Abstract:Waste diversion from landfills has generally been neglected in the developing world despite its potential to prolong the lifespan of landfills and generate revenues. This study aims at characterizing diverted solid waste fractions at communal collection points in seven communities and determining the trends in landfilled solid waste due to the Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) mechanism. It is based on quantitative measurements of diverted waste by informal waste pickers at communal collection points in seven communities in the Kumasi metropolis and analysis of landfilled waste records prior to and after the introduction of the PAYT mechanism. The study shows a daily diversion rate of 19.4±9.2kg per informal waste picker per day with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.29). This constitutes just 0.5w/w% of the total waste stream at communal collection points. The diverted waste is dominated by plastics (50%) and metals (29%). Generally, the diverted waste quantities are hugely dependent on the storage capacities of the informal waste pickers while the types of recovered items depend on readily available market. The introduction of the PAYT system, as observed from the study, immediately caused a decline (28%) in waste disposed of at communal collection points but steadily appreciated with time (26% and 13% consecutive reductions in subsequent years). The study recommends support for the informal sector, Public-Private Partnerships for waste recycling and intensive public education on PAYT mechanism prior to and after its introduction.
One of the key ingredients to a sustainable functional solid waste systems in any nation is the existence and continual review of data on solid waste management (SWM). Many urban areas in Ghana are heavily polluted with solid waste and Tamale metropolis is not an exception. Households in the metropolis generates enormous amount of solid waste coupled with waste management practices that inevitably affects the environment. The main objective of the study was to determine the physio-chemical parameter of solid waste at Russia bungalows in the Tamale metropolis. In view of this, the specific objectives of the study was to find out the quantity of solid waste generated, determine the moisture content of the waste, and to find out the waste generation rate of the solid waste applying mathematical models. The research gathered data from two main sources namely: secondary and primary sources. The three main techniques employed in gathering the primary data were: preliminary field investigation, physical separation and household survey. The following key findings were established during the analysis of the results and it showed that the quantity of solid waste generated in the study area was 81.70 kg. The total moisture content of the samples was found to be 48.29%, it means that the waste generated can be used as compost to produce fertiliser on farms. This also showed that the generation rate of solid waste was 0.3148 kg/cap/day. Mathematical model showed a weak relation between the quantity of waste generated and household size. Waste generation rates data are crucial in the wider waste systems planning processes. Further studies on source separation of household waste at different areas in the metropolis.
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