With an average of 42 million tons of waste produced annually and with no effective structure of managing solid waste in Nigeria, indiscriminate disposal of waste posed a serious danger to the constituents of the environment. Waste reduction at source is one of the potent strategies for reducing disposable waste, thereby, making non-reused waste at household level manageable by municipal authority. Therefore, this study examines household waste reduction practices in Ibadan. Three localities in Ibadan North East Local Government Area were selected and a sampling ratio of 3% was employed where in 281 respondents were randomly sampled. The five household waste reduction practices identified include: purchasing products with less packaging, employing reusable rather than disposable items, using personal shopping bags made of recyclable materials, minimizing household food scraps and wastage, and the maintenance and repair of household items. Findings revealed that more than half 54.4% of the waste generated was plastic, 14.6% was kitchen waste, 19.2% was glass and bottle, and 11.7% paper waste. The study suggests aggressive sensitization programme to raise awareness on the benefits of reducing waste before disposal in Ibadan, to curb indiscriminate disposal of waste.

Keywords: Household waste, reduction practices , Ibadan