Characteristics of solid waste generated in Techiman, Ghana

Abstract

Waste collection and disposal has been a challenge for many metropolitan and municipal assemblies in Ghana including the Techiman Municipal Assembly. The study focused on the characteristics (the physical composition and the per capita waste generated per each household) of solid waste within the Techiman Municipal were studied over a four-week period. Questionnaire survey and interviews with key stakeholders were also carried out. The results show a solid waste composition of 69.34% organic, 18.50% plastic, 5.48% paper and cardboard, 1.78% metals, 3.45% glass, 1.45% leather and Textiles. The average per capita waste generated was 0.71 kg/ca/day. The data generated on the quantity and composition of the waste stream in the municipality would play a positive role in solid waste management and help solid waste managers make informed decisions on waste management option. Household waste within Techiman were mainly food, yard waste, wood, paper and plastics, glass, textiles and Leather, rubber and metals. The majority of the waste generated by the households were the organic waste (69%) followed by plastic (19%). Efforts should be devoted to obtain better estimates of the generation rates and composition of non-household waste. In this study, an adequate and statistically valid characterization of household waste was made.