A look at the waste management practices and suggestions to improve the solid waste practices at the Akwapim South Municipality of Ghana was conducted.

1. MANAGEMENT OF DOMESTIC SOLID WASTES AT THE AKWAPIM SOUTH MUNICIPALITY
IN GHANA
Author: Michael Ackah
Affiliation: Nuclear Chemistry and Environmental Research Centre, National Nuclear Research
Institute, GAEC, P. O. Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana
Email: mikeackah@ymail.com
Tel: 00233243902501
Abstract
The key findings of a solid waste characterization study conducted at the Akwapim South
Municipality are reported. Household solid wastes generated by a number of residents of two
important towns of the Municipality namely Nsawam and Adoagyiri, were collected through a
stratified random sampling technique. The wastes collected were separated into the various
components after manual sorting. Each component of the waste stream (i.e. organic, paper,
plastics, metals/cans, textiles, glass, inert materials/residues and miscellaneous components)
were weighed and recorded. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to households to
elicit detailed information on waste management practices among households. Some physico-
chemical properties of refuse such as moisture content and heavy metals were also assessed.
Household solid wastes generated by households in the Akwapim South Municipality mainly
consisted of the putrescible or biodegradable componentwith significant compostable
composition in the range of 40-60%.
Keywords: waste characterization, organic wastes, composting, Akwapim South Municipality,
Ghana
Introduction
All human activities generate liquid, solid or gaseous waste which may be hazardous or non-
hazardous. There is the need to manage these wastes in a sustainable and integrated manner
with minimal effects on human health and the environment. Integrated management of these
wastes however becomes a problem, due to rapid urbanization. In many developing countries,
30-50% of the population is urban (Thomas-Hope, 1998) and in many African countries, the
growth rate of urban areas exceeds 4% (Senkoro, 2003).
It has been estimated that not all residents of urban and peri-urban areas in developing
countries receive integrated and sustainable solid waste management services, as it is a costly
service that consumes about 20-50% of the municipal budget and yet serves no more than 70%
of the population (Bartone and Bernstein, 1993). Those who receive poorly or do not receive
waste management services are usually low-income populations concentrated in peri-urban
areas. The problem of poor waste management services is compounded by lack of documented
specific information on the various waste streams pertinent to African cities, towns and villages.
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2. In Ghana, municipal solid waste management is the direct responsibility of the waste
management departments and environmental health and sanitation departments scattered in
Metropolitan and municipal assemblies respectively. However, they lack the required technical
resources to manage wastes effectively, while the problem worsens daily as a result of
enhanced consumption patterns and waste generation due to improved income levels. The
Akwapim south Municipality is located in the Eastern Region of Ghana and encompasses two
major and important towns namely Nsawam and Adoagyiri. The municipality, unique for its
strategic and close proximity to Accra, the Capital town of Ghana, has a lot of transient
population. The Municipality is bounded by the Akwapim North District to the east, West Akim
district to the west, Ga West District to the south, and Suhum-Kraboa- Coaltar district to the
north. The Administrative capital is Nsawam. Other important towns include Aburi known widely
for its tourism potential. The Akwapim south municipal assembly is the political, planning and
administrative body of the municipality and the assembly is headed by a Municipal Chief
Executive and assisted by a secretariat to ensure the overall development of the Municipality.
Other units or departments in the assembly include the budgeting, finance, administrative,
planning, works and engineering and environment and sanitation. Waste Management directly
falls under the responsibility of the Environmental health and sanitation department and for the
management of solid wastes the municipality has been divided into six zones for proper
provision of sanitation and effective solid waste management services. Thus the Akwapim
South Municipality in Ghana has committed tremendous efforts and resources towards solid
waste collection and disposal. They have even ensured private sector participation through
contracting solid waste services under special arrangements (Asubonteng, 2008), the urban
areas of the municipality are drowning under heaps of garbage with concomitant health and
environmental hazards. Some factors contributing to the above problem include
 Apparent lack of detailed knowledge of the waste types, quantities, composition,
generated at the Municipality. This makes it difficult to find and recommend
practical solutions
 Non-existence or inadequate community participation. This is critical to the
success of any waste management programme.
 Inadequate operation funds, skills and capacity of waste management staff and
facilities.
 Other socio-political problems such as weak and/or outdated and poorly enforced
regulations
The aim of the study was to conduct a solid waste characterization study that will bring to
knowledge of the waste types and composition generated by urban residents at the Municipality.
The specific objectives included
 Reconnaissance survey of the municipality
 Design and administration of questionnaire to households to elicit responses on waste
practices at the household and communal level
 Collection and separation of waste
 Analysis of the waste stream composition of the collected and separated waste
 Physical analysis of wastes
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3.  Chemical analysis of wastes
Materials and methods
Study Area
The land area of the Akwapim South Municipality is about 403km2, with an estimated population
of 116,334 (GSS, 2002). The municipality comprises the Densu plains, the Pompan narrow land
and the Akwapim Togo mountain range, which rises over 1000 feet above sea-level at Aburi.
The Municipality is drained by the DensuRiver and its tributary rivers and streams. The Densu
River is approximated 115.8km long and its source is the AtiwaMountain ranges near Kibi in the
Eastern Region. Rainfall is in the range of 1250-2000 mm whereas mean temperatures range
between 26oC and 30oC. Two main vegetation types, the moist semi-deciduous forest and
coastal savanna grassland cover the municipality. The forest occupies almost 90% of the
Municipality, covering the north, west and all of the area in the east. The remaining 10% is the
south where coastal shrub and grassland vegetation dominates. This forms the transitional zone
between the coastal savannah and rain forest region. There are about 188 communities making
up the municipality. The population distribution and household size of some of the communities
in the Akwapim South Municipality are described below.
Table i: Population distribution and household sizes of important towns in the Akwapim south
municipality (source Ghana Statistical Service, 2005)
TOWN POPULATION HOUSEHOLD SIZE
Nsawam 29986 6947
Adoagyiri 13058 3187
Aburi 10071 2348
Pakro 2580 592
Pokrom 2181 383
Fotobi 2008 440
Nsawam and Adoagyiri are adjoining towns, located on the main Accra-Kumasi Highway, about
37 km from Accra, the nation’s capital. Nsawam is located on latitude 5o 48 N and longitude 0o
21 W whereas Adoagyiri is located on latitude 5o 49N and longitude 0o 21 W. Majority of the
inhabitants engage in commercial farming especially in the areas of pineapple, pawpaw, mango
and the cultivation of other exportable vegetables such as chilli pepper. Bakery is also another
area of commercial activity that the inhabitants engage in. The two towns are noted for hawking
along the main Accra-Kumasi Highway and the most common commodity being sold by the
hawkers is bread.
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4. Sampling for waste characterization
Stratified random sampling technique was employed in this study. In this technique, sampling
sites were allocated to high, middle and low income socio-economic groups in the study area.
The sample unit was the household. A sample size of 50 households made up of high income,
middle income and low income households were selected for the study with the help of the
Statistical Service of the Municipality. High income households were selected from high class
residential areas of Nsawam and Adoagyiri, occupied by people of standing, especially
municipal heads of departments, medical doctors, businessmen. Moderate earning government
workers, small business owners and company workers formed mainly the middle income
households, while petty traders and other low-earning workers mainly occupy the low-income
households, selected from low class residential areas. The households that were selected were
each given a number and data files, which was specific for each household. A household by
definition of the study referred to a group of individuals sharing a common dwelling and
generate wastes, disposed in a common bin. A 50-litre garbage bin (from TOP Industries,
Accra, Ghana) bearing corresponding numbers assigned to the various households selected
were supplied to the households. It was ensured that households place the bin at vantage
locations within their compound to ensure accessibility to the bins for regular collection and
separation activity. Residents were asked to save their waste for three days. Collections were
undertaken twice weekly for separation within a 12-week period (March-May, 2008). The wastes
once collected were taken to a central area where they were sorted manually after pouring onto
a clean plain large plastic tarpaulin evenly spread out. The various proportions of the wastes,
based on intrinsic material properties were separated. The components were organic wastes
(including largely putrescible components such as food materials, leaves, garden trimmings,
grass and other easily decomposable wastes), Paper (newsprint paper, scrap paper, cardboard,
waste paper, paper products and packaging materials), glass (broken glasses, broken bottles,
window glass and glass products), plastic wastes (polyethylene products, plastic containers,
rubber and rubber products, and artificial leather), metal wastes (aluminium materials,
galvanized cans, tin cans, both ferrous and non-ferrous materials and metallic coatings), textile
(old and discarded clothing and textile materials), inert residues (earth components, such as
sand and gravel from sweepings, ashes and already decomposed organic matter) and
miscellaneous wastes (charcoal, bones, palm kernel, snail shells, hard and treated wood,
sawdust, pebbles, and ceramic materials).
Analysis
Analysis conducted on the collected and separated wastes included determination of moisture
content, content of compostable materialsand heavy metals determination using atomic
absorption spectrometry at the Inorganic Laboratory of the Nuclear Chemistry and
Environmental Research Centre, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy
Commission.
Questionnaire
A detailed questionnaire was administered to households. The questionnaire sought to identify
variables and test indicators such as
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5. User perception of existing waste management facilities
Knowledge of refuse sorting
Availability and type of dustbin
Accessibility to disposal sites
Reflects on waste and agriculture
Results and Discussion
Households on the average from all income brackets, generated higher percentage of organic
wastes (63%) followed by inert residues (14%), plastics (8%), paper (6%), metals and cans
(3%), textiles (2%), glass (1%) and miscellaneous (3%). Households with low, middle and high
incomes were identified as having different priorities and capacities regarding participation and
subscription to waste management services. Sixty percent (60%) of households expressed
willingness to separate waste. The study identified the lack of secondary waste storage facilities
in most residential areas. Disposal facilities in the municipality receive both decomposable and
non-decomposable wastes, as not a single household perform segregation of wastes at source.
Residents stored their solid wastes in improvised containers which are mostly uncovered.
Children mostly carry the wastes on their head for onward disposal. Secondary waste skips
were too high for these children and the lack of attendants near these skips pose severe
challenges. Physical analysis conducted revealed that the waste generated at the Municipality
contained significant proportions of compostable materials (40-60%) and moisture contents of
(50-60%). The refuse were contaminated with significant heavy metal content in compostable
components of the wastes (i.e. mostly organic and paper components). The averagemetal
concentrations recorded for the separated organic wastes fractions were Pb (3.79±3.08)µg/g, Ni
(5.78±3.72) µg/g, Cd (0.35±0.17) µg/g, Co (1.97±0.52) µg/g, Fe (22.65±4.84) µg/g) while those
metal concentrations recorded for the separated paper fractions were Pb (3.48±0.91)µg/g, Ni
(3.06±0.85)µg/g, Cd (0.32±0.41)µg/g, Co (1.16±0.88)µg/g, and Fe (25.91±8.41) µg/g.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The study focused on residential solid wastes generated at the Akwapim South Municipality,
however, the contribution of wastes from other municipal sources such as lorry parks and
markets is acknowledged. The difficulty in getting the co-operation of other waste generators
due to study time and logistic constraints could not permit such characterization. It is therefore
recommended that a wider study be carried out to assess the contribution of other waste
sources to the municipal waste stream at the Akwapim South Municipality.
The main collection service provided to households in the Akwapim South Municipality is the
communal container service at designated residential areas. House to house waste collection is
very rare. Efforts must be made towards organizing this collection service at designated
residential areas, especially the ones with paved roads which ensure good accessibility.
Provision of standardized communal refuse containers should be extended to all other
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6. residential areas, where house-to-house refuse collections programmescannot be provided.
There should be promotion of source-separation programmes for recycling and composting
since the waste streams contained relatively higher compostable materials. In order to achieve
higher participation in source separation programmes and possibly composting programmes,
authorities could provide free standardized containers as an incentive to households. The
Akwapim South Municipality must enforce strict regulations to prevent illegal dumping and
initiate efforts to upgrade the existing open dump to a sanitary landfill.
References
Asubonteng, C., (2008) Environmental Health and Sanitation Department, Akwapim South
Municipality, Personal Communication
Bartone, C.L and Bernstein, J.D (1993) Improving municipal solid waste management in third
world countries, Resources, Conservation and Recycling; Elsevier 8; 43-45
Senkoro, H. (2003) Solid waste management in Africa, WHO/AFRO perspective paper 1,
presented in Dar es Salam at the CWG workshop, March, 2003
Thomas-Hope, E. Ed (1998) Solid waste management, critical issues for developing countries,
Kingston canoe press
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