Willingness to Pay for Improved Environmental Quality among Residents Living in Close Proximity to Landfills in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Landfills constitute a significant risk to human health and the environment.
Even though the location of landfills in urban areas is beneficial in that they provide the most efficient and safe means of disposal of wastes generated, the perceived environmental costs, health-related hazards, social and economic impacts associated with landfills are often confined to the immediate zone of influence of landfills. This paper examines the willingness to pay for improved environmental quality among people living close to the two functional landfills (Olushosun and Abule Egba) in Lagos metropolis. A structured questionnaire was the main instrument used in the collection of data for the study. The sample size consists of 930 heads of households in the two locations used for the study (488 in Olushosun and 442 in Abule-Egba). Three important facts emerged from this study. First, the presence of the landfills and its associated environmental impacts is an important factor contributing to respondents’ willingness to pay for any environmental improvement in their neighbourhood. Second, the proportion of respondents willing to pay decreased consistently as distance increases away from the landfills in the two locations. Lastly, respondents are generally not willing to pay high amount for environmental amelioration.

Keywords: Landfill; Risk; Environment; Contingent Valuation; Lagos