1. Liberian Refugees in Ghana:
Environment Security Implications of the Indiscriminate Disposal
of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
A
Master’s Thesis Successfully
Defended By
Jenkins Macedo
Presented at
2nd National Catholic Conference
on Resettlement
In
Toronto, Canada
5th December, 2012

2. Research Question
What environmental threats are associated with the indiscriminate disposal of
municipal solid waste (MSW) in the local environment at the Buduburam
Refugee Settlement (BRS)?
Problem Statement
Municipal solid waste continues to be an environmental threat at the BRS
in the midst of the UNHCR/NCS’s solid waste collection and disposal
system.

3. Background of the Buduburam Refugee Settlement
 Gomoa-East District, Central
Region, Ghana
 The settlement was established in
1990.
 Currently hosts about 11,000
Liberian and other refugees.
 In 2000 UNHCR/NCS established
the MSW system at the camp
 UNHCR terminated all
humanitarian services in 2003 and
this impacted the MSW program.

4. Methodology
 Data Collection
Mixed Methods Research
 Quantitative
o Surveys
o Free-list
o Pile Sorts
 Qualitative
o Semi-Structured Interviews
o Focus Groups
 Municipal Solid Waste
o Total waste amount (TWA)
o Recorded 132 waypoints of solid waste dumpsites
 Digital Photographs

5. MIXED METHODS
THE CONVERGENT STUDY DESIGN
Modified from Creswell and Clark, 2011

6.  Ethical Consideration
 IRB
 GRB Approval
 Limitations
 Time
 Tensions among refugees, the host country and UNHCR
Ethical Consideration and Limitation

7. Data Analysis
 Unit of Analysis
 Municipal solid waste (MSW)
 Quantitative Data
 SPSS Version 18
 Anthropac version 1.0
Qualitative Data
 Atlas.ti version 16.0
 Geospatial Data
 ArcGIS version 10.0
 Municipal Solid Waste
 IFEU GHG Emissions MS Excel Database System

8. Results & Discussion
N = 112 The graph indicates respondents’
years of arrival in Ghana as a
refugee and is consistent with
reports released by UNHCR and
other aid agencies of 1990, 1996
2001 and 2003 as the years when
Liberian refugees intake in Ghana
peak, which is consistent with major
battles fought between rebels,
government forces and other
factions during the 14 years civil
war. From the graph it can be
deduced that since Charles Taylor
was forced from power as president
of Liberia in 2003 and the
establishment of a democratically
elected government in 2005,
Liberians continue to seek refuge in
Ghana. This also indicates that
Liberian refugees at the Buduburam
Refugee Settlement claim that
returning to home would
compromise their security and
safety because the current
government of Liberia is been
assisted by UN peacekeepers, which
reinforce their stands of insecurity
upon return.
1992 Octopus
1994 Renewed
Hostilities
April 1996
Battle for Monrovia
1997 Taylor
Elected
1999 2nd Civil War
Started
Monrovia sieged by rebels, UN
& US intervened caused
Taylor exile to Nigeria
2006 Taylor arrested
in Nigeria
2000 LURB Rebels
attacked government
forces
2003 A ceasefire was
signed by all warring
factions, Taylor indicted
for war crimes in Sierra
Leone

9. Results & Discussion, Continued…
1. Land Pollution
Land pollution was identified as one of the
salient themes from interviews and focus
groups discussions. Land pollution was
obvious from personal observations.
“The Central Region District Assembly cannot
help because the amount of solid waste that is
produced from the camp on a daily basis surpass
those that are produced in other towns and as
such DA does not have the capacity to assist”
(District Chief of Gomoa-East, Environment and
Health Unit, Ministry of Environment, Ghana).
“Solid waste can be found in all communities on
this camp. Some refugees just don’t care where
waste is disposed. This is a sign of lack of
responsibility of Liberian refugees” (Refugee in
Focus Group).

10. Average-Link Cluster Analysis of Environmental Security
Refugees’ Perception of Environmental Security
HighMediumLow
Low
Medium
High

14. Landfill at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement

15. Opened disposal of human
feces in community

16. A closer look shows
inorganic and organic
materials disposed in front
of a public toilet facility at
the camp by refugees.
These untreated waste
caused the sanitation and
the waste management team
to dig out feces from the
toilet, disposed it openly for
days before having it buried
within the community. All
this take place in the middle
of various communities at
the camp with refugees’
homes within 5-10 meters
radius, which is a
significant risk factor to the
exposure of contaminated
air, biohazards and other
disease causing pathogens.

17. Public Bathroom as Waste Disposal Site

18. One of several water
stations provided by Point
Hope-an organization that
has established its
legitimacy in actively
addressing issues at the
refugee camp!

20. Components Default LIE Default
MIE
in % wet waste
Food waste 55.4% 41.9% 55.4%
Garden and park waste 9.2% 14.0% 9.0%
Paper, cardboard 3.7% 9.3% 3.7%
Plastics 2.8% 6.5% 2.8%
Glass 1.2% 1.9% 1.2%
Ferrous Metals 1.4% 1.9% 1.4%
Aluminum 0.2% 0.5% 0.2%
Textiles 1.4% 3.3% 1.4%
Rubber, leather 1.4% 1.9% 1.4%
Nappies (disposable diapers) 0% 4.0% 1.0%
Wood 3.5% 6.0% 3.5%
Mineral waste 6.0% 3.0% 6.0%
Others 13.8% 5.8% 13.0%
Total 100.0% 100% 100.00%
IFEU’s MSW Composition in Percentages of Wet Weight
Source: IFEU, 2010

21. GHG Emission recycling in t CO2-eq/yr

22. GHG Emissions from Disposal of MSW

23. Results & Discussion, Continued....
2. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
 Disposed and
recycled waste emits
219,604 tonne CO2-
eq/yr
 Recycled waste saves
-6,028 tonne CO2-
eq/yr last year
 213,576 tonne of
CO2-eq/yr from total
MSW Recycled waste Disposed of waste Total MSW
Debits 2,189 217,415 219,604
Credits -6,028 0 -6,028
Net -3,839 217,415 213,576
-50,000
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
tonneCO2-eq/yr
GHG emissions

24. Result & Discussion, Continued...
3. Water-borne Disease
Health reports from the Regional Health
Department and the camp suggest that land
pollution leads to the contamination of water
sources, which in turn leads to the outbreak of
water-borne diseases.
“When it rains human fecal contaminants get
into the nearby neighborhoods and water
sources causing the outbreak of cholera,
diarrhea, dysentery and other water-borne
diseases” (Follow-up Interview with the Chief
Administrator, St. Gregory Catholic Clinic).
“The cases of illnesses here at the camp are very
high. So, we do have new incidence everyday of
the week of sickness such as malaria, typhoid
fever, cholera, diarrhea and measles” (Interview
with a Nurse, SGCC, Buduburam Refugee
Settlement).

25. Research Question Revisited
What environmental threats are associated
with the indiscriminate disposal of
municipal solid waste (MSW) in the local
environment at the Buduburam Refugee
Settlement (BRS)?

26. Conclusions
Indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid waste
 Threatens both refugees and local host communities
 Increases vulnerability to water-borne diseases
 Increased emissions of GHG and land pollution leads to
environmental and health threats.
Withdrawal and termination of all humanitarian assistance to
the refugee population exacerbates the deteriorating sanitary
conditions at the camp.

27. Landfill at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwoHRwISU8c

28. How does my study relates to IDSC?
 Work with refugees and forced migrants
 Environmental threats impact refugees and host
relations.
 Develop programs to address environmental
threats in refugee settings

29. Next Steps
 Submit to Forced Migration Review and the African Journal
of Environmental Science and Technology for publication
 Consider exploring my data further to identify additional
themes and issues

30. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thesis Committee Members, Clark University-USA
Worcester State University-USA
Compton Foundation, USA-Funding
Ghana Refugee Board-Ghana
The Camp Manager-Ghana
Research Assistants-Buduburam Refugee Camp
Point Hope-Ghana
Refuge Baptist Church-Ghana
Center for Christian Leadership Development and
Counseling (CCLDC)- Ghana