MSE 502 Concepts of Environmental Engineering

Activity 5.2

Online Group Discussion

Compare and contrast the municipal solid waste generation and management in Accra and

Kumasi metropolitan areas. In your discussion, consider the following factors: institutional

structure, human and capital resources, and mechanisms of waste collection through to disposal

at landfill sites. Proffer recommendations to improve the solid waste management strategies in

these areas.

Solution

The management of waste in developed cities often adheres to a predetermined set of procedures

and steps to guarantee that everything proceeds according to plan. A number of processes are

required for the generation, collection, transfer, and transportation of the rubbish. The only thing

left to do is manage the garbage and dispose of it in proper areas, where some of it may

disintegrate naturally and other parts will be treated in a variety of different ways. The

environment is impacted in a way that is relevant to both the good and negative results of

different solid waste disposal systems. Decisions need to be made in order to determine which

strategy will have the least detrimental effect not only on the health of humans but also on the

health of the environment. The practice of disposing of solid trash by burying it under the surface

of the earth is known as creating a landfill. This method of disposing of solid waste contributes

to the pollution of water, and more specifically groundwater, which in turn contaminates the

environment. When solid waste is buried, methane and carbon dioxide are released into the soil,
which has a negative impact on the environment. The disposal of solid waste is a vital activity

that must be carried out while taking into account a number of different issues, including but not

limited to: operational expenses, resource recovery, worker safety, environmental threats, and,

finally, long-term viability. Because existing strategies for the disposal of solid waste are running

out, a fresh approach is required. An officer of environmental health will make the

determination, with the help of the factors described above, as to which approach to the disposal

of solid waste is the most important. Incineration, on the other hand, is a process that involves

burning waste solids to the point where they are reduced to ashes and gas. When solid trash is

burnt, it results in the emission of toxic gases into the atmosphere as well as the production of

filthy ashes. This contributes to the warming of the planet. The most important task of this

century will be to devise methods that will lessen the damage that garbage does to the

environment. The rise in the amount of waste produced by contemporary civilization may be

traced back to a variety of causes, including the expansion of the human population, the spread

of urbanization, and the rise in the number of activities that are hazardous to the environment.

Businesses, communities, and people all need to work together to identify effective waste

management strategies in order to both preserve the environment and benefit economically from

it. Activities carried out by humans and other animals, in addition to manufacturing processes

and the consumption stages, all contribute to the production of waste. Our modern society is

mired in filth as a result of waste produced by a wide range of activities, including industrial and

commercial endeavors. It is essential to have efficient waste management in order to cut down on

the harm that is caused to people by litter and other forms of garbage. A variety of steps have

been made by governments all over the world to ensure that waste is managed in an

environmentally responsible manner for the benefit of their respective societies. In the last
decade, waste management has emerged as a significant challenge for countries that are still

growing. This category addresses all aspects of waste management, including collection,

transportation, resource recovery, recycling, and treatment of wastes. The fundamental objectives

of waste management are the safeguarding of human health, the enhancement of environmental

quality, the development of long-term viability, and the promotion of economic production. In

order for society to accomplish these objectives, it has been looking for quite some time for eco-

friendly and effective solutions to the problem of waste management.

In recent years, waste management has been a serious issue for local governments in Ghana,

which has been directly correlated with an increase in the amount of rubbish that has been

produced. Accra and Kumasi, the two major cities in the nation, both have issues with trash

management and disposal. In order for waste management in developed cities to continue in the

manner that is anticipated, a well-established system and sequence are required. There are a

number of stages involved in the manufacturing, gathering, transferring, and shipping of rubbish.

After it has been processed and disposed of in the appropriate manner, the only thing left to do is

recycle and treat the garbage in a variety of different ways. Everything has to be done in the

correct order for proper management of solid waste.

Everything has to be done in the correct order for proper management of solid waste. Accra's

population has been growing at an alarming rate, which has exacerbated many of Ghana's

existing challenges with managing municipal garbage. Because of the rise in population, there

has also been an increase in the quantity of waste that is being produced. According to the

findings of some studies, the city of Accra produces more than 600 tons of liquid waste while it

is raining (Ferronato et al., 2019). The public sewage and fecal treatment facilities are falling into

disrepair, which is exacerbating a condition that was already quite serious. Due to the dire nature
of the issue, tourists in Accra, the capital of Ghana, are severely discouraged from strolling

through the city's several piles of rubbish.

An examination of the waste dumps in Accra indicates that the city is unable to dispose of

garbage, plastics, and liquids in an appropriate manner. In addition to posing additional concerns,

the amount of waste management that is now in place has a significant detrimental effect on the

overall health of the people who reside in the surrounding area. The Department of Municipal

Waste was in charge of waste disposal in Ghana in the past, but lately this responsibility was

transferred to another agency. Despite the involvement of the corporate sector, there has been

only a little amount of progress made in the management of rubbish. It is clear that Ghana's

approach to the management of trash has not been as inventive as that taken in other countries

with similar levels of wealth. Both a lack of financing and a lack of institutional support have

been barriers to effective waste management in Ghana. It's possible that the situation may evolve

in the near future. Accra Compost and Recyling Plant (ACARP) was able to begin collecting,

sorting, and producing high-quality organic compost from garbage in Ghana as early as 2012

thanks to a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the Jospong Group. It is believed that up to

seventy percent of the materials utilized in the manufacturing of new items come from recycled

or repurposed sources. It is possible that less developed nations such as Ghana are better

equipped for the disposal of biodegradable organic waste using processes such as anaerobic

digestion (AD) or even incineration (Combined Heat and Power (CHP)).

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a feasible alternative for the treatment of waste in low- and middle-

income countries due to the fact that it has the potential to be beneficial to both the economy and

the environment. The benefits of this strategy include a reduction in the amount of garbage sent

to landfills, a lower effect on the environment, the recovery of nutrients for recycling, and the
generation of renewable energy. Additionally, it assists businesses in decreasing their overall

carbon impact.

A significant number of individuals in Ghana are ignorant of the potential advantages that may

result from these activities. It's possible that this peculiarity might be explained by a lack of

information about the technical properties of AD and its compatibility for the waste stream in the

country. Further education is necessary on how different waste treatment options benefit from

home source separation and how this may be performed more efficiently. Additionally, an

examination of the effects that public education has on people's attitudes about garbage

management is required.

According to Knickmeyer, source separation is necessary for recycling and resource recovery

initiatives to be successful (Knickmeyer, 2020). They found a high degree of compliance with

the separation of garbage from households. The current study found that the average national

efficiency for sorting and separating biodegradable garbage was 84 percent, while the average

national efficiency for sorting and separating non-biodegradable garbage was 76 percent, which

is a significant improvement over the findings of the previous study (Horodytska et al., 2019,

Purushothama and Sciences, 2019) . It has been proposed by Knickmeyer that separating garbage

at the point of production will result in a cleaner overall environment. There is a wide variety of

monetary enticements available.

Composting and incineration are two techniques that may be used to dispose of solid waste in

Kumasi; however, both processes are seldom employed because to the high expenses involved

and the negative influence they have on the environment. It is possible to find open garbage

dumps close to big cities on undeveloped ground, in wetland areas, and even close to water

supplies. The placement of open dump sites are often determined not by concerns about the
environment or the public's health, but by collection trucks. Because of illegal dumping in

heavily populated regions, residents of rural and small towns in Kumasi are often put in danger

of adverse effects on their health as well as the environment. To name only a few of the

problems that afflict Kumasi's landfills, we have to mention the stench, the absence of any kind

of cover, the presence of insects and rats, and the smoke from open fires. It is becoming

increasingly difficult to construct new landfills that are large enough to adequately manage the

ever-increasing amount of waste that is produced each year as a result of factors such as the

scarcity of land, the rising cost of land, and the urgent need for a waste disposal system that is

more efficient. In order to generate solid waste in an efficient manner, the institutions and

management systems involved need to be knowledgeable and accountable.

In order to maintain an efficient system of quality control monitoring, businesses are required to

routinely provide information to the relevant local assembly. This takes into account both the

money and expenses generated through house-to-house collection, as well as the total number of

tons of trash that were disposed of. According to the original sources, the contract made it clear

what the performance goals of private trash firms were, together with the legal standards and

limits they were subject to. They claim that the firm works with the various governments in the

area to offer information about the amount of garbage produced. This information is saved and

utilized for a variety of reasons, including making payments to the companies to whom it

pertains. Concerning the door-to-door delivery service, firms have also said that they provide

revenue information to local governments. However, according to staff from WMD, the amount

of actual money collected from house to house is significantly underreported to the Assemblies.

According to the findings, the company's income has persistently failed to live up to the

standards it set for itself. This is due to the fact that certain paperwork on claims and money
received is perpetually behind schedule. The statistics on costs and incomes from both cities shed

light on a huge information gap (in both Accra and Kumasi)(Owusu-Sekyere and Development,

2022). Assemblies found it challenging to execute cost recovery owing to a lack of information

asymmetry in the financial reporting. This made the process more complex.

Collection from home to house is billed at an anticipated monthly cost, whereas community

collection services are billed at a unit fee per emptying of a skip. As the necessary incentives for

efficient garbage sorting, they suggested a collection schedule every two weeks, free plastic bags

in a range of colors, and free containers given by either the assembly or the enterprises. More

over forty percent of individuals who were questioned said that they would purchase their own

organic waste containers for use in their homes and places of work if given the opportunity. 33

percent of those who participated in the survey voiced support for stricter enforcement of the

regulations governing waste separation in their communities. There was a significant degree of

consensus among people who took part in the survey on the significance of recycling and

composting as environmental practices. The vast majority of rubber sachets are sold to unofficial

purchasers or those who scavenge for them, while food scraps are fed to animals and plastic and

aluminum cans are collected for recycling. Another issue is that there are those who persist in

burning garbage in their backyards. The majority of these gardeners do not utilize organic waste

as a source of manure; just a minority does. The level of knowledge among the general public

about the recycling and reuse of garbage is continuing to decline, which results in the continued

accumulation of recyclable and reusable waste in the municipal drains and streams. The majority

of the garbage that is brought to the municipal waste disposal facilities in Kumasi is dumped in

landfills since the scavengers who collect the trash do not recycle it. The house-to-house

collection of garbage was also observed in the residential areas of Accra, with results that were
comparable. Stakeholders were engaged so that different strategies for garbage collection could

be evaluated for their feasibility (the Assemblymen, WMD and Private waste company). The

adoption of this service by the municipality is evidence of the growing popularity of urban solid

waste management, particularly in regions where the majority of citizens have salaries that range

from the middle class to above. When this approach was first presented in the urbanized parts of

Ghana, there was some skepticism among the country's academics (Accra and Kumasi). This

approach has been successfully used by a number of other municipalities in order to improve the

delivery of solid waste management services. Residents of the Accra Municipalities are required

to pay GH18 a month for each dustbin that has a capacity of 120 liters if they want rubbish

collection services provided in their areas. Customers in the Kumasi Municipal Municipality are

required to pay GH9 for the usage of each garbage can that has a capacity of 120 liters. The

lawmakers contended that the high price was to blame for the town's low patronage, and that this

was due to the fact that the charge was so high. One further element that contributed to the low

number of clients was the infrequency with which garbage collection firms traveled to these

regions. Because of this, a growing number of individuals are opting to dispose of their garbage

by lighting open fires in their backyards.

Community collecting has relocated to Kumasi from the Zongo settlements that were formerly

located in the historical core of Accra. It is not required that one pay in this way for waste

removal and disposal services. The garbage that is produced by the residents is placed in a

central garbage can for disposal. Because they do not have access to containers, the residents of

these communities must dispose of their garbage at open dump sites, but neither the Assembly

nor private firms have shown any interest in helping them. These open dump pits may be found

at a number of locations across the Kumasi Municipality. It has been shown that open garbage
dumps have a propensity to be situated on empty lots on the outskirts of big cities. This is likely

due to the fact that trash collection trucks can easily reach these locations. Since landfills are the

primary location for the disposal of solid waste in my country at the moment, I would urge the

relevant authorities to make the switch to bioremediation. Using microorganisms that are not

harmful to the environment is an inexpensive and environmentally beneficial method for

cleaning up pollutants in the surrounding area. Using this natural degrading process, hazardous

wastes may be transformed into products that do not contain any dangerous ingredients. The

downside is that it takes a very long time, and it might be difficult to exert control over the

natural process that causes deterioration.

REFERENCE

FERRONATO, N., TORRETTA, V. J. I. J. O. E. R. & HEALTH, P. 2019. Waste

mismanagement in developing countries: A review of global issues. 16, 1060.

HORODYTSKA, O., CABANES, A. & FULLANA, A. 2019. Plastic waste management:

current status and weaknesses. Plastics in the Aquatic Environment-Part I. Springer.

KNICKMEYER, D. J. J. O. C. P. 2020. Social factors influencing household waste separation: A

literature review on good practices to improve the recycling performance of urban areas.

245, 118605.

OWUSU-SEKYERE, E. J. A. J. O. S., TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION & DEVELOPMENT

2022. Altered urban landscape: Shedding light on conflicts in a landfill community in

Ghana. 14, 76-85.

Segregation: A Study in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka state. 10, 184-188.