Working with the Informal Service Chain as a Locally Appropriate Strategy for Sustainable Modernization of Municipal Solid Waste Management Systems in Lower-Middle Income Cities: Lessons from Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Twenty years of formal private sector participation in solid waste management in Ghana has failed to deliver an increase in collection coverage and recycling rates. This article shares lessons and experiences from Accra, Ghana, a middle-income city where researchers and municipal solid waste managers have collaborated to modernize the municipal solid waste management system by working together to develop a locally appropriate response to the informal waste service sector. Stakeholders have used inclusive decision-making and participatory research methods to bring formal service providers to work in partnership with their informal counterparts to improve collection and recycling. The Wasteaware benchmark indicator framework has been used to assess and compare the improvements in the physical and governance aspects of the municipal solid waste management system, supplemented by statistical analysis of responses to a survey on the socio-economic contribution of the informal service providers in the city. Within two years of their inclusion, the number of informal service providers has increased by 71 percent, from 350 to 600, creating new livelihoods and contributing to poverty reduction. The informal service providers have been able to increase collection coverage from 75% to 90%, waste capture from 53% to 90%, and recycling rates from 5% to 18%, saving the municipality US$5,460,000.00 in annual operational costs. The results have influenced the decision-makers to move towards structural integration of the informal service providers into the formal waste service system. The shift towards practical, locally responsive interventions in Accra provides a positive example of sustainable waste management modernization, and key lessons for cities in similar economies.

An assessment of house-hold solid waste management in a large Ghanaian district

“…Urbanization has resulted in increasing waste generation in Ghana. Oduro-Appiah et al (2019); Miezah et al,2015). Waste management normally concerns the focused, systematic control of the generation, collection, disposal, processing of waste in a aesthetically regulated, manner (Letcher and Vallero, 2019).…”

Sustainable Pathway for Closing Solid Waste Data Gaps: Implications for Modernization Strategies and Resilient Cities in Developing Countries

“…The estimated population is 4.63 million with a daily MSW generation rate of 3293 tons [3]. Formal private companies have the concession to collect waste, but poor performance have resulted in the growth of an informal waste collection sector who are significantly filling gaps especially in low-income areas of the region [16]. More than 90% of collected MSW ends up on a system of controlled and uncontrolled landfills, with the informal waste pickers and recyclers contributing to 84% of the reported 8.4% recycling rate [3].…”

Evidence-based pathway for solid waste modernisation and sustainability in Ghana

“…However, the participatory approach to this article and recent projects in Accra have made a convincing case that collaboration and structural cooperation between researchers, municipalities and other relevant stakeholders can prove a good approach to close apparent gaps in MSW data and drive decision-makers commitment towards inclusive governance and MSW system modernisation within the GAMA (Oduro-Appiah et al, 2019;Oduro-Appiah et al, 2017a). Integration of the IWS may not only open up opportunities for local government support, but will provide the necessary path to sustain reliable MSW data flows for continuous planning and inclusive decisionmaking.…”

“…In most cities and regions in emerging economies; this sector is responsible for almost all of the recycling that occurs (Wilson et al, 2013;Scheinberg et al, 2010b). In Ghana, ISPs have been widely reported to offer user-friendly and reliable services at affordable rates to their waste collection clients (Oduro-Appiah et al, 2017b;Oduro-Appiah et al, 2019), while informal recyclables collectors (IRCs) are the main extractors of valuable recyclables (Oteng-Ababio, 2012; Rockson et al, 2013). Through their activities, IRCs supply secondary (recycled) materials to intermediate processors and end-user manufacturing industries.…”

“…To plan for the circular economy, a completely different approach is needed, that engages a range of stakeholders in measuring, evaluating, and estimating various solid waste and recycling factors (Diaz, 2017). In Ghana, a multi-year initiative between researchers and the municipality of Accra, has shown how inclusive and participatory processes can make a real contribution to improving information and data in public waste management organisations (Oduro-Appiah et al, 2019).…”