Public Participation in Solid Waste Landfill Management: A Study of the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

Abstract

Public participation has gained widespread recognition by both theorists and practitioners in environmental decision-making especially, solid waste management. The study therefore examined public participation in solid waste landfill management in Ghana, using the GaSM as a case study. The study sought to examine the public’s level of participation in solid waste landfill management, the effects of the level of participation and finally, the challenges involved in achieving public participation in solid waste landfill management. In order to gain in-depth understanding of the study, an exploratory and qualitative research approach was adopted. The research relied on both primary and secondary data sources. A purposive sampling technique was employed to target respondents from EPA, AMA and the GaSM. A total of fourteen (14) respondents were engaged in face-to-face interviews. Furthermore, the study held three (3) focus group discussions comprising five (5) participants each, in order to triangulate the responses gathered from the face-to-face interviews. It was revealed that the public’s level of participation can be described as non-influential since not much consideration was given to the inputs made at public meetings and hearings. Consequently, this explains for the poorly managed landfill sites and numerous conflicts that have been recorded in the municipality in the past. This has further led to mistrust of local government officials and abuse of the fundamental human rights of the people in terms of enjoying a pollution-free and safe environment. The challenges involved in achieving public participation include financial constraint, public apathy, political interference and poor collaboration among government institutions. Key findings stemming from this study call for active collaboration between the EPA and NCCE to educate and create awareness about the rights and responsibilities of citizens in the management of solid waste. Furthermore, clear lines of operation should be drawn by the MLG&RD for the AMA and GaSMA so as to improve upon the quality of solid waste service delivery. The study also calls for creation of an enabling environment for the establishment of more civil society organisations that will monitor and evaluate the activities of the local government. Finally, the study recommends that the landfill guidelines should be elevated to the status of a legal document so as to allow for monitoring and sanctioning of offenders.