Households? Awareness and Perception of Sanitation Bye-Laws in Ghana: Evidence from Kumasi Metropolis

Ishak Shaibu,Dadson Awunyo-Vitor

doi:10.19026/rjees.6.5250

Abstract

The study seeks to assess households' perception and satisfaction for the current waste management system and to evaluate the level of awareness and attitude of households towards sanitation bye-laws within the Kumasi Metropolis. Data for the study was collected from secondary and primary sources. Questionnaire was employed in gathering the primary data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze it. The study revealed that the residents are not happy with the current sanitation situation within the metropolis. A large proportion of the respondents are not aware of the sanitation bye-laws of the Assembly. Furthermore, the study revealed that the frequency of waste collection is very low resulting in piles of waste in secondary receptacles which can lead to health hazards. The study recommended the need for the assembly to step up her efforts to educate residents within the metropolis on the sanitation bye-laws. Abridged versions of the bye-laws could be printed in both English and Twi languages and distributed to residents, as well as being published on the Assembly's website for easy access by internet users. It is also important that the KMA empower and motivate waste collection companies to improve their efficiency, expand their coverage to reach out to the entire city and get larger proportion of residents to subscribe to the private waste collection system.

Highlights

Humans generate a great deal of waste as a byproduct of their existence; dumping pits located in or around archaeological sites can attest to this
Respondents’ perception on waste management within the metropolis: Respondents were asked how many times waste collectors come to collect their waste from their households per week and whether or not they are satisfied with that
This is necessary because according to Navez-Bounchaire (1993), the management of household refuse is tied to perceptions and socio-cultural practices which result in modes of appropriation of space which are greatly differenced according to whether the space is private or public

Summary

Introduction

Humans generate a great deal of waste as a byproduct of their existence; dumping pits located in or around archaeological sites can attest to this. If waste is not contained and handled appropriately, it can balloon into a huge problem (Wilson et al, 2006). In the management of waste, a major issue has to do with identification and transportation to appropriate disposal sites. Waste management practices differ for developed and developing nations, for urban and rural areas and for residential and industrial areas. In some cases management for non-hazardous residential and institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local government authorities, while management for hazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator

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