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Solid Waste Management Practices in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects

Authors:
Aaron Kwasi Nartey at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital
Aaron Kwasi Nartey
Patrick Nyarko
Patrick Nyarko
Patrick Nyarko
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Abstract

World Bank report revealed that waste generation has been on the ascendancy, the worlds’ cities generated 2.01 billion tons of solid waste in the year 2016. This figure is expected to reach 3.40 billion tons per year by 2050 due to increasing urbanization – a growth of 70%. Proper management of these has become a challenge for most developing countries in recent years. The path of urbanization, population growth and affluence is associated with the challenge of proper waste management in urban areas of developing countries since the higher the income level and rate of urbanization, the greater the solid waste generated. Unfortunately, sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana only focuses on waste collection instead of waste management. Waste management comprises all activities and actions needed to manage waste from inception to the final disposal. These activities and actions include collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste as well as monitoring and regulation. Also, Sanitary landfilling is among the best methods of decreasing the volume of waste products; however, the lack of suitable land for landfill sites is a key issue. Therefore, the lifespan of a landfill site can be prolonged when waste reduction at the source is well considered as an aspect of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management. Solid waste management in Ghana has been faced with several challenges which includes; poor attitude of the general populace towards waste disposal sanitation, unplanned human settlement especially in the urban centers, poor planning of waste management programmes, low or no public education on the good sanitation, inadequate waste infrastructure, lack of political will in enforcing sanitation bye laws, inadequate operational funds and equipment to support waste management activities among others. Also, there is lack of reliable national data on waste generation and composition to inform effective planning on waste management in Ghana Developing countries such as Ghana has to adopt measures that will be sustainable, efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly to help in proper waste management and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 3, 6, and 11 by 2030.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31191/afrijcmr.v4i1.45 Page 1 of 2
C O M M E N T A R Y
ARTICLE INFO
ARTICLE HISTORY:
Received 5-Mar-2019
Revision 31-Jul-2020
Accepted 31-Jul-2020
Available online 1-Aug-2020
Keywords:
Solid waste management, SDG,
Municipal Water, Urbanization;
Landfill
AUTHOR DETAILS
Email:
aaronnartey@rocketmail.com
A World Bank report revealed that waste generation has been on the ascendancy, with the worlds’ cities
generating 2.01 billion tons of solid waste in the year 2016 1. This figure is expected to reach 3.40 billion
tons per year by 2050 due to increasing urbanization which is a growth of 70% 1,2. In the USA which is a
developed country, the generation rate of municipal waste has risen from 217.3 million tons per day in
1995 to 254.1 million tons per day in 2013 3. On the other hand, sub-Saharan Africa countries which are
developing countries, generate 62 million tons of solid waste per year 2 and this justifies that the more
affluent a country is the more waste they generates.
Proper management of solid waste has become a challenge for most developing countries in recent years.
Urbanization, population growth and affluence are associated with the challenge of proper waste
management in urban areas of developing countries - since the higher the income level and rate of
urbanization, the greater the solid waste generated 2,4.
Unfortunately, sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana only focus on waste collection instead of waste
management. Waste management comprises all activities and actions needed to properly manage waste
from inception to the final disposal 5. These activities and actions include collection, transport, treatment
and disposal of waste as well as monitoring and regulation 6. Also, sanitary landfilling is among the best
methods of decreasing the volume of waste products in the environment 7; however, the lack of suitable
land for landfill sites is a key issue 8. Therefore, the lifespan of a landfill site can be prolonged when waste
reduction at the source is well considered as an aspect of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management.
Waste generation is linked with human activities resulting from areas such as household, public places and
city streets, shops, offices and hospitals. Waste can be classified according to their properties
(biodegradable or non-biodegradable), effects on human health and the environment (hazardous and non-
hazardous) and the origin and type of waste (municipal solid waste, biomedical wastes, industrial wastes,
agricultural wastes, fishery wastes, radioactive wastes and e-wastes). Generally, wastes have two main
kinds; liquid (wastes in liquid form) and solid wastes (wastes in sold form). Solid waste can be subdivided
into municipal solid waste and agricultural wastes. Municipal solid wastes emanates from increasing
population levels, booming economies, urbanization and increase in living standards 9.10,municipal solid
waste has become the most important by-products of an urban lifestyle, and is growing even faster than
the rate of urbanization. The waste often comes from households, offices, hotels, shops, schools and other
institutions. The major components are food waste, paper, plastic, rags, metal and glass 11. Ghana generates
about 12,710 tons of waste per day with only Accra generating a quantity of about 3,000 metrics tons of
waste every day12,13. Residents in developing countries, especially among the indigent urban communities,
are severely impacted by poor waste management compared to their counterparts in developed countries
1. Over 90% of waste generated in low-income countries are openly burned or disposed in unregulated
dumps 1. These practices create environmental consequences and serious health and safety issues such as
injuries, chronic diseases, infections among others. Waste that are poorly managed serves as a breeding
ground for disease vectors and contributes to global climate change through methane generation 1.
Management of waste presents an economic burden on the world economy. The global cost of dealing
with wastes is directly proportional to the amount of waste generated. Globally, in 2010, $205 billion was
Solid Waste Management Practices in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects
Aaron Kwasi Nartey (MSc)1,; Patrick Nyarko (MSc)1;
1Every Human Life, Ghana., Kumasi-Ghana
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31191/afrijcmr.v4i1.45 Page 2 of 2
C O M M E N T A R Y
spent in managing wastes 14. This is expected to rise to $375 billion by 2025, with the sharpest cost increases in developing countries
14.
Solid waste management in Ghana has been faced with several challenges which includes: poor attitude of the general populace
towards waste disposal sanitation, unplanned human settlement especially in the urban centers, poor planning of waste management
programs, low or no public education on the good sanitation, inadequate waste infrastructure, lack of political will in enforcing
sanitation bye laws, inadequate operational funds and equipment to support waste management activities among others 15,16. Also,
there is lack of reliable national data on waste generation and composition to inform effective planning on waste management in
Ghana 12.
It is imperative that developing countries such as Ghana adopt measures that will be sustainable, efficient, cost effective and
environmentally-friendly to help in proper waste management. Adopting good measures for waste management in Ghana will help
in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) three (3); which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-
being for all, goal six (6); which seeks to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and goal
eleven (11); which also seeks to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
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