research article municipal solid waste management in...

Research ArticleMunicipal Solid Waste Management in Sekondi-TakoradiMetropolis Ghana

Bernard Fei-Baffoe1 Eugene Atta Nyankson1 and John Gorkeh-Miah2

1 Department of Environmental Science Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana2Waste Management Department Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly Ghana

Correspondence should be addressed to Eugene Atta Nyankson eugenenyanksonhotmailcom

Received 29 May 2014 Accepted 17 July 2014 Published 2 September 2014

Academic Editor Gopal Achari

Copyright copy 2014 Bernard Fei-Baffoe et al This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properlycited

The rapid increase in urban population due to the influx of the citizenry in search for better conditions of life has resulted in poorenvironmental conditions in most urban and peri-urban settlements in the country Municipal solid waste management (MSW)for that matter has become problematic within Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis as the city is being inundated with so much filthwhich has proven to be very difficult and seemingly impossible for the municipal authorities to tackle This study investigates thenature of solid waste problem in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis A mixed methodological approach including field investigationquestionnaire survey and structured and face-to-face interviews were employed in the gathering of data for the study The keyfindings established to be the factors affecting effective solidwastemanagement in themetropolis are irregular solidwaste collectioninadequate operational funding inappropriate technologies inadequate staffing inadequate skip and lack of cooperation on thepart of the citizenry

1 Introduction

Though the need for solid waste management became neces-sary ever since nomadic life was discarded the initial concernof society was on movement of waste out of the immediatehuman settlement This was largely possible because dur-ing the prehistoric era human population was quite lowand the amounts of waste generated were quite minimaland biodegradable [1] The proper management of solidwaste became a major problem overwhelming practicallyall communities of the world today as a result of growinghuman population changes in habits and lifestyle risingdisposable income technological and scientific advancementand increasingly greater production and consumption of newproducts [2] These factors have acted in concert to increaseboth the quantity and complexity of waste being generatedThis have long rendered ineffective and detrimental anywastemanagement strategies dependent on naturersquos capacity in thenullification of those substances In Ghana deficiencies in

solid waste management (SWM) are most visible in andaround urban and peri-urban areas [3] Despite the presentconcerns of individuals and the government about wastemanagement in Ghana Sekondi-Takoradi one of the urbantowns in the country is still faced with serious solid wastemanagement problems [4] The worsening solid waste situ-ation in many urban settlements in Ghana and in Sekondi-Takoradi in particular has been a major concern both to thegovernment and the indigenes as a whole This is becausethe health implications of poor waste management can bevery damaging to the people exposed to such unsanitaryconditions The rationale therefore of any proper institutedwaste management is to protect the environment from thepolluting effects of waste materials in order to protect publichealth and the natural environment [5] The rapid increasein population and business activities in Sekondi-Takoradi haspresented several challenges which have been accompaniedby a rapid increase in the volume of solid waste generatedfrom production and consumption activities Against this

Hindawi Publishing CorporationJournal of Waste ManagementVolume 2014 Article ID 823752 9 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552014823752

2 Journal of Waste Management

backdrop of mounting waste production municipal author-ities in Sekondi-Takoradi seem unable to organize adequatecollection and safe disposal of waste within their jurisdiction

In view of that urban settlement in the country and mostespecially Sekondi-Takoradi metropolitan area which is theprime focus for this study is inundated with so much filthwhich proves to be very difficult and seemingly impossible tocontrolmanage or solve and thus threatens public health andthe environment [6] The deplorable state of municipal solidwaste (MSW) situation within Sekondi-Takoradi metropolisis reflected in the titles of most newspapers and onlinearticles ldquoSanitation worsens in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolisrdquo[7] ldquoSanitation problem in Takoradi is out of controlrdquo [8]ldquoFilth engulfs Sekondi-Takoradi as landfill site chokesrdquo [9]ldquoSTMA losing battle against filthrdquo [10] ldquoSekondi-Takoradirsquossanitation dilemma Metro set to re-assign contractrdquo [11]

Themain objective of the studywas to examine the factorsaffecting effective solid waste management in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis so as to get a better understandingof what the problems of solid waste management are andprovide proper strategies to tackle the problem

2 Methodology

21 Description of the Study Area

211 Location and Size Sekondi-Takoradi metropolitan areais located between latitudes 4∘5210158403010158401015840 N and 5∘0410158400010158401015840 N andlongitudes 1∘3710158400010158401015840Wand 1∘5210158403010158401015840WBounded to theNorthof the metropolis is the Mpohor-Wassa District to the southby theGulf ofGuinea to thewest by theAhantaWestDistrictand to the east by Shama District The metropolis happensto be the smallest district in the region with a land areaof 385 km2 However it is the most populated district Themetropolis is strategically located in the south-western partof the country about 242 km to the west of Accra the capitalcity and approximately 280 km from the La Cote drsquoIvoire inthe west Figure 1 is a map of the study area [12]

Major towns in themetropolis include Essikado Kwesim-intsim Ketan Sekondi and Takoradi (Figure 2)

212 Vegetation The metropolis has an equatorial type ofclimate Vegetation is highly woodland in the northern andcentral parts while thicket is intermingled with tall grassspecies along the coast especially in areas where there areno permanent crops The land cover of the metropolis canbroadly be categorized into five types namely moderatelyclosed tree canopy with herb and bush cover moderatelydense herb or bush with scattered trees mosaic of thicketsand grass with or without scattered trees planted cover andsettlements [12]

213 Climate The metropolis lies within the south-westernequatorial zone It has fairly uniform temperature rangingbetween 22∘C in August and 30∘C in March The metropolishas a mean annual rainfall of 2350mm It experiences heavyrainfall in May and June with the minor rainfall occurringbetween September andOctober Sunshine duration formost

part of the year averages 7 hours per day Relative humidity isgenerally high throughout the year between 50 and 70 inthe dry season and 75 and 85 in the wet season [12]

214 Topography and Geology The metropolis is of variedtopography The Central area of Takoradi is low lying withan altitude of 6m below sea level Fortunately the numerouslow-lying areas in the metropolis are interspersed with ridgesand hills ranging from 30ndash60m high Sekondi-Takoradi ischaracterized by faulted shales and sandstones of varioustypes resting on a hard basement of granites gneiss andschists The faulting system has marked influence on thelandform especially along the coastline which clearly followsthe main fault direction of north east [12]

215 Economic Profile The metropolis is the third mostindustrialized and the largest city in Ghana and it is graduallyemerging as the ldquoOil Cityrdquo since the discovery of oil incommercial quantity in the country The services sectorcontributes 599 agriculture 21 and manufacturing 191to the local economyThe city can be accessed by air throughKotoka International Airport Accra with a domestic sched-uled flight to Takoradi due to the existence of an airportmanaged by the Ghana Air Force The city also has a seaportand a very good road network which links all parts ofGhana as well as the neighbouring countries of La Cotedrsquolvoire Burkina FasoMali andNigerThemetropolis is welldeveloped with the best of socioeconomic infrastructure andfacilities in terms of electricity water telecommunicationeducation andhealthwith industrial set ups andother severaleconomic activities [12]

22 Data Collection Methods A mixed methodological ap-proach and specific techniques were employed to address theobjectives of the research since the reliance on any singleapproach to data gathering could lead to loss of valuableinformation [13]

Substantial relevant information on the sustainable solidwaste management practices and other vital issues on thesubject matter were gathered from newspapers journalspublished materials and unpublished reports articles andinternet sources Whilst the onsite waste handling and exist-ing Residential Solid Waste Management (RSWM) practicesof residents within the metropolis were obtained throughpreliminary field investigation questionnaire survey andface-to-face interviews The preliminary field investigationinvolved scouting through the study area to assess solid wastedump sites communal waste collection container landfillsite and dustbins in selected areas of study

During this process pictures were taken of heaps of solidwaste in dump sites solid waste skips overflowing with solidwaste scattered solid waste in between houses the numberof days a skip takes to get full and the frequency at whichthese skips were evacuated by the private sector solid wastecollecting institutions within the metropolis This processgave a general overview of the current waste managementsituation within the Sekondi-Takoradi Municipality and alsoaided in the formulation of questionnaire survey and inter-view schedule

Journal of Waste Management 3

SekondiFijai

N

Assaka

Mampong

Whindo AnagyiMpatado

Mempeasem

Kojokrom

Ntankoful

Takoradi

Oseikrom

Kwesimintsim

Northern

Volta

Ashanti

Western

Eastern

Brong Ahafo

Upper west

Central

Upper east

Greater Accra

150 0 150 300 450 60075(km)

Gulf of G

uinea

Metro capitalSettlementStreamriver

RoadMetro boundarySea

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W 1

∘38

9984000998400998400W

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W 1

∘38

9984000998400998400W

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

Figure 1 Projected map of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in Western Region of Ghana

23 Sample Technique and Size Determination Thesize of thesample taken was dependent on the number of householdsin the sampling area with due regard to the income levels Asampling technique developed by Cochran [14] with whichthe desired degree of precision for the general population wasemployed according to the following equation

119899 =

1198731198852

119875119876

1198892

(119873 minus 1) + 1198852

119875119876

(1)

where n = sampling size of housing units d = allowable error(005) P = housing unit variable and Q = 1 minus 119875 Note itis a constant indicating building facilities within the studyarea not used for residential purposes N = Total number ofhousing units andZ = standardizednormal variable and valuethat corresponds to 95 significance level equal to 196

According to the data obtained from the 2000 Populationand Housing Census by the Ghana Statistical Service [15]the total housing stock within the metropolis is estimatedat 36079 (N) and out of it about 90 (P) according to theMetro Planning Unit of Sekondi-TakoradiMetropolitan Area(STMA) are residential with the remaining 10 (Q) beingused for commercial activities offices and other activitiesother than for residential purposes

Therefore 119899 = 138 is theminimumsample size of housingunits for reliable results

Table 1 Residential communities selected for the household survey

Residential status Participating community

High income areas Beach roadAnaji estate

Middle income areas EffiakumaWhindo

Low income areas AssakaEsaaman village

24 Identification of Households Based on their life stan-dards income levels housing and other facilities communi-ties within the area of study were categorized into low incomegroups (the poor group) middle and high income groups[16] (Figure 2) Households which were categorized underlow income (the poor) were those who are living in slumareas and congested living rooms Simple random samplingtechnique was used to select two communities from eachresidential class grouping within the metropolis from whichhouseholders based on their willingness to take part in theresearch were selected for the questionnaire survey (Table 1)

After grouping (stratification) households 21 households(representing 1521) from low income group 71 households(representing 514) frommiddle income and 46 households


Farmlands

Anaji Fijai

Mpintsin

Takoradi

Essipong

Effia

Oseikrom

Apremdo

Anoe

Eshem

Whindo

Assaka

Mampong

Effiakuma

Sekondi

Deabenekrom

Ketan

Nguresia

Kojokrom

West Tanokrom

Adeimbra

Kwesimintsim

Essikado

Adiemtem Mpatado

Beach road

Mempeasem

Butumagyebu

Kweikuma

East Tanokrom

Ekuase

Ahanta Abasa

New Takoradi

Kwabewu

KNkrofulansawuradoAkromakrom

Nkenya

Chapel HillTakoradi Habour

Ahinkofikrom

Essaman

Bakaekyir

NtankofulNtankoful

NkontompoAgyamoa Bakam

4deg52

0N

Northern

Volta

Ashanti

Western

Eastern

Brong Ahafo

Upper west

Central

Upper east

Greater Accra

150 0 150 300 450 60075(km)

Gulf of G

uinea

Low poverty pocketModerate poverty pocketHigh poverty pocket

Shama district

Mpohor-WassaWest District

Ahanta WestDistrict

Poverty income pockets

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

N

Figure 2 Poverty Map of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in Western Region of Ghana Income Poverty pockets in Sekondi-Takoradi

Table 2 Household selection for questionnaire survey

Residential status Participating community Number Total

High income areas Beach road 5 46Anaji estate 41

Middle income areas Effiakuma 65 71Whindo 6

Low income areas Assaka 17 21Esaaman village 4

Total 138

(representing 333) from high income groups were selectedas depicted in Table 2 This percentage distribution wasmade possible by taking into account the housing unitsthat exist in a participating community dividing them bythe total housing units of the six participating communitiesmultiplied by 138 This was to ensure fair distribution ofthe questionnaire among the respondents in the variouscommunities

3 Results and Discussion

31 Existing Solid Waste Management Practices

311 Waste Generation and Storage The per capita wasteoutput in the city according to the Waste Department ofSekondi-Takoradi is estimated at 06 kg with the total dailywaste generation output based on a current 2010 populationcensus figure of 559548 being 3357288 kg [17 18]

Waste generated at source within the metropolis justlike most communities in Ghana is stored in all manner ofcontainers such as plastic bags paper boxes baskets unusedbuckets or any container considered appropriate for suchpurpose [19] However households in the high and somemiddle class income areas within the metropolis have beensupplied with dustbins with proper covering at no cost bythe private waste collection company operating within thoseareas Separation at source is not practiced butwhateverwastethat is generated in the various households regardless of theirnature is put together in the same container for disposal [20]

Figure 3 depicts how the various sampled householdsstore their waste before disposal Data gathered from thesampled households revealed that 486 store their waste in


(a) (b)

Figure 3 Mode of waste storage

(a) Accumulation of illegal waste dump (b) Skip overflowing with waste

Figure 4 Aspects of urban waste situation in Sekondi-Takoradi

closed containers with majority of such respondents hailingfrom the high class zone and about 304 ascribed to the useof open containers for waste storage whilst 21 use polythenebagssacks for storing waste This method of waste storagewas very common in the low class zone and adds to thewaste management problems as wind and animals scatter thecontent thereby making the area unsightly However therewasnrsquot any other form of waste storage apart from the threementioned earlier

312 Waste Collection and Transportation Solid waste col-lection system employed within the metropolis is of twomain types and is either on a franchise or contract basis Themajor cities and towns within the municipality have beenzoned into units with each private waste collection companyassigned the responsibility of collecting and transportingsolid waste from the various zones to the final disposal siteThe two main methods of solid waste collection within themetropolis are the door to door collection and the communalwaste container system The door to door collection which isusually done on franchise basis is carried out by private wastecollection firms in high and in some middle class incomeareas at a fixed cost Those that do not enjoy this service andwho are usually from the deprived or low class income areas

deposit their waste in central containers placed at designatedpoints to be emptied at specific intervals at a very smallfee According to the Waste Management Department ofthe assembly the high income zone within the city pays amonthly levy of GHL 5 (USD $ 146) with the middle classzone paying GHL 4 (USD $ 117) for the waste collectionservice that they receive However the low class income areaspay a very small amount GHL 020 (USD $ 006) for usingthe skip

Those that use the communal container system are inthe majority representing 493 whilst those who enjoythe curbside system make up 326 However 181 ofhouseholds without the benefit of having the curbside andcommunal container system and which are usually from thelow class zone and newly developed areas resort to the use ofwaste dumps and other crude means of waste disposal

Massive patronage of the communal container system bymajority of the residents coupled with erratic schedules ofwaste collection by the waste collection companies has putpressure on the limited number of skips available for wastedeposition thereby resulting in a huge number of spillagesand mushrooming of illegal dumpsites often seen at mostmiddle and low class zones where central container systemis employed at no costThis has led to serious spillages as wellas the mushrooming of illegal dumpsites (Figure 4) These


Table 3 Frequency of skips filling and evacuation in selected areasof study

Residential areasection Number of days takenfor skip to get full

Frequency ofevacuation

Effia 2 4 daysSabon Zongo 3 4 daysEssipon town 5 3 daysKojokrom 2 6 daysNew Takoradi (upper) 3 5 daysAmanful East 2 Over 7 daysNkontompo 3 6 daysKweikuma Zongo 4 Over 7 days

spillages were very evident with the skip monitoring studyconducted in the metropolis as shown in Table 3

All wastes collected within the metropolis are disposed ofat a municipal dump site near the newly constructed landfillsite yet to be operational at Sofokrom a suburb of Essiponin the Sekondi-TakoradiMetropolisThemunicipal dumpsiteis a poorly managed area where authorities manning thearea are engaged in open burning of waste at the site Thisprocedure is often adopted to reduce the volume of wastebut it releases toxins and carcinogens especially from plasticmaterials However the best option to reduce waste volumeand extend life of existing disposal site would be to improvewaste recovery through recycling and composting programs[21] Even though there exist a municipal dumpsite for solidwaste disposal not all generated solid waste lands up at thedump site

The accumulation of waste as a result of the erratic sched-ule of skip evacuation poses a potential adverse impact onpublic health and environmental quality due to its attractionof rodents and vector insects for which it provides food andshelter [22 23]

Waste collection trucks that cart waste from the point ofgeneration to the dumpsite are not covered and in some casesare covered with thin net that could barely keep it intact Asa result the waste that was supposed to be conveyed to themunicipal dump site gets littered all over the road Howeverinformation gathered from Waste Management Departmentof the assembly indicates that operations of public and privatewaste management institutions cover 72 of the metropolisleaving 28 unattended toThe private waste collection firmstake a greater chunk of percentage of waste collection withinthe metropolis whilst that of the assembly takes only 23 outof which most are evacuation activities Within the coverageareas where solid waste collection is done current statisticsshow that 69 of solid waste is collected and disposed ofleaving 31 of the waste uncollected

313 Waste Treatment and Recovery In the city there is nowaste treatment or recovery facilities established by either theassembly or private companies However there exist someinformal recycling facilities within the city that accept majorrecyclable items such as metals glass plastics rubber andpapers

Hence solid waste mostly disposed of in the metropolisdoes not go through processing or treatment This is simplybecause wastes generated at the various households or pointsof generation are bundled together without undergoing anyform of separation This practice of handling waste at sourcewithout any form of waste separation has been a seriousobstacle to any form of processing or treatment that relieson recycling or recovery programs Due to nonavailability ofany proper or formal legislation to ensure waste separationat source potentially harmful or dangerous waste such ascadmium batteries paint containers pesticides containersand other materials are found mostly in our household waste[24] In some cases medical and clinical waste are treated byincineration in open pits with no environmental control [25]

However the only form of recovery and reuse activitiesis by scavengers who search through waste in temporarystorage areas and at final disposal site for items consideredto be of economic value These scavengers mostly use theirbare hands and at times stick for separation and picking ofthe items which are dictated mostly by type market valueand demand The operational activities of these scavengerstend to be very dangerous and unhealthy since most of themgo about their scavenging activity without any protectiveequipment (Figure 5) In some cases hazardous waste fromthe industrial setting is buried at designated portions of thedumpsite without any prior treatment

32 Constraints to Effective Solid Waste ManagementOperations within Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis

321 Lack of Finance This study found that undue delays inpayment of work done coupled with huge sums of moneyowed to these private waste collection institutions are oneof the key challenges hampering effective waste managementoperations within the metropolis It was also evident thateven on franchise basis the door to door waste collectionservice beneficiaries are in payment default summing toseveral thousands of Ghanaian cedis The failure on the partof municipal authorities and the beneficiaries of the door todoor waste collection service tomake regular payments to thewaste contractors makes it difficult and absolutely impossiblefor the latter to undertake adequate waste collection withinthe metropolis

These problems are a result of poor revenue mobilizationat the assembly as well as source reduction in monies theassembly owes to the central government for waste collectionAnother cause of the financial predicament of municipalauthorities in Ghana is the decision taken by the municipalauthorities to charge communities regarded as ldquolow incomerdquovery small amount of money as waste disposal levies Theselow class zones and a section of the middle class zone thatuse the communal container system are the majority therebyleaving a small proportion of the inhabitants to pay forwaste serviceTherefore the introduction of appropriate leviesfor the polluter pay system and pay-as-you-dump systemcoupled with strict monitoring schemes would enhancerevenue mobilization from all waste disposal users in themetropolis


Figure 5 Scavenging activity at the final waste disposal site

Figure 6 State of a waste collection truck leaving the final waste disposal site

Figure 7 Condition of central waste collection container at Amanful

However the difficulty on the part of the municipalauthorities and the waste collection companies in securingadequate funds in changing obsolete equipment for newmodernized equipment and payment of salaries or wagesto their staff as well as huge sums of money they oweto service beneficiaries and the authorities for work doneimpedes smooth operation andmaintenance schedule withinthe metropolis (Figures 6 and 7)

322 Lack of Waste Management Personnel The data gath-ered from the study show that apart fromfinancial challengeslack of human resource in the waste management businessis militating against the effort to provide a better wastemanagement service All the private companies within themetropolis with the exception of Zoomlion indicated thatthey are understaffed and cannot attract workers to the

company due to low remuneration poor service conditionsand the stigma attached to being a waste collection worker

Satisfactory waste management according to Armah [26]requires a wide range of qualified professionals includingengineers mechanics administrators sanitation officersfinance and accounting staff and even researchers Thisdearth of waste professionals in the waste business has reallymilitated against the provision of better waste managementservice and thus results also in poor generation of data forplanning waste management

323 Lack of Appropriate Technologies All the private wastemanagement companies together with Waste ManagementDepartment of the assembly have poor equipment and inap-propriate technologies to carry out waste collection activitiesA visit to the facilities of these companies revealed a lot of


Table 4 Equipment base of Sekondi-Takoradi waste managementdepartment

Equipment type Number available Number operationalTractor 4 0Tipper trucks 3 3Backhoe 1 1Bulldozer 2 2Compactor 1 1Source Field survey 2014

Table 5 Equipment base of private waste companies

Equipment type Zoomlion ABC RusabenCompactor 6 2 1Skip trucks 4 0 0Tricycle 120 0 0Roll onoff 2 2 2Bulldozer 3 0 0Source field survey 2014

broken down vehicles with the ones working also in a verydeplorable state The lack of adequate equipment of thesecompanies as shown in Tables 4 and 5 confirmed that mostof them lack the capacity to operate in their contract areaIn some cases the contract area assigned to these companiesis so large that the inadequacy of their equipment becomes alimiting factor to the provision of wastemanagement servicesand therefore amajor cause of the poorwaste situation in themetropolis

324 Lack of Law Enforcement It emerged from the studiesthat nonenforcement of byelaws on waste disposal is a majorcontributing factor to the poor waste situation bedevilingthe Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis This has given room towhat is now termed ldquothrow-it-where-you-likerdquo syndromeThis negative attitudinal response to solid waste managementretards the progress of these institutions in their effort to ridthe metropolis of solid waste An informal discussion withsome of the assembly men within the metropolis asserted tothe fact that if these byelaws are strictly enforced a positivewaste disposal culture among the population to keep thecities clean will be achieved However municipal authoritiesin the country seem unable to enforce the byelaws due tolack of political will An official at the Health and SanitationDepartmentwhose duty it is to ensure the compliance of theselaws stated that their department is very much handicappedsince the assembly itself is part of the problem He furtheradded that the assembly owes thesewaste companies and thussanctions cannot be proffered to residents whose wastes areleft in the various houses and central containers uncollectedThe nonenforcement of these byelaws on waste disposal hascreated a lack of fear for the law and encouraged a ldquothrow-it-where-you-likerdquo culture among the population [27] Itis therefore a common sight to see passengers in movingvehicles throwing litter such as food wrappers and plasticlitter bags Hence strict enforcement of already existing

byelaws could help change the poor waste disposal culturewithin the metropolis and by extension Ghanaian cities

4 Conclusion

The analysis has shown that waste generation in Sekondi-Takoradi far-outstrips the capacities of waste companiesentrusted with the responsibility of collecting and disposingof solid waste And as a result several challenges ranging fromfinancial constraint inappropriate technologies inadequatepersonnel and law enforcement have acted in concert tomilitate against the effective waste management practiceswithin the metropolis

The study also revealed that municipal authority andtheir waste collection contractors concentrate their wastecollection operations in the wealthy residential areas whilstlow income and commercial areas receive little or no servicefor waste collection

To ensure effectivewastemanagementwithin themetrop-olis it is recommended that clear contractual agreements forprivate sector participation in waste management within themetropolis with clear roles and responsibility should be out-lined for their operation It is also important that regulationson waste disposal and appropriate sanctions on littering andimproper waste management behavior are strictly enforcedby the Environmental Health and Sanitation DepartmentThe adoption of an integrated waste management programis also strongly recommended for adoption by the municipalauthorities

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interestsregarding the publication of this paper

Acknowledgments

Profound thanks go to the entire staff at Waste ManagementDepartment of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan AssemblyGhana Statistical Service Environmental Health and Sanita-tion Department of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assem-bly (STMA) and privatewaste collection companies aswell asthe various households whose cooperation and supportmadethe fieldwork a success

References

[1] J T Pfeffer Solid Waste Management Prentice Hall UpperSaddle River NJ USA 1992

[2] B Fei-Baffoe Household and Industrial Waste ManagementHandout for MSc Environmental Science Kwame NkrumahUniversity of Science and Technology Department of Theoret-ical and Applied Biology Kumasi Ghana 2010

[3] D Carboo and J N Fobil ldquoPhysico-chemical analysis ofmunicipal solid waste (MSW) in the Accra metropolisrdquo WestAfrican Journal of Applied Ecology vol 5 no 2 pp 116ndash117 2004

[4] A Mensah and E Larbi Solid Waste Disposal in Ghana 2005httpwwwtrendwastsannet


[5] J C Agunwamba ldquoSolid waste management in Nigeria prob-lems and issuesrdquo Environmental Management vol 22 no 6 pp849ndash856 1998

[6] J N Fobil D Carboo and N A Armah ldquoEvaluation of munic-ipal solid wastes (MSW) for utilisation in energy productionin developing countriesrdquo International Journal of EnvironmentalTechnology and Management vol 5 no 1 pp 76ndash86 2005

[7] M Aklorbortu ldquoSanitation Worsens in SekondiTakoradiMetropolis Aklorbotu Blogspotrdquo 2012 httpmosesaklorbortublogspotcom200812sanitation-worsens-in sekonditakoradihtml

[8] R S Zambaga ldquoSanitation problem in Takoradi is out of con-trolrdquo The Chronicle 2012 httpghanaian-chroniclecomp=8637

[9] A Osabutey ldquoFilth engulfs Sekondi-Takoradi as landfill sitechokesrdquo Joy News 2011 httpeditionmyjoyonlinecompagesnews20110870636php

[10] R S Zambaga andA Adams ldquoSTMA losing battle against filthrdquoModern Ghana News 2010 httpwwwmodernghanacomnews2846531stma-losing-battle-against-filthhtml

[11] HM Andoh Sekondi-Takoradirsquos Sanitation DilemmaMetro Setto Reassign Contract The Greetlane News 2012 httpwwwgreetlanecom

[12] Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) ldquoProfile ofSekondi-TakoradiMetropolisrdquo 2012 httpstmaghanadistrictsgovgh

[13] G Freduah ldquoProblems of solid waste management in NimaAccrardquoUndergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciencesvol 6 2007

[14] W G Cochran Sampling Techniques Wiley Series in Produc-tivity and Applied Mathematical Statistics John Wiley amp SonsNew York NY USA 3rd edition 1977

[15] Ghana Statistical Services 2000 Population and Housing Cen-sus Summary Report of Final Results Ghana Statistical Service2000

[16] Cooperative Housing Foundation International Sekondi-Takoradi Poverty Map A Guide to Urban Poverty Reduction inSekondi-Takoradi 2011

[17] Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) ldquo2010 Population and HousingCensus Summary Report of Final Resultsrdquo Accra Ghana 2012httpwwwstatsghanagovgh

[18] Waste Management Department Sekondi-Takoradi Metropoli-tan Assembly Western Region Ghana Personal Communica-tion 2013

[19] F KreithHandbook of Solid Waste Management McGraw-HillNew York NY USA 1994

[20] A Gbekor ldquoDomestic wastemanagementrdquoGhana Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA) Newsletter vol 47 no 5 2003

[21] J M L Kironde ldquoDar es Salaam Tanzaniardquo in Managing theMonster A G Onibokun Ed Urban Waste and Governancein Africa IDRC Ottawa Canada 1999

[22] EGSSAA (Environmental Guidelines for Small-Scale Activitiesin Africa) ldquoSolid waste generation handling treatment anddisposalrdquo 2009 httpwwwencapafricaorgEGSSAAsolid-wastepdf

[23] K O Boadi and M Kuitunen ldquoEnvironmental and healthimpacts of household solid waste handling and disposal prac-tices in Third World cities the case of the Accra MetropolitanArea Ghanardquo Journal of Environmental Health vol 68 no 4pp 32ndash36 2005

[24] G E Blight and C M Mbande ldquoSome problems of wastemanagement in developing countriesrdquo Journal of Solid WasteTechnology and Management vol 23 no 1 pp 19ndash27 1996

[25] R Babanawo ldquoConstrains to Sustainable Solid Waste Man-agement in Ghanardquo 2006 httpdepositddbdecgibindok-servidn=984500952ampdok var=d1ampdok ext=pdfampfilename=9 84500952pdf

[26] N A Armah ldquoWaste managementrdquo inThe Future of our CitiesProceedings of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences vol 28pp 78ndash83 1993

[27] G P J Dijkema M A Reuter and E V Verhoef ldquoA newparadigm for waste managementrdquo Waste Management vol 20no 8 pp 633ndash638 2000

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of



EcosystemsJournal of


MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of


Marine BiologyJournal of


Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in


Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of



Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics


Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of


BiodiversityInternational Journal of


ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of


The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014


ClimatologyJournal of


backdrop of mounting waste production municipal author-ities in Sekondi-Takoradi seem unable to organize adequatecollection and safe disposal of waste within their jurisdiction

In view of that urban settlement in the country and mostespecially Sekondi-Takoradi metropolitan area which is theprime focus for this study is inundated with so much filthwhich proves to be very difficult and seemingly impossible tocontrolmanage or solve and thus threatens public health andthe environment [6] The deplorable state of municipal solidwaste (MSW) situation within Sekondi-Takoradi metropolisis reflected in the titles of most newspapers and onlinearticles ldquoSanitation worsens in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolisrdquo[7] ldquoSanitation problem in Takoradi is out of controlrdquo [8]ldquoFilth engulfs Sekondi-Takoradi as landfill site chokesrdquo [9]ldquoSTMA losing battle against filthrdquo [10] ldquoSekondi-Takoradirsquossanitation dilemma Metro set to re-assign contractrdquo [11]

Themain objective of the studywas to examine the factorsaffecting effective solid waste management in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis so as to get a better understandingof what the problems of solid waste management are andprovide proper strategies to tackle the problem

2 Methodology

21 Description of the Study Area

211 Location and Size Sekondi-Takoradi metropolitan areais located between latitudes 4∘5210158403010158401015840 N and 5∘0410158400010158401015840 N andlongitudes 1∘3710158400010158401015840Wand 1∘5210158403010158401015840WBounded to theNorthof the metropolis is the Mpohor-Wassa District to the southby theGulf ofGuinea to thewest by theAhantaWestDistrictand to the east by Shama District The metropolis happensto be the smallest district in the region with a land areaof 385 km2 However it is the most populated district Themetropolis is strategically located in the south-western partof the country about 242 km to the west of Accra the capitalcity and approximately 280 km from the La Cote drsquoIvoire inthe west Figure 1 is a map of the study area [12]

Major towns in themetropolis include Essikado Kwesim-intsim Ketan Sekondi and Takoradi (Figure 2)

212 Vegetation The metropolis has an equatorial type ofclimate Vegetation is highly woodland in the northern andcentral parts while thicket is intermingled with tall grassspecies along the coast especially in areas where there areno permanent crops The land cover of the metropolis canbroadly be categorized into five types namely moderatelyclosed tree canopy with herb and bush cover moderatelydense herb or bush with scattered trees mosaic of thicketsand grass with or without scattered trees planted cover andsettlements [12]

213 Climate The metropolis lies within the south-westernequatorial zone It has fairly uniform temperature rangingbetween 22∘C in August and 30∘C in March The metropolishas a mean annual rainfall of 2350mm It experiences heavyrainfall in May and June with the minor rainfall occurringbetween September andOctober Sunshine duration formost

part of the year averages 7 hours per day Relative humidity isgenerally high throughout the year between 50 and 70 inthe dry season and 75 and 85 in the wet season [12]

214 Topography and Geology The metropolis is of variedtopography The Central area of Takoradi is low lying withan altitude of 6m below sea level Fortunately the numerouslow-lying areas in the metropolis are interspersed with ridgesand hills ranging from 30ndash60m high Sekondi-Takoradi ischaracterized by faulted shales and sandstones of varioustypes resting on a hard basement of granites gneiss andschists The faulting system has marked influence on thelandform especially along the coastline which clearly followsthe main fault direction of north east [12]

215 Economic Profile The metropolis is the third mostindustrialized and the largest city in Ghana and it is graduallyemerging as the ldquoOil Cityrdquo since the discovery of oil incommercial quantity in the country The services sectorcontributes 599 agriculture 21 and manufacturing 191to the local economyThe city can be accessed by air throughKotoka International Airport Accra with a domestic sched-uled flight to Takoradi due to the existence of an airportmanaged by the Ghana Air Force The city also has a seaportand a very good road network which links all parts ofGhana as well as the neighbouring countries of La Cotedrsquolvoire Burkina FasoMali andNigerThemetropolis is welldeveloped with the best of socioeconomic infrastructure andfacilities in terms of electricity water telecommunicationeducation andhealthwith industrial set ups andother severaleconomic activities [12]

22 Data Collection Methods A mixed methodological ap-proach and specific techniques were employed to address theobjectives of the research since the reliance on any singleapproach to data gathering could lead to loss of valuableinformation [13]

Substantial relevant information on the sustainable solidwaste management practices and other vital issues on thesubject matter were gathered from newspapers journalspublished materials and unpublished reports articles andinternet sources Whilst the onsite waste handling and exist-ing Residential Solid Waste Management (RSWM) practicesof residents within the metropolis were obtained throughpreliminary field investigation questionnaire survey andface-to-face interviews The preliminary field investigationinvolved scouting through the study area to assess solid wastedump sites communal waste collection container landfillsite and dustbins in selected areas of study

During this process pictures were taken of heaps of solidwaste in dump sites solid waste skips overflowing with solidwaste scattered solid waste in between houses the numberof days a skip takes to get full and the frequency at whichthese skips were evacuated by the private sector solid wastecollecting institutions within the metropolis This processgave a general overview of the current waste managementsituation within the Sekondi-Takoradi Municipality and alsoaided in the formulation of questionnaire survey and inter-view schedule


SekondiFijai

N

Assaka

Mampong


Mempeasem

Kojokrom

Ntankoful

Takoradi

Oseikrom

Kwesimintsim

Northern

Volta

Ashanti

Western

Eastern

Brong Ahafo

Upper west

Central

Upper east

Greater Accra

150 0 150 300 450 60075(km)

Gulf of G

uinea



1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W 1

∘38

9984000998400998400W

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W 1

∘38

9984000998400998400W

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N



119899 =

1198731198852

119875119876

1198892

(119873 minus 1) + 1198852

119875119876

(1)












Farmlands

Anaji Fijai

Mpintsin

Takoradi

Essipong

Effia

Oseikrom

Apremdo

Anoe

Eshem

Whindo

Assaka

Mampong

Effiakuma

Sekondi

Deabenekrom

Ketan

Nguresia

Kojokrom

West Tanokrom

Adeimbra

Kwesimintsim

Essikado

Adiemtem Mpatado

Beach road

Mempeasem

Butumagyebu

Kweikuma

East Tanokrom

Ekuase

Ahanta Abasa

New Takoradi

Kwabewu


Nkenya


Ahinkofikrom

Essaman

Bakaekyir

NtankofulNtankoful


4deg52

0N

Northern

Volta

Ashanti

Western

Eastern

Brong Ahafo

Upper west

Central

Upper east

Greater Accra

150 0 150 300 450 60075(km)

Gulf of G

uinea


Shama district


Ahanta WestDistrict


1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

N







Total 138








(a) (b)









































4 Conclusion






Acknowledgments


References

































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics















SekondiFijai

N

Assaka

Mampong


Mempeasem

Kojokrom

Ntankoful

Takoradi

Oseikrom

Kwesimintsim

Northern

Volta

Ashanti

Western

Eastern

Brong Ahafo

Upper west

Central

Upper east

Greater Accra

150 0 150 300 450 60075(km)

Gulf of G

uinea



1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W 1

∘38

9984000998400998400W

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W 1

∘38

9984000998400998400W

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N



119899 =

1198731198852

119875119876

1198892

(119873 minus 1) + 1198852

119875119876

(1)












Farmlands

Anaji Fijai

Mpintsin

Takoradi

Essipong

Effia

Oseikrom

Apremdo

Anoe

Eshem

Whindo

Assaka

Mampong

Effiakuma

Sekondi

Deabenekrom

Ketan

Nguresia

Kojokrom

West Tanokrom

Adeimbra

Kwesimintsim

Essikado

Adiemtem Mpatado

Beach road

Mempeasem

Butumagyebu

Kweikuma

East Tanokrom

Ekuase

Ahanta Abasa

New Takoradi

Kwabewu


Nkenya


Ahinkofikrom

Essaman

Bakaekyir

NtankofulNtankoful


4deg52

0N

Northern

Volta

Ashanti

Western

Eastern

Brong Ahafo

Upper west

Central

Upper east

Greater Accra

150 0 150 300 450 60075(km)

Gulf of G

uinea


Shama district


Ahanta WestDistrict


1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

N







Total 138








(a) (b)









































4 Conclusion






Acknowledgments


References

































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics















Farmlands

Anaji Fijai

Mpintsin

Takoradi

Essipong

Effia

Oseikrom

Apremdo

Anoe

Eshem

Whindo

Assaka

Mampong

Effiakuma

Sekondi

Deabenekrom

Ketan

Nguresia

Kojokrom

West Tanokrom

Adeimbra

Kwesimintsim

Essikado

Adiemtem Mpatado

Beach road

Mempeasem

Butumagyebu

Kweikuma

East Tanokrom

Ekuase

Ahanta Abasa

New Takoradi

Kwabewu


Nkenya


Ahinkofikrom

Essaman

Bakaekyir

NtankofulNtankoful


4deg52

0N

Northern

Volta

Ashanti

Western

Eastern

Brong Ahafo

Upper west

Central

Upper east

Greater Accra

150 0 150 300 450 60075(km)

Gulf of G

uinea


Shama district


Ahanta WestDistrict


1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W

1∘50

9984000998400998400W 1

∘48

9984000998400998400W 1

∘46

9984000998400998400W 1

∘44

9984000998400998400W 1

∘42

9984000998400998400W 1

∘40

9984000998400998400W

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

5∘29984000998400998400N

5∘09984000998400998400N

4∘589984000998400998400N

4∘569984000998400998400N

4∘549984000998400998400N

N







Total 138








(a) (b)









































4 Conclusion






Acknowledgments


References

































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics















(a) (b)









































4 Conclusion






Acknowledgments


References

































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics














































4 Conclusion






Acknowledgments


References

































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics










































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics














research article municipal solid waste management in...

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