Domestic waste disposal practice and perceptions of private sector waste management in urban Accra
نویسندگان
چکیده
BACKGROUND Waste poses a threat to public health and the environment if it is not stored, collected, and disposed of properly. The perception of waste as an unwanted material with no intrinsic value has dominated attitudes towards disposal. This study investigates the domestic waste practices, waste disposal, and perceptions about waste and health in an urban community. METHODS The study utilised a mixed-method approach. A cross-sectional survey questionnaire and in-depth interview were used to collect data. A total of 364 household heads were interviewed in the survey and six key informants were interviewed with the in-depth interviews. RESULTS The results of the study revealed that 93.1% of households disposed of food debris as waste and 77.8% disposed of plastic materials as waste. The study also showed that 61.0% of the households disposed of their waste at community bins or had waste picked up at their homes by private contractors. The remaining 39.0% disposed of their waste in gutters, streets, holes and nearby bushes. Of those who paid for the services of private contractors, 62.9% were not satisfied with the services because of their cost and irregular collection. About 83% of the respondents were aware that improper waste management contributes to disease causation; most of the respondents thought that improper waste management could lead to malaria and diarrhoea. There was a general perception that children should be responsible for transporting waste from the households to dumping sites. CONCLUSION Proper education of the public, the provision of more communal trash bins, and the collection of waste by private contractors could help prevent exposing the public in municipalities to diseases.
منابع مشابه
Plastic wastes separation practice and disposal mechanism by households, hospitals, markets and waste management body
This study was carried out to reveal the plastic wastes separation practice and disposal mechanism as well as awareness of the negative impact of plastic wastes on the environment, in Makurdi area of Benue State, Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered to 468 individual respondents in 6 sub-locations of the city. Inquisition was also made from 10 hospitals, 6 market centers and the waste mana...
متن کاملApplication of Life Cycle Assessment for Techno-Economic Evaluation of Rural Solid Waste Management Strategies: Significance of CO2 Emission Control from Waste Management Sector in Abyaneh Village, Isfahan Province
Waste disposal in the current situation, which quantity and variety of waste are increasing, needs not only effective management principles but also depends on environmentally-friendly methods to put as less environmental footprint as possible. This study aims to assess the energy consumption, emission of greenhouse gases and air pollutants which normally produce during various waste management...
متن کاملIntegration of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Accra (ghana): Bioreactor Treatment Technology as an Integral Part of the Management Process
The increasing solid waste generated in the Accra metropolis has not been accompanied with adequate sanitation facilities and management programs. Notable among the waste management problems is inadequate operational funding from the municipality’s budget allocation for the collection and disposal processes. The disposal methods mostly depend on the obsolete dumping with the associated environm...
متن کاملMunicipal solid waste management challenges in developing countries--Kenyan case study.
This paper provides an overview of the state of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) by local authorities in Kenya as a case study of a low-income developing country. Approaches of possible solutions that can be undertaken to improve municipal solid waste (MSW) services are discussed. Poor economic growth (1.1% in 1993) has resulted in an increase in the poverty level which presently stands ...
متن کامل