Critical Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ghana

Transcription

1 JENRM, Vol. 2, No. 1, 30-36, 2015 Research Article Critical Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ghana Michael Addaney *, Rose Anarfiwaah Oppong ** Abstract Solid waste management is one of the major challenges confronting cities and towns mostly in developing countries. This study sought to identify as well as subject to critical analysis, certain key factors that are responsible for solid waste management in Ghana. From the study, 72 percent of households are commonly infected with the Cholera and Malaria pandemic. This underscores the adverse impacts of indiscriminate littering and irregular collection of waste. The study further discovered that all actors have very high level of commitment to achieving a sustainable solid waste management. However, the low level of technical and financial capacity of these actors and the absence of a coordinative framework greatly impedes their operations. Moreover, the departments within the Municipal Assemblies in Ghana which are responsible for environmental management are also ill-resourced. The study therefore argues that achieving sustainable solid waste management largely depends on these critical factors: effective and relevant legal framework; institutional strengthening and capacity building for the private sector as well as implementation of cost recovery regimes. Others include development of sound partnerships with the private sector, waste reduction and mainstreaming of recycling activities. Poor environmental conditions challenge the Assemblies efforts at meeting the health and environment components of the Millennium Development Goals. People, households and communities lose time as well as money to illness leading to short life spans with workers being less productive. There is little or no financial savings and investments. Moreover since environmental sustainability is endangered. It is recommended that the Government should create an enabling working environment that is legally friendly, technically and financially sound as well as market oriented for all actors who have a stake in solid waste management. Keywords Environmental Health Sanitation Solid Waste Waste Management * Quality Assurance and Planning Unit, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani - Ghana. appl.adm@gmail.com ** Environmental Protection and Agricultural Food Production, Faculty of Agriculture University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart Germany. rmaoppong@gmail.com Contents 1 Introduction 30 2 Materials and methods 31 3 Results and Discussion Solid Waste Management Practices Financing of Solid Waste Management Improper Solid Waste Management Public Awareness on Solid Waste Management The Assembly s Capacity for Solid Waste Management The Role of the Private Sector Preferred Provider of Waste Collection System Conclusion Towards a Sustainable Solid Waste Management System 35 References Introduction Municipal Solid Waste Management is an issue of great concern to urban governance in most developing and transitional economies [19] because of solid waste effects on environmental health most especially in Africa. This could be attributed to the rapid population growth rate which eventually translates into generation of copious amounts of solid waste and the lack of technical and financial resources of Municipal Authorities in Africa to address the related challenges ([20]; [17]; [15]). Schübeler (1996 in [6]) defined waste management as any activity that aims at minimizing the impacts of municipal solid waste on public health and the environment including characterization and measurement, collection and transportation, separation and resource recovery, processing as well as disposal. The United Nations Conference on Human Settlement reports that one-third to one-half of solid waste generated within most cities in low and middle income countries are not collected; but however end up as illegal dumps on streets, open spaces and waste lands ([18]). African Development Bank s study on waste management in 2002 opines that Ghana generates about 3.6 million tons of solid waste per year which are mainly organic compostables such as food, yard and wood wastes as well as paper, plastic, glass and metal. Ghana like other developing countries has over the years had difficulties in municipal solid waste management

2 Critical Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ghana 31/36 with regards to infrastructural and technical inefficiencies. The impact of poor environmental sanitation and solid waste in cities and communities in Ghana threaten the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially the MDG 7 (Ensuring Environmental Sustainability) as well as poverty eradication which are being prioritised by the government in national issues. Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) have therefore emerged as promising supporters for arresting the situation but has been less successful due to the inability of government to fulfil its financial obligations to the private firms assigned to collect and dispose waste in their respective jurisdictions. Problems associated with sanitary conditions in rapidly expanding urban and sub-urban areas cause the spread of a number of air and waterborne diseases (Songsore and McGranahan, 1993). Malaria, diarrhoea, intestinal worms and acute upper respiratory tract infections which are examples of poor-sanitation related diseases constitute about 85 percent of the reported cases at outpatient facilities in the country with seasonal epidemic outbreaks of cholera ([11]). A study undertaken by [2] in Teshie, a suburb of Accra in Ghana revealed that the type of solid waste collection method used and the incidence of malaria are moderately but significantly correlated. The unsanitary conditions render the suburb prone to malaria, thereby indicating relevance of the study and its findings. Earlier studies have also shown that some components of municipal solid waste collect water and hence, become potential breeding sites of mosquitoes. Similar situations can be observed in other cities including Kumasi, Tema and Sekondi-Takoradi. Waste collection and transportation though the first in the waste management concept has proven to be a disorganized system. According to [10] only 80 percent of the waste generated in the Accra Metropolis is collected. This percentage falls to 35 percent in Kumasi (Ghana s second largest city) and close to 10 percent in the northern towns of Bolgatanga, Tamale and Wa. The national policy recommends small-scale incineration plants for the treatment and disposal of health care and hazardous wastes. Therefore in most towns with health facilities, small incinerators have been built as part of the health provision infrastructure. The incinerators are simple designs built with lateritic bricks, cement blocks and metal with firewood as a source of energy and are easily operated and maintained. [10] asserts that many of such facilities have no environmental controls and often comprise of nothing more than combustion of medical and chemical waste in an oven or open pit. The three solid waste collection methods practiced in Ghana are; kerbside, house-to-house and communal collections. Kerbside collection system involves collection of deposited waste on specific days at the kerbside. Waste collection crew picks up the waste from each household and community to be emptied into collection vehicles with bins returned thereafter in household and communal collection methods respectively. The level of service delivery is however different within income areas (Tsiboe, 2004). [13] opines that waste collection service delivery is generally very poor in low income areas while that of middle and high income areas are comparatively better since they pay more than the government who pays for low income areas. This study was conducted in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of Ghana. It is located in the Eastern part of the Central Region of Ghana within Latitudes 5 45 South and 6-00 North with Longitudes of 0 20 West to 0 35 East. It shares common boundaries with the Ga South Municipal (in the Greater Accra Region) at the East, Awutu Senya District at the North and Gomoa East District at the West. The Municipality covers a total land area of approximately 180sq km which is about 18% of the total area of the Region. Kasoa, the Municipal Capital is located at the south-eastern part, about 13km off Accra, Ghana s capital. Strategically located, Kasoa serves as a dormitory town for about 60 percent of the inhabitants. The overriding aim of the study is to analyze the current municipal solid waste management practices and determine the most reliable management mix that will help keep the Municipality clean. The specific objectives of the study are; 1. to examine the current solid waste management practices in the Municipality; 2. to determine the core problems of managing solid waste 3. to recommend practical interventions to ensure effective and sustainable solid waste management in Ghana 2. Materials and methods Data was collected primarily from field through structured questionnaires and interviews with key informants as well as relevant resource persons including four private waste collectors, the District Health Directorate, Town and Country Planning Department and the Environmental Health Department. Questionnaires were administered using stratified random sampling technique. A sample size of 100 households considering a margin error of 10 percent and another sample size of 30 non-domestic generators (institutions) with a margin error of 17 percent were used. Data collected was edited to ensure that the needed data has been captured. Subsequently, the result of the cleaned data was collated using Statistical Programme for Social Scientists (SPSS). Moreover, secondary data relevant to municipal solid waste management were obtained from technical publications and journals to elicit contemporary knowledge on the subject. The syntheses of findings

3 Critical Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ghana 32/36 were analysed and discussed with the necessary inferred recommendations proposed. 3. Results and Discussion 3.1 Solid Waste Management Practices There are no well defined systems of dealing with waste as per the survey. However, practices adopted are skewed towards waste collection with little emphasis on reduction, recycling and re-use of waste Waste Generation and Characterization From the study, the Municipality generates about 15 tons of solid waste daily which are mainly organic and composed of compostables (such as kitchen, yard and wood wastes), paper, plastic, glass and scrap metal. Others include textiles, leather coconut husks and electronic wastes. It was further discovered that due to the high level of urbanization, the waste generation has increased from 15 tons in 2009 to 23 tons in It could be inferred that the rapid sprawling of the Municipality has greatly increased the amount of solid waste produced. This pattern in waste composition is attributed to high spending among rich people and a relatively low level of recovery of components such as plastics and papers ([5]. Moreover, compared with results from available studies by [8] conducted in Kumasi, the proportions of organics in the waste from all areas are relatively lower. Generally, the composition of household waste in the study area presents a good opportunity for waste recycling. This however requires intensive education of residents to practice separation of waste at source since approximately half of the waste could be considered for recycling through composting. [21] underscores the importance of recycling organic components to ensure sustainable solid waste management Solid Waste Storage Storage of solid waste generated domestically from commercial premises or institutions is the first activity in the Solid Waste Management process and collection. Wide ranges of equipment are used by waste generators in storing their waste. These include metal and plastic containers, basket and carton containers as well as sacks and polythene bags. The table below presents the forms of containers available for waste storage to be disposed by households and non-domestic generators. Table 1. An Assessment of Container Availability for Waste Storage Domestic Waste Generators (Households) Non-Domestic Generators Type of Container Frequency Percentage (%) Frequency Percentage (%) Metal and Plastic Basket and Carton Others (sack, polythene bags) Total Source: Field Survey, February 2014 As shown in table 1 above, about 45 percent of households do not have access to durable waste storage containers thereby resorting to the use of sacks and polythene bags since it is relatively a cheaper alternative. Most of the refuse is kept close to kitchens and rooms, causing diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever. Conversely, the proportion of non-domestic generators using sacks and polythene bags and other unsustainable materials is lower than that of households (30 percent). Moreover, 39 percent of households use either metal or plastic containers with covers for waste storage and are mostly middle and higher income earners who patronize private waste collection. Refuse containers are usually emptied twice every month. It could be inferred that in spite of the type of material used for storing waste the frequency of emptying these containers is crucial to the health of the people. This is because improperly stored waste that is kept over a long period of time could be dangerous to public health especially those using baskets, containers, sacks and polythene bags Solid Waste Collection System Cognizant of the severity of indiscriminate dumping and littering with a greater proportion of waste left uncollected in the Municipality, the Assembly engages the services of private waste collectors to complement the collection of residential and commercial solid waste. Of the total waste generated per week (105 tons), only 25 percent of the quantity is collected (26 tons), which is 5 percent lesser than the national collection rate. This leaves behind a total of 80 tons uncollected waste. Comparing this collection rate to the Municipal Assembly s target of 80 percent collection, there is a huge shortfall of 55 percent. This trend threatens the health of the inhabitants and the illegal piles of waste attest to this fact. With regards to collection composition, the Municipal Assembly collects 35 percent whiles the private sector collects the remaining 55 percent. It is important to note that the quantity of waste left uncollected does not serve only as a nuisance to public health but as points for scavenging activities where recoverable wastes are collected and recycled too. However, waste picked for this activity is very minimal due to the composition of the waste and the lack of support for the scavengers and recyclers in the Municipality Solid Waste Disposal Solid waste is disposed off in several ways but the main method adopted by households and other generators is the house-to-house collection system. Table 3.3 provides details of refuse disposal methods in the Kasoa Township. The table above indicates that most waste generators patronize house-to-house collection which accounts for 53 percent and 50 percent respectively. This phenomenon could be explained by the urbanized nature of the Municipality and the absence of public dumps as well as refuse containers for residential areas. The second dis-

4 Critical Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ghana 33/36 Table 2. Refuse Disposal Methods by Households and Non-Domestic Generators Domestic Waste Generators Non-Domestic Generators Method of Disposal Frequency Percentage (%) Frequency Percentage (%) Burning Dumping Buried House-to-House Total Source: Field Survey, February 2014 posal method by households is dumping where waste is disposed in communal containers placed at vantage points or anywhere. It could therefore be inferred that households with low incomes resort to this method though some are made to pay for disposal at the only private dumpsite located at river in the Ayigbe locality. This could pose great health threats to the residents since water from this river is used for domestic purposes. About 19 percent of households and 7 percent of non-domestic generators burn their waste. This includes those who cannot afford user charges by subscribing to private waste collection. 3.2 Financing of Solid Waste Management The management of municipal solid waste has traditionally been the sole responsibility of the government and consumes 35 percent of municipal budgets besides periodic financial support from development partners with no marked improvement ([12]). The situation is no different from the study area since the total budget for solid waste management as obtained from the survey amounted to GH 130,000 per year representing 35 percent of the total budget. Of this amount, about 10 percent is spent on sweepings public streets and public areas in the municipality and 25 percent on maintenance of waste management equipment. Due to the fact that the Municipal Assembly is incapable of financing the entire waste stream, other avenues such as user charges have been introduced to complement the Assembly sources of funds. The user charge regime is also operated by the private formal and informal sectors where households and commercial waste generators subscribe to pay an amount for a quantity of waste generated. The study revealed that 79 percent of households pay for disposing off their refuse either by house-to-house collection or dumping. Out of these households, 43 percent patronize private formal collection (from three registered firms); 10 percent patronize private informal collection (5 unregistered groups and cart pushers) and the rest patronize a commercial dumpsite. 3.3 Improper Solid Waste Management Improper solid waste management poses serious environment threats through air, land and water pollution. Environmental conditions in the Municipality is abysmal such that solid waste has clogged most of the few available drains creating stagnant water for insect breeding and floods during rainy seasons. Large open spaces in the Municipality are dotted with heaps of refuse very close to residential areas. The situation worsens when liquid wastes from houses are openly disposed, causing further stagnation. Greenhouse gases are generated from the decomposition of organic wastes in landfills and untreated leachate pollutes surrounding soil and water bodies. The use of burning as a method of disposal by almost 20 percent of households causes air pollution and possibly contributes to global warming. Open burning of plastic waste by residents could result in air pollution with associated health problems due to heavy metal additives ([8]). Moreover, littering of the environment with plastics also cause environmental nuisance through choking of drains and reducing the aesthetic beauty of the environment. The Municipal Health Service has identified four human diseases (Malaria, Cholera, Typhoid and Respiratory infections) as a result of improper disposal of waste in the Municipality. This discovery validates the results obtained from the households interviews on the diseases which commonly affect them. Figure 1 provides information on diseases that commonly affect households in the Municipality. Figure 1. Diseases that Commonly Affects Households The chart above indicates that Malaria is the common household disease; accounting for 72 percent. Majority (97 percent) of the household respondents agreed that these diseases are as a result of the insanitary conditions in the Municipality. The study further discovers Cholera as the second common disease that affects households. Factors responsible include choked gutters and stagnant water which is rife in the Municipality. Moreover, due to the fact that human faecal matter is commonly found in residential waste, insect and rodent vectors are attracted to it and spread diseases such as cholera and dengue fever. Apparently, contaminated water used for domestic purposes as well as the preparation of food for commercial consumption is another contributing factor. 3.4 Public Awareness on Solid Waste Management Households were asked questions regarding their awareness of and involvement in environmental management programmes and projects in the Municipality and whether they have received any education on environmental cleanliness as well as where they obtained the education. About 46 percent of this had education through Community

5 Critical Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ghana 34/36 Based Organizations. However, 25 percent of households indicated that they have been given training by the Municipal Assembly through the Environmental Health Department. It can therefore be concluded that some public awareness is being created with little yielded results due to the rising of indiscriminate disposal and littering in the Municipality. Table 3. Waste Collection Systems by Households and Commercial Institutions Domestic Waste Generators Non-Domestic Generators Preferred Provider Frequency Percentage (%) Frequency Percentage (%) Local Government Private Company No difference Total Source: Field Survey, February The Assembly s Capacity for Solid Waste Management The Municipal Assembly through the Environmental Health and Sanitation Department (ESHD) is in charge of solid waste management in the Municipality. This mandates the EHSD to develop as well as maintain clean human settlements to promote the socio-economic and physical well-being of the population. Although to collect 80 percent of all refuse generated is one objective of the department, only 25 percent of the generated waste is collected and disposed in the Municipality from findings of the study. Out of this percentage, the department is able to collect 45 percent while the rest is collected by the private sector. Moreover, environmental health personnel in the Municipality were 34 technicians and 75 non-technicians in the Municipality. However, the Assembly needs about 60 technicians and 120 non-technicians. Therefore the Municipality ought to adequately cater for available staff by building their capacity as well as recruit more staff to improve the situation. 3.6 The Role of the Private Sector Competent as well as committed human and financial resources are required to effectively manage municipal solid waste. Therefore, private sectors well-known to have financial, managerial and technical capacity to properly manage waste help government out in this regard. Therefore the Municipal Assembly has encouraged private sector participation with three registered private collection firms in the collection and disposal of solid waste. General services provided include the collection of residential solid waste and collection of commercial waste from large hotels, offices, markets or stores both by private subscription. The study revealed that the main sources of fund for these actors are user charges and banks loans. 3.7 Preferred Provider of Waste Collection System Table 3.7 below presents waste collection services preferred by households and commercial institutions prefer, the study confirmed that the private sector is seen capable of effectively providing solid waste collection services. As shown in the table above, 60 percent and 43 percent of households and institutions respectively opted for the private sector with the remark that the private sectors were more efficient than the public sectors. Interestingly, 26 percent and 40 percent of households and institutions respectively saw no difference between the operations of the private and public sector and therefore would like any of them to provide them with collection services.

6 Critical Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ghana 35/36 4. Conclusion 4.1 Towards a Sustainable Solid Waste Management System In the quest to achieve a sustainable integrative Solid Waste Management System, several recommendations have been made by various stakeholders focusing on capital intensiveness and recycling, waste reduction, capacity building of the local government as well as private sector development among others to be applied in varying contexts. From this study, achieving a sustainable and integrative approach to Municipal Solid Waste Management depends on a range of programmes and policies. It is imperative to note that environmental health cannot be ruled out of economic growth and sustainable development. Thence, the need to rethink waste as a huge resource stream that when properly tapped could and would contribute to economic prosperity and sustainable development; with the acknowledgement that unmanaged waste defeats the sustainability concept. The following key issues should therefore be taken into consideration; 1. Establish a Legal Framework that is relevant to Sustainable Solid Waste Management at the Local level: Government should in collaboration with other actors review existing environmental and sanitation regulations to include other waste management activities such as recycling and waste reduction. Such revised framework should clearly identify and define the roles of key actors as well as inculcate their activities into public policies. Government should also charge user fees in order to reduce its financial burden. 2. Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building: Municipal Assemblies and private sectors should have financial, technical and logistical resources to operate. Municipal Assemblies and Zoomlion Ghana Limited must be provided with the necessary logistics and resources for the provision of environmental sanitation services. The Environmental Health Units within Municipal Assemblies should be regularly trained in the areas of environmental planning and management, public health promotion, contract management and supervision as well as planning and monitoring. It is therefore recommended that high priority be given to the training and recruitment of professionals, technicians and auxiliary personnel in the environmental institutions with the introduction of attractive conditions of service by government and other relevant institutions. 3. Enforcement of Environmental Sanitation Regulations and Bye-Laws: The study revealed that the major cause of the poor environmental solid waste conditions can be attributed to the poor attitude of the people towards cleanliness. Voluntary compliance cannot be relied on to ensure that waste producers engage in good environmental sanitation behavior. The people know what constitutes decent environmental sanitation practices but would not engage in these practices. Municipal Assemblies should therefore make conscious effort to implement and enforce the environmental sanitation regulations and bye-laws. Enforcing these bye-laws would result in compliance and cost savings for the Assemblies. References [1] African Development Bank Study on Solid Waste Management Options for Africa. Canada, Richard J. Palczynski.. [2] Amoatey, P.K., Winter J., and Kaempf C Solid Waste Disposal and the Incidences of Malaria: Any Correlation? Ghana, ACTA Press. [3] Benneh, G., Songsore, J., Nabila S.J. Amuzu A.T., Tutu K.A, Yaugyuorn.1993.Environmental problem and urban household In Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). M.A.C. Stockholm, Ghana. [4] Boadi, K.O.& Kuitunen, M "Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana", The Environmentalist 23, Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands. [5] Chandrappa, R. & Das, D. B "Solid Waste Management: Principles and Practice", Environmental Science and Engineering, Springer, [6] Contreau-Levine S. and Adrian C Guidance Pack: Private Sector Participation in Municipal Solid Waste Management. St. Gallen, Switzerland, Swiss Center for Development and Corporation in Technology and Management. [7] Ghana Statistical Service Population & Housing Census. Special Report on 20 Largest Localities, Accra. [8] Ketibuah, E., Asase M., Yusif S., Mensah, M.Y. & Fischer, K "Comparative Analysis of Household Waste in the Cities of Stuttgart and Kumasi-Option for Waste Recycling and Treatment in Kumasi", Proceedings of the 19th international CODATA Conference, 1-8. [9] Medina M Globalization, Development, and Municipal Solid Waste Management in Third World Cities. El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico. [10] Mensah A. and Larbi E Solid Waste Management in Ghana. Well Factsheet Regional Annex.

7 Critical Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ghana 36/36 [11] Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD).2010a. National Environmental Sanitation Strategic Action Plan (NESSAP). Accra, Ghana: Government of Ghana. [12] Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD).2010b. Strategic Environmental Sanitation Investment Plan (SESIP). Accra, Ghana: Government of Ghana. [13] Obirih-Opareh, N. and Post, J "Quality Assessment of Public and Private Modes of Solid Waste Collection in Accra", Habitat International 26, [14] Oduro-Kwarteng, S "Private Sector Involvement in Urban Solid Waste Collection: Performance, Capacity, and Regulation in Five Cities in Ghana", CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, [15] Ogwueleka, T.C "Municipal Solid Waste Characteristics and Management in Nigeria", Iran. J. Environ. Health. Sci. Eng. 6 (3), [16] Stirrup, F.C Public Cleansing, refuse disposal, Percamon Press, Oxford. [17] Taiwo, A. M "Composting as a Sustainable Waste Management Technique in Developing Countries", Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 4(2), [18] UNCHS An urbanising world global reports on human settlements, Oxford University Press, Oxford. [19] United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT). 2010a. Solid Waste Management in the World s Cities. Malta: UN-HABITAT. [20] Zerbock, O "Urban Solid Waste Management: Waste Reduction in Developing Nations", Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI. [21] Van Dijk, P.M. & Oduro-Kwarteng, S "Urban Management and Solid Waste Issues in Africa", ISWA World Congress, Amsterdam.