Due to the influx of people from the rural area and neighbouring states, Benin City the ancient City of Benin
kingdom experienced tremendous expansion and developed into a metropolis and this has resulted to high level
of commercial activities generating large quantity of solid waste. Among the multitude of problems existing in
Benin metropolis, solid waste generated from commercial activities appears to be the most prominent in recent
years due to poor management. Solid waste is seen in huge heaps in the open market places and around
buildings having one business activity or the other. Open air dumping and open air incineration of solid waste at
the approved dumpsite is currently the official practice in Benin metropolis. The practice of dumping solid
waste in a hole or setting it on open air fire without pollution control makes solid waste a liability and it is not
sustainable as there is no financial return at the end point of the waste. The first major step in planning a solid
waste management that can be sustainable is the determination of the components of the waste otherwise known
as characterisation. The purpose of this research was therefore commercial solid waste characterisation in Benin
metropolis in Nigeria. The work reported in this paper involved the characterization of commercial solid waste
in Benin metropolis in Nigeria. A site-specific study was carried out to determine the components of
commercial solid waste generation in Benin metropolis. Structured questionnaires were also applied to collect
primary information from commercial units. The study showed that about 45% of compostable materials and
about 46% of recyclable solid waste are generated from commercial source in Benin metropolis. Some useful
suggestions that will help to improve the commercial solid waste management situation in the metropolis have
been presented.