Assessing municipal solid wastes (MSW) for composting programs in rapidly urbanizing area: a case study from Accra, Ghana

Abstract

A complete understanding of all physico-chemical and biochemical attributes of waster stream materials is necessary for successful implementation of waste management programmes in a given context because of their influence on the behaviour of these materials in the natural environment. This paper discusses these properties of Municipal Solid Waster (MSW) to guage its suitability compositing programmes in Accra, a rapidly urbanizing city. The results showed that the MSW was very wet at 60% moisture content by weight. Additionally, the proportion of the biological originated carbon was considerably high compared with nitrogen thus giving high values of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratios (i.e., roughly 27:1-100:1). The percentage composition of materials ranged between 55-65% and 40-45% for compostable and combustible materials, respectively. In conclusion, the MSW in the metropolis could be a good candidate for successful compositing programmes if social and economic factors were conductive.