Towards a zero waste : assessing solid waste management in the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly in the Greater-Accra Region, Ghana

This study sought to explore solid waste management in the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly in the Greater-Accra Region of Ghana. The various actors in solid waste management are identified as well as the roles they play. The study also explores Public Private Partnership as a tool in managing solid waste and the outcome of strategies used in managing solid waste in the Municipality. This is followed by a discussion on the challenges faced in solid waste management that prevents the strategies used in managing solid waste from achieving the desired objectives. The study focuses on household production of solid waste in view of the fact that majority of solid waste generated in the municipality is from households. This study uses Norman Long’s actor-oriented approach to identify the various actors in order to better appreciate their roles in solid waste management leading to social change. A combination of quantitative and qualitative method is used with questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observation deplored to gain a deeper understanding of solid waste management in this municipality. A total of 82 respondents participated in the survey with a response rate of 82% and 14 informants who were made up of 9 key informants and 5 primary informants with a response rate of 78%. This study has shown that apart from the key actors in solid waste management, there are other actors who play various important roles that are not recognised. It has also revealed that most of the problems of solid waste which were supposed to be cured by strategies put in place to manage solid waste still exist and waste contractors are only able to collect 60% of total solid waste generated daily resulting in heaps of refuse lying in gutters, communal sites, households and other public places; a situation that may have serious health outcome for residents. One interesting finding is the fact that many households do not have problems paying for house-to-house solid waste services but are not satisfied with the level of service rendered by waste contractor due to irregularity in service provision. Also the study discovers a new set of actors in solid waste management in the municipality who operate with tricycles providing services to households for a fee. The study has also shown that many of the problems of solid waste that still exist is the joint creation of the actors themselves through their actions as well as the challenges they face and by addressing these challenges, these problems may reduce drastically and the municipality will be rid of filth