Managing urban solid waste in Ghana: Perspectives and experiences of municipal waste company managers and supervisors in an urban municipality

Abstract

Increased population growth and rapid urbanization have resulted in the generation of large quantities of solid waste across major urban cities in Ghana, outstripping local authorities’ ability to manage and dispose of waste in a sanitary manner. This study explored the perspectives and experiences of municipal waste company managers and supervisors in the Ho municipality of Ghana on solid waste management practices. A qualitative inquiry was conducted by adopting a phenomenological approach, using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions for data collection. A total of 35 participants, made up of 12 managers and 23 supervisors took part in the study. Transcribed data were imported into NVivo 11.0 software for coding. Content analysis was applied to analyze all transcribed data using processes of induction and deduction. The results showed that organizational capacity, resources, and expertise; community factors such as socio-cultural beliefs and a low sense of responsibility towards solid waste management among urban residents; contextual factors such as regulations, and weak enforcement all influence and shape the level of efficiency and effectiveness of solid waste management practices in the study setting. The findings suggest that policy frameworks and procedures implemented to curb poor urban waste management practices should be systematic and thorough in order to tackle the issue of solid waste in the study setting and Ghana in general. The nature of the identified issues and challenges requires multidimensional and multilevel interventions to provide sustainable solutions for managing urban waste in Ghana.

“Our Work, Our Health, No One’s Concern”: Domestic Waste Collectors’ Perceptions of Occupational Safety and Self-Reported Health Issues in an Urban Town in Ghana

“…This study found that residents’ inability to sort waste into various compartments during disposal further aggravates the health risk concerns of DWCs. Waste segregation can minimize the potential health risks for DWCs [ 46 , 47 ], since unsorted waste may contain hazardous substances from various sources that can be detrimental to the health of DWCs [ 31 , 48 , 49 ].…”

“…Knowledge of the perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors of DWCs can inform policy recommendations on how employers can support and promote healthy work environments among waste workers in Ghana. DWCs are exposed to occupational safety and health hazards in their work due to the huge volumes of solid waste resulting from the ever-growing population [ 31 , 32 ]. The significant increase in the quantity of solid waste has exerted a profound effect on occupational health and safety issues in the solid waste collection and management sector.…”

Review on Connecting the Complex Dots of Environmental Problems in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) of Ghana

“…One is poverty which induces people not to pay for municipal garbage collection services. This compels them to resort to indiscriminate disposal of garbage in open gutters and vacant plots [38].…”

“…Limited road networks in most of the densely populated urban areas does not allow access to the municipal garbage collection vehicles. In such areas, the length of walk to the nearest garbage bins, especially women with young children to cater for, deters them from such exercise [37][38]. Most parts of the city have no integrated drainage networks.…”

Village cadre behavior in the household-based management of inorganic waste

“…Human behavior in waste management which is part of health behavior is all individual's observable or unobservable activities related to the maintenance and improvement of health (Notoatmodjo 2010). Community behavior in managing inorganic waste is also affected by internal factors, which is awareness within themselves to manage inorganic waste (Chen & Gao 2020;Lissah et al 2021;Pierini et al 2021) and external factors including the availability of facilities and infrastructure as well as support from related parties in managing inorganic waste (Hamudy & Mujaeni 2021).…”