| Peer-Reviewed

Characteristics of Diverted Solid Waste in Kumasi: A Ghanaian City

Received: 20 September 2014     Accepted: 5 October 2014     Published: 20 October 2014
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Waste diversion from landfills has generally been neglected in the developing world despite its potential to prolong the lifespan of landfills and generate revenues. This study aims at characterizing diverted solid waste fractions at communal collection points in seven communities and determining the trends in landfilled solid waste due to the Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) mechanism. It is based on quantitative measurements of diverted waste by informal waste pickers at communal collection points in seven communities in the Kumasi metropolis and analysis of landfilled waste records prior to and after the introduction of the PAYT mechanism. The study shows a daily diversion rate of 19.4±9.2kg per informal waste picker per day with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.29). This constitutes just 0.5w/w% of the total waste stream at communal collection points. The diverted waste is dominated by plastics (50%) and metals (29%). Generally, the diverted waste quantities are hugely dependent on the storage capacities of the informal waste pickers while the types of recovered items depend on readily available market. The introduction of the PAYT system, as observed from the study, immediately caused a decline (28%) in waste disposed of at communal collection points but steadily appreciated with time (26% and 13% consecutive reductions in subsequent years). The study recommends support for the informal sector, Public-Private Partnerships for waste recycling and intensive public education on PAYT mechanism prior to and after its introduction.

Published in American Journal of Environmental Protection (Volume 3, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13
Page(s) 225-231
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Diverted Solid Waste, Wastepicking, Landfill, Pay-As-You-Throw, Kumasi

References
[1] Guerrero LA, Ger Maas, G and Hogland W (2012). Solid waste management challenges for cities in developing countries. Waste Management 33 : 220–232
[2] Agboje IA, Adetola, A and Odafe IB (2014). Performance Assessment of Solid Waste Management following Private Partnership Operations in Lagos State, Nigeria. Journal of Waste Management. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/868072
[3] Al-Khatib IA, Ajlouny H, Al-Sari', MI and Kontogianni S (2014). Residents' concerns and attitudes toward solid waste management facilities in Palestine: A case study of Hebron District. Waste Management & Research 32(3):228-236
[4] World Bank (2012). What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management. The World Bank, Urban Development Series 15, 8-10.
[5] Owusu-Sekyere E, Osumanu, IK and Yaro, JA (2013). Dompoase Landfill in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area of Ghana: A ‘Blessing’ or a ‘Curse’?. International Journal of Current Trends in Research 2 (1):87-96
[6] Ketibuah E, Asase M, Yusif S, Mensah MY and Fischer K. (2004). 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.
[7] Dinye RD (2006). Economies of private sector participation in solid waste management in Takoradi - A Ghanaian City. Journal of Science and Technology. Vol 26 No. 1 53-64
[8] Allesch A. and Brunner P. H. (2014). Assessment methods for solid waste management: A literature review. Waste Management and Research 32(6), 461-473.
[9] Rogoff M (2013). Sustainable materials management: A new international solid waste paradigm Waste Management & Research. 31(12) 1187–1189
[10] Ramachandra TV (2011). Integrated Management of Municipal Solid Waste. In Garg, S.R. (2011) Environmental Security: Human and Animal Health. IBDC Publishers, India.
[11] Zotos G, Karagiannidis A, Zampetoglou S, Malamakis A, Antonopoulos I.-S, Kontogianni S and Tchobanoglous G (2009). Developing a holistic strategy for integrated waste management within municipal planning: Challenges, policies, solutions and perspectives for Hellenic municipalities in the zero-waste, low-cost direction. Waste Management 29, 1686–1692.
[12] Jalil A. (2010). Sustainable Development in Malaysia: A Case Study on Household Waste Management. Journal of Sustainable Development. 3(3). 91 - 102
[13] Poulsen TG (2014). Landfilling, past, present and future. Waste Management & Research 32(3) 177–178.
[14] Annepu R and Themelis NJ (2013). Analysis of Waste Management in Accra, Ghana and Recommendations for further Improvements. Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council. Earth Engineering Center, Columbia University
[15] Oduro-Appiah, K, Aidoo, DO and Sarbah G. (2013). Fee-based solid waste collection in economically developing countries: The case of Accra metropolis. International Journal of Development and Sustainability 2(2): 629-639
[16] Senzige JP, Makinde DO, Njau KN, Nkansah-Gyeke Y (2014). Factors Influencing Solid Waste Generation and Composition in Urban Areas of Tanzania: The Case of Dar-es-Salaam. American Journal of Environmental Protection.
[17] Owusu-Sekyere E, Osumanu, IK and Abdul- Kadri Y (2013). An Analysis of the Plastic Waste Collection and Wealth Linkages in Ghana. International Journal of Current Research 5(1), 205-209
[18] Agamuthu P (2013). Landfilling in developing countries. Waste Management and Research 31 (1), 1-2
[19] Hector G (2008). The Waste of Nations. Adam Smith Research Trust, UK.
[20] Ghana Statistical Service (2013). 2010 Population and Housing Census. National Analytical Report. Accra, Ghana.
[21] Linzner R and Salhofer S (2014). Municipal solid waste recycling and the significance of informal sector in urban China. Waste Management & Research 1–12 DOI: 10.1177/0734242X14543555
[22] Masood M, Barlow CY and Wilson DC (2014). An assessment of the current municipal solid waste management system in Lahore, Pakistan. Waste Management and Research. 1-14. DOI: 10.1177/0734242X14545373
[23] Mensah AA (2010). Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Solid Waste and Treatment Options: A Case Study of Kumasi, Ghana. MSc Thesis, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Adam Wahabu, Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng, Isaac Monney, Prosper Kotoka. (2014). Characteristics of Diverted Solid Waste in Kumasi: A Ghanaian City. American Journal of Environmental Protection, 3(5), 225-231. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Adam Wahabu; Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng; Isaac Monney; Prosper Kotoka. Characteristics of Diverted Solid Waste in Kumasi: A Ghanaian City. Am. J. Environ. Prot. 2014, 3(5), 225-231. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Adam Wahabu, Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng, Isaac Monney, Prosper Kotoka. Characteristics of Diverted Solid Waste in Kumasi: A Ghanaian City. Am J Environ Prot. 2014;3(5):225-231. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13,
      author = {Adam Wahabu and Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng and Isaac Monney and Prosper Kotoka},
      title = {Characteristics of Diverted Solid Waste in Kumasi: A Ghanaian City},
      journal = {American Journal of Environmental Protection},
      volume = {3},
      number = {5},
      pages = {225-231},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajep.20140305.13},
      abstract = {Waste diversion from landfills has generally been neglected in the developing world despite its potential to prolong the lifespan of landfills and generate revenues. This study aims at characterizing diverted solid waste fractions at communal collection points in seven communities and determining the trends in landfilled solid waste due to the Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) mechanism. It is based on quantitative measurements of diverted waste by informal waste pickers at communal collection points in seven communities in the Kumasi metropolis and analysis of landfilled waste records prior to and after the introduction of the PAYT mechanism. The study shows a daily diversion rate of 19.4±9.2kg per informal waste picker per day with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.29). This constitutes just 0.5w/w% of the total waste stream at communal collection points. The diverted waste is dominated by plastics (50%) and metals (29%). Generally, the diverted waste quantities are hugely dependent on the storage capacities of the informal waste pickers while the types of recovered items depend on readily available market. The introduction of the PAYT system, as observed from the study, immediately caused a decline (28%) in waste disposed of at communal collection points but steadily appreciated with time (26% and 13% consecutive reductions in subsequent years). The study recommends support for the informal sector, Public-Private Partnerships for waste recycling and intensive public education on PAYT mechanism prior to and after its introduction.},
     year = {2014}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Characteristics of Diverted Solid Waste in Kumasi: A Ghanaian City
    AU  - Adam Wahabu
    AU  - Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng
    AU  - Isaac Monney
    AU  - Prosper Kotoka
    Y1  - 2014/10/20
    PY  - 2014
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13
    T2  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    JF  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    JO  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    SP  - 225
    EP  - 231
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-5699
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.13
    AB  - Waste diversion from landfills has generally been neglected in the developing world despite its potential to prolong the lifespan of landfills and generate revenues. This study aims at characterizing diverted solid waste fractions at communal collection points in seven communities and determining the trends in landfilled solid waste due to the Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) mechanism. It is based on quantitative measurements of diverted waste by informal waste pickers at communal collection points in seven communities in the Kumasi metropolis and analysis of landfilled waste records prior to and after the introduction of the PAYT mechanism. The study shows a daily diversion rate of 19.4±9.2kg per informal waste picker per day with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.29). This constitutes just 0.5w/w% of the total waste stream at communal collection points. The diverted waste is dominated by plastics (50%) and metals (29%). Generally, the diverted waste quantities are hugely dependent on the storage capacities of the informal waste pickers while the types of recovered items depend on readily available market. The introduction of the PAYT system, as observed from the study, immediately caused a decline (28%) in waste disposed of at communal collection points but steadily appreciated with time (26% and 13% consecutive reductions in subsequent years). The study recommends support for the informal sector, Public-Private Partnerships for waste recycling and intensive public education on PAYT mechanism prior to and after its introduction.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 5
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Waste Management Department, Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Tamale, Ghana

  • Department of Civil Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Department of Environmental Health and Sanitation Education, University of Education Winneba, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana

  • Waste Management Department, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Sections