Assessing municipal solid waste management in Mankessim in the Mfantseman Municipality

Abstract

Over the past decade, there have been various efforts by the Central as well as Local governments in Ghana to ensure that effective systems are in place to manage waste generated in the country. Despite these efforts, waste management in the country still leaves a lot to be desired. The case of Mankessim Township in the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly is not different. This therefore raises questions about effectiveness of these efforts, requiring an assessment of current municipal solid waste management systems as a basis for planning and making improvement in the system. It is against this background that this study was undertaken. The mixed method approach (triangulation) whereby a combination of interviews, questionnaire administration and field observation were employed by the study. In all 391 subjects comprising of 378 residents of Mankessim and thirteen key informants were used for the study whose population consisted of residents aged 18 years and above and other key stakeholders. The sample was selected using a combination of stratified and simple random sampling approaches. The study revealed that the MMA does not have sufficient skips within Mankessim, resulting in the township being regularly littered with waste. This is especially the case in public places such as markets and lorry stations where collections of waste were usually found at vantage points because of logistical challenges of getting them collected regularly and on time. The study recommends that the MMA prioritizes waste management and increase attention and resources to the sector.