Examination of Household Solid Waste Management in Nadowli Township in Ghana: A Waste Management Hierarchy Approach

Stephen Bugu Kendie,Nana Amma Anokye,Francis Issahaku Malongza Bukari,Dzigbodi Adzo Doke

doi:10.4314/gjds.v14i2.10

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to identify the gaps between existing practices and the provisions of the hierarchy of waste management model in the Nadowli Township of the Upper West Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional study design with quantitative and qualitative approaches was adopted and questionnaires, observation and interview guides were used to collect data from a sample size of 100 respondents. Findings revealed that the methods of waste management in the model cannot be practiced without linkage to the roles of stakeholders. While waste disposal is the least preferred option in theory, it was the most practiced method. Accordingly, avoidance, reduction, reuse and recycling were less practiced, resulting in ineffective prevention of pollution, diseases, environmental resource conservation and sustainability. It was recommended that adequate coverage of educational campaigns and infrastructural development could bridge the gap between theory and practice.Keywords: Solid Waste, Waste Management Methods, Stakeholders, Nadowli

Highlights

Household solid waste refers to discarded items that are no longer useful to households (Vergara & Tchobanoglous, 2012)
The specific aspects of household solid waste management related to the types and sources of waste, stakeholders, ascending order of methods used and the outcomes
This study has demonstrated that in practice, the methods of the hierarchy of waste management model could not be applied without the roles of identified stakeholders in relation to the types and sources of waste

Summary

Introduction

Household solid waste refers to discarded items that are no longer useful to households (Vergara & Tchobanoglous, 2012). Households generate waste through sweeping of compounds, food processing and consumption, building and construction, replacement and disposal of worn-out utensils, furniture, appliances and clothing. These result in food wastes, paper, metal, wood, textile, plastic and glass wastes (Gettis, Gettis & Fellmann, 2006). Solid waste is of major environmental concern because it is uneasy to degenerate (Tonjes & Greene, 2013). It is usually unsightly, smelly, toxic and capable of polluting land, air and water sources (Toxics Action Center, 2012). Dysentery, typhoid, intestinal parasites and cholera are some of the diseases acquired to improper solid waste management (Environmental Protection Agency – Ghana, 2003)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion