Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies
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Item Towards Industrial Ecology: An Assessment Of Environmental Practices Within The Plastic Industry In Accra, Ghana(University of Ghana, 2021-07) Gyabo, S.O.The purpose of this study is to assess corporate environmental practices being implemented by plastic producing enterprises in Accra, Ghana. The study explores existing environmental practices at the enterprise level, examines the level of compliance with environmental regulations by plastic producing enterprises, examines perception of plastic producing enterprises on the influence of growing activism against plastic pollution from the public on their strategies and the opportunities and challenges of using industrial ecology to achieve sustainable plastic production and consumption in relation to sustainable development goal 12 (responsible production and consumption). The study employed methodological triangulation on data obtained from 18 plastic-producing enterprises within the Accra and Tema Metropolis in Ghana through questionnaire survey and informal interviews. Data was analysed quantitatively and supported with qualitative data. It was revealed that enterprises engage in environmental practices such as recycling, adoption of sustainable technology and environmental management systems (EMS), use of recycled materials, and energy efficiency. Compliance with environmental regulation was found to be high amongst enterprises with 17 of 18 enterprises having met regulatory requirements and therefore certified by the regulatory body (EPA). Further, enterprises did not perceive reduced sales and profits over the last 10 years though raw materials were perceived to have become more expensive due to scarcity of resources from the natural environment. Firms also professed to putting in measures to improve their reputation in the face of the public as a result of public activisms on plastic pollution. Additionally, existing national plastic management policy (NPMP), recycling, sustainability reporting and education and awareness provides opportunity for industrial ecology to be used to achieve sustainable plastic waste management, though some challenges in these areas persist. Ecosystem principles of roundput, was being implemented by majority of enterprises through engagement in recycling and locality principle was being implemented by a few enterprises. Situating the study within the institutional theory, enterprises had normative, regulatory and cognitive reasons for engaging in environmental practices. Whereas based on the natural resource-based view (NRBV), enterprises derived competitive advantage in the form of improved efficiency and reduced cost of production, differentiation benefit and access to international markets, which were achieved through the product stewardship, pollution prevention and sustainable development practices being accomplished by enterprises.Item The Plastic Waste Value Chain In Greater Accra Metropolitan Area: Assessing Flows And Spatial Patterns Of Recycling.(University of Ghana, 2021-06) Fiati, K.E.Pollution from plastic wastes has become one of the global challenges and the threat to hundreds of marine species being the most visible and disturbing impact. As many regulations move countries towards circular economy models, there are real opportunities for future investments to combat the pollution from plastics. This study reports on assessing flows and spatial patterns of recycling in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area using a variety of methods including review of literature, key informant interviews and administration of questionnaires to waste pickers, aggregators, recycling companies and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies. Thirteen (13) key informant interviews were done comprising of eight (8) Heads of waste management Departments at the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, three (3) Non-governmental Organisations (NGO) concerned with waste management, the manager of the Kpone Landfill as well as an officer at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Two hundred and ten (210) questionnaires were also administered, One hundred and sixty (160) to waste pickers, fifty (50) to aggregators (waste agents, small and large scale plastic waste recovery enterprises) and eight (8) plastic recycling companies. This was done to illicit responses on the plastic waste collection, the trading activities, the types and amount of waste collected daily, the interrelationship that exist between the stakeholders and the core competencies and operational capacities of the recycling companies. The demographic data from responses to questionnaires administered indicate that majority of the waste pickers (75%) are women with average age of 46 years. Majority (85%) of them have no formal education. Further, the results show that, the entire life cycle in plastic waste recycling in GAMA engages a very broad set of commercial stakeholders which includes waste management crew, street waste pickers, landfill/waste dump scavengers, plastic waste agents/ wholesalers, small scale enterprises and large scale enterprises playing diverse roles in the waste trade. Altogether the plastic recycling companies recycle/ process about 47 tons of HDPE, 41 tons of LDPE, 20 tons of PET, 15 tons of Polypropylene and 5 tons of Polyvinyl-Chloride per day, the study also revealed that all the plastic recycling facilities interviewed were located either in a highly populated area, close to a landfill or dumpsite, or in an industrial area. Other less populated areas mainly are served by the aggregators collecting and buying waste from the communities to the recycling facilities. Two hundred and two thousand, eight hundred and twenty-four (202,824) tons of plastic waste is traded among the waste pickers and the waste agents or wholesalers during the study for a year, which is valued at GH₵ 91,999,464. A full-time waste picker makes between GH₵25.00 to GHC30.00 per day. The Current Ghanaian cedi to US Dollar exchange rate was GH₵5.76 to $1 at the time of the study. Even though the plastic waste trade activity provides employment and income to the local communities, not much attention has been given to it. It is recommended that, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) should consider amending the National Plastic Management Policy to include plastic waste trade sector specific legislations, this will bring good recognition to the trade. Also, since the trade is dominated by women, there should be the creation of women-focused support from local and central government for plastic waste collection.Item Informal Settlements And Pollution Behaviour In The Adentan Municipality, Accra(University Of Ghana, 2021-12) Annan, E.A.A.City authorities have disapproved of the proliferation of informal settlements due to the pollution caused in such environments. This study sought to identify the sources of pollution in informal settlements and determine behaviour change techniques to reduce pollution in terms of indiscriminate waste disposal behaviour in these settlements. The mixed method approach was used. GPS and a structured listing form were used to identify informal settlements and characterized them, respectively. Overall, 350 respondents (female: 186 and males: 164) were selected randomly to participate in a questionnaire survey aimed at identifying the primary sources of pollution in their environs and the effect of pollution on settlers' health and the environment. The RANAS model for behaviour change was used to identify critical behavioural factors and targeted behavioural techniques. Interviews were also conducted with municipal experts such as the municipal works and planning officer and the environmental health officer. SPSS and Excel were used to analyse the data collected. The results indicated that the significant sources of pollution include indiscriminate solid waste disposal, lack of grey water containment, and lack of toilet facilities. The population structure of the studied community is youthful, with the age groups of 26-35 years recording the highest responses. The age structure indicated that informal dwellers are young migrants searching for greener pastures. Among the participants, 56% (94) had basic level education87.9% (307) engaged in informal businesses, and 86.7% (303) fall within low-income earners. Also, 54.4% (189) of the participants were squatters and had no security of land tenure as the occupied lands were owned mostly by private individuals and the government. In comparing the health of dwellers to the indiscriminate waste disposal behaviour and their environment, a weak positive (𝜌 = 0.393) and a strong positive (𝜌 = 0.714) correlation existed between the health of the dwellers and the environment, respectively. Behaviour change techniques identified include information, persuasive, infrastructural, skills and ability, norm, planning, and relapse prevention BCTs. In conclusion some critical behavioural factors influenced the indiscriminate waste disposal behaviour of informal settlers in the Adentan Municipality. This thesis recommends further studies in the waste disposal and collection interventions using the Behaviour Change Techniques identified. pastures.Item Assessment of Suitability of Sludge and Wastewater Quality in Waste Stabilisation Pond System in Accra-Ghana for Agriculture Purposes(University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Adu-Ofori, E.The objective of this study is to analyse the physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters, evaluate the performance of domestic sewage ponds at Accra sewage treatment plant at Legon. The aim is to assess the suitability of the final effluent for irrigation and the quality of sludge for agriculture use. A total of 36 wastewater samples and forty-eighty (48) sludge samples were therefore taken for six (6) consecutive months from the sedimentation tank (inlet) and maturation pond (outlet) of the Legon sewage treatment plant at the University of Ghana Legon campus. The samples were preserved on ice and transported to the CSIR Water Research Institute for laboratory analysis. All the methods of analyses carried out were done according to procedures in the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (APHA, 2012, 22nd Edition). The wastewater quality parameters used to assess the treatment performance of the WSP were total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia, phosphate and E. coli. The results of the laboratory analysis showed that theWSP achieved about 82.2, % 86.8, % 82.8%, 85.2%, 58.7% and 99.9% removal of TSS, BOD, COD, ammonia-nitrogen, phosphate-phosphorus and E.coli respectively. Even though removal efficiency of E.coli was high, it recorded a value of 153x103 cfu /100ml which could not meet the Ghana EPA acceptable standard of 10 cfu/100ml.At p≤ 0.05, there was a significant difference in the levels of Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Ammonia-Nitrogen, Nitrate-Nitrogen, Phosphate, and E.coli between influent and effluent samples. The sludge as an organic matter can exert significant influence on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. The heavy metals levels were generally acceptable when compared with the Limits for metals brought to agriculture land by sewage sludge in South Africa (SFS, 1998:944; Water Research Commission, 1997. Zinc in stream-1 anaerobic pond ranged from 12.3 to 80.0mg/kg with a mean of 64.7mg/kg. Similarly Zinc in stream-2 anaerobic pond ranged from 62.8 to 82.3 mg/kg with a mean of 69.9 mg/kg. The results show that total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium levels in the sludge are also generally satisfactory to produce organic compost (manure). Total nitrogen in stream-1 anaerobic pond ranged from 16800 to 19000 mg/kg with a mean of 17800 mg/kg. Total phosphorus ranged from 350 to 410 mg/kg with a mean of 380 mg/kg and total potassium 206 to 210 mg/kg with a mean of 210 mg/kg. There was no significant difference in the levels of heavy metals and the nutrients levels between the stream-1 and stream-2 ponds of the sludge quality at p≥ 0.05. The sludge which accumulates in the Legon sewage treatment plant can be used as a soil improver without posing any environmental hazards. It can be used in agricultural practice in order to maintain and improve soil fertility and crop yield.