TITLE:
Willingness to Pay (WTP) for an Improved Environmental Quality in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Christian Nwofoke, Sylvia Chinasa Onyenekwe, Festus Ugwuoke Agbo
KEYWORDS:
Rice Husk, Willingness to Pay, Environmental Quality
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.8 No.2,
February
16,
2017
ABSTRACT: Increasing generation of
rice husk requires better quality disposal options in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
The common practice has been incineration or dumping into dumpsite. The
enormous heaps of these rice husks which have piled up since the 1960s now
constitute nuisance. Removal of this rice husk from the environment is urgently
needed because of the environmental pollution and health hazards it poses to
the people and the environs. This study estimates the willingness to pay (WTP)
for improved waste disposal services. Findings indicated that about 95% (152)
of the households were willing to pay for removal of rice husk waste with an
average amount of N957. Factors that positively affected WTP for the removal of
rice husk from the environment include annual income (0.001), years of
education (0.013), farm size (0.051), age (0.025) and farming experience
(0.008), while household size (0.003) and distances of homes/farms from rice
mill centers (RMCs) (0.001) were inversely related to WTP with the R2 value of 77%. About 90% (144) of the respondents generated rice husk with an
average of 23 bags (kg). The study therefore recommends among others that
through the help of extension agents, the general public should be informed on
the need for waste recycling and the need for attitudinal change towards
recycled product.