Sustainable Waste Management By Source Separation Of Household Waste In The Ga Central Municipality

Abstract

The importance of practicing source waste segregation cannot be over emphasized in the bid to attain sustainable development. Household waste collected in its mixed form decompose and release run-off into the soil and generate harmful gases into the atmosphere. The aim of this study is to identify how sustainable source waste separation at households in the Ga Central Municipality (GCMA) can be achieved. Specifically, the factors that will enable households to practice source waste segregation was assessed in this study. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative techniques to collect data and analyze household solid waste generation, segregation and disposal options. Questionnaires were administered to 100 randomly selected households. In-depth interviews were conducted with personnel of GCMA environmental and health department, EPA, MESTI, and Ministry of Sanitation. Ethical Quantitative Data was analyzed for important determinants of segregation using logistic regression. The logit regression carried out assessed the effect of gender, age, educational level, occupation, awareness of waste segregation, willingness to segregate waste, and requiring of support to segregate on the likelihood of segregation of waste at source before disposal. Qualitative data was analyzed through content analysis. The overall regression model was significant, (p < .0005). Interview with key informants indicated that waste segregation implementation in the municipality is being looked at in the long term due to current non-availability of infrastructures/facilities to process segregated waste. Relevant Ministries and regulatory institutions (MESTI, EPA, MoSWR) also confirmed that the absence of a policy enforcing waste segregation implementation in the country is undermining efforts being put into this practice of waste management. Factors to that significantly predicted waste segregation within the GCMA, i.e. such as the provision of bins, awareness creation and the revision of policies and bylaws should be prioritized in the implementation process.