creation of leachates, must be addressed.

The production of dangerous chemical wastes by cities, such as hospitals and factories, which now causes breathing issues and early deaths, is another recent development in MSWM [3]. Nigeria has recently emerged as a market for recycling, despite the fact that recycling has not met the required standards [4]. Poor MSW management at landfill sites frequently draws animals, rodents, mosquitoes, vultures, and

#### *Challenges of SWM Hierarchy System: The Stakeholders New Saga in Perspectives DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107123*

scavengers, which could have a negative impact on front-line workers' health or even result in their demise [1]. The development of technical knowledge on the conversion of waste to resources would be facilitated by education and awareness programs, which are crucial in this situation. This would educate more people to adopt new technology strategy skills in areas in the management of waste, while embracing all of these strategies' and advantages 2014 (Ibrahim). Furthermore, the private stakeholders, from both formal and informal enterprises of widely varying sizes and capabilities, can supplement the knowledge and capacity of the local authority to implement recycling, manage organic waste and serve households with waste reduction, collection, recovering, and recycling through private solid waste management contribution, which is the main objective of this book chapter.

Finally, a few cities in Nigeria such as Kaduna, Ibadan, Abuja, and Lagos have showcased the positive intent toward MSWM strategies as per solid waste hierarchy selection, which have been discussed in this study. It has also been observed that the municipalities are focusing mainly on the collection part, while ignoring recent advance treatment methods. However, this also needs further upgrade in order to eliminate the MSWM issue [1]. The resourceful material recovery and other processes alike have been a challenge that could be achieved by the help of the informal sector in the MSWM process, which is fully discussed in this study. However, this idea can only be fulfilled with support and funding from the government agencies, public awareness, participation, and to eliminate the citizen attitudinal problem. The mention of private solid waste management companies under one umbrella could contribute in a step toward clean sustainable cities. Hence, the present study is a comprehensive review carried out in all the possible strategies from past to future pertaining to MSWM by private companies, government agencies, and other stakeholders alike, also the study addresses the challenges and potential opportunities for the future urban cities of Nigeria.
