Journal of Environment and Waste Management

JEWM
Vol. 4(1), pp. 181-193, June, 2017. w w w .premierpublishers.org. ISSN: 1936-8798

Research Article

Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and

Recycling in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
Thomas Narh Korley1* and Joseph Richmond Fianko 2
1*
C/o Zoomlion Ghana Limited, PMB Madina, Accra, Ghana.
2
C/o Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, PMB Legon, Accra, Ghana.

In many developing countries, the resource potential of solid waste is not harnessed.
However, it is known that recovery of solid waste for reuse and recycling can greatly reduce
the pressure on meager waste management infrastructure. The focus of this research was to
gather information which could be used to increase and expand the rate of material recovery
from solid waste generated in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of Ghana. This paper
therefore presents a broad understanding of the key waste management processes,
especially those related to recovery, reuse and recycling of solid waste. A detailed analysis
of waste generation, recovery, reuse and recycling was done. The informal recycling market
in Sekondi-Takoradi was also captured. Based on the findings of the research, it is possible
to design waste recovery strategy for higher income and middle income communities where
greater volumes of dry recyclable waste fractions are generated.

Keywords: Solid waste, Waste recovery, Recycling, Ghana, Sekondi Takoradi, Waste management, Landfills,
Plastic waste, Waste segregation, Source separation.

INTRODUCTION

Beneficial uses of solid waste depend on efficient
collection and separation of waste into fractions of
economic importance (Miafodzyeva et al., 2013). One
particular strategy that has been promoted worldwide is
to encourage households to separate out certain
products from their normal waste to feed recycling
facilities. Through this strategy, developed countries
practice sorting of solid waste, whereby householders
are required to separate their waste, and further clean
certain waste fractions like bottles and jar and present
them to recycling facilities for economic returns (Nordic
Council of Ministers, 2014). Developing countries on
the other hand are unable to segregate their waste for
recycling. As such they collect and dispose all their
solid waste in landfills and municipal dumps regardless
of the economic value of the solid waste.
Though developing countries, like Ghana, spend 20 to
40 percent of metropolitan revenues on waste
management, they are unable to make use of the good
in solid waste (Zerbock, 2003 as cited in Pradhan,
2008). The waste management system in Ghanaian
cities, so far, has not properly integrated other
strategies of waste management except disposal.
Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana, is one of the
four largest local government authorities in the country.
Its inhabitants generate an estimated amount of 335.73
tons per day of solid waste (STMA, 2015). The present
waste management system of the Sekondi-Takoradi
metropolis, is based on collect-and-dump-approach
and does not carry out the task of environmental and
economic waste treatment (Fei-Baffoe et al., 2014).
There is no formal program for resource recovery and
there is general lack of waste segregation and recycling
in the metropolis. There has not been any effort to
enhance resource recovery in the metropolis, and the
efforts of waste pickers come to naught. Meanwhile
there is the eminent challenge of lack of structural
capacity to accommodate all the solid waste which
requires disposal.
*Corresponding author: Thomas Narh Korley, C/o
Zoomlion Ghana Limited, PMB Madina, Accra, Ghana.
Co-author email address: jrfianko@yahoo.com

Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
 Korley and Fianko 182
Figure 1: Map of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area (STMA)
Source: ghanadistricts.com, 2016.
As population grows and consumption patterns change
in the city, waste management has become an
albatross on the neck of city authorities at the Sekondi-
Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly. The enormous
increase in waste generation has outstripped waste
management infrastructure, and thus led to an
accumulation of filth in the urban environment which
threatens public health (Fei-Baffuor Et al., 2014).
Meanwhile the generation of MSW in Sekondi-Takoradi
has a tendency to further increase due to population
explosion and the boom in economic activities owning
to the establishment of a new oil industry. According to
the World Bank, the higher the income level and the
rate of urbanization, the greater the amount if solid
waste generated (World Bank, 2014).Therefore, if the
challenges of collect-and-dump-approach are not
addressed, this will further aggravate the woes of the
solid waste management system to a state which might
be economically difficult to construct additional landfill
space to absorb all the solid waste. This trend presents
an urgent need to divert useful waste fractions to
recycling and reuse in order to prolong the lifespan of
the landfill. Resource recovery options, however, can
be employed to reduce refuse volume in cities that lack
adequate landfill space (Bartone et al., 1990).
Aim and Objectives
The goal of the study was to gather info that could be
used to expand and increase the recovery of resource
from MSW in the Sek ondi-Tak oradi metropolis of
Ghana.
Specific objectives:
i. Identify the nature of recycling behavior
practiced by householders in the STMA.
ii. To identify best practices of waste resource
recovery in the metropolis.
Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
iii. Identify motivation and capacity of
stak eholders.
iv. To suggest future solutions to increase the
recovery rate of resource, especially plastic waste, in
the STMA metropolis.
Research Question
Can householders in Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis sort
their solid waste at source?
METHODOLOGY
Profile of the Study Area
Location
The study area lies in the Western Region of Ghana
and is the capital of the region. The Sekondi Takoradi
Metropolitan Area (STMA) is located between latitudes
45559.21 North and longitudes 14250.09S (Figure
1). Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis covers a land area of
49 km and Sekondi is the administrative headquarters
of the region. The metropolis is bordered to the West by
Ahanta West District, to the North by Mpohor Wassa
East, to the East by Shama District and to the South by
the Gulf of Guinea. The metropolis is located on the
West Coast, about 242km west of Accra and 280km
East of La Cote DIvoire. It is thus strategically located,
considering its closeness to the sea and the airports
and accessibility to major cities by rail and road
(Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis Assembly, 2012). The
metropolis has four sub-metro offices which are
responsible for the day-to-day administration of their
area whilst major decisions are taken by the STMA in
Sekondi (Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis Assembly,
2012).

Land Use
The land use patterns in the study area can be
summarized in the following ways:
Predominantly residential.
Commerce frequently exists within residential
areas, creating a mixed-use pattern.
Several central commercial business districts.
Harbour.
Airport.
Industries limited to the western and eastern
ends.
Rapid expansion without any urban sprawl.
Climate
The study area falls under the equatorial climate of the
West African sub-region with a mean temperature of
0
22 C and mean annual rainfall of 2350 mm. The
metropolis experiences two raining seasons with the
highest between May and July whiles the minor is
between September and October. Vegetation in the
study area is highly woodland in the northern and
central parts, while thickets intermingled with tall grass
species occurs along the coast.
Demography
According to the 2010 national population and housing
census, the Metropolis has a population of 559,548;
comprising 273,436 males and 286,112 (Ghana
Statistical Service, 2012). The STMA is also known to
accommodate an estimated floating population of
80,000 made up of people from neighboring districts
who commute into the city daily for civic, trade and
industrial activities. The average population per
community is 8, 969. Takoradi has the highest
population density of 75,428 people while the Ahanta
Abasa had the lowest population density of 1,692
residents. The total number of households in the
geographic jurisdiction of the STMA is 96,535. The
average number of households per community is 2099
(CHF, 2010).
Research Design
The research strategy adopted was the descriptive
methodology. A descriptive research intends to present
facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as
it exists at the time of the study and to describe present
conditions, events or systems based on the impression
or reaction of the respondents of the research
(Creswell, 1994). In the study, both qualitative and
quantitative data were collected, making it a mixed
method research. However, most of the data collected
were qualitative in nature. Qualitative approach is
mainly descriptive and involves the collection and
analysis of data that is concerned with meanings,
attitudes and beliefs, rather than quantitative method
that results in numerical counts from which statistical
inferences can be drawn (Ogier, 2002).
Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
J. Environ. Waste Manag. 183
The bulk of the information were collected through
semi-structured questionnaire, face-to-face interviews
and secondary sources, and supported with
quantitative information which was collected through
household survey. The decision to use this Semi-
structured was due to the fact that it was considered a
suitable method by which reliable information could be
elicited in the study where variables being investigated
requires statement of facts and opinion. It has an
advantage of producing a good amount of responses
from a relatively small and varied population. It
provided a more accurate picture of events and sought
to explain peoples perception and behaviour on the
basis of data gathered at time of the research. It was
appropriate and it helped the researcher to obtain quick
and relevant responses from population. In addition,
thorough review of all available published and
unpublished documents of relevant organizations was
then conducted to ensure reliability of all primary data.
Data Collection
The data collection was done using checklists which
were pre-tested prior to the actual field work. The bulk
of the data generated for this study were qualitative. At
least two interviews, two focus group discussion, and
three case studies were made in the study area. Semi-
structured questionnaires were answered by
management of waste collection service providers and
the management of waste management department of
Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA). One
Hundred and Thirty-Eight (138) household heads were
assisted by the researcher to answer semi-structured
questionnaire. Focus group discussions were held with
scavengers at the Takoradi landfill, as well as waste
pickers in the surveyed communities. Field
observations were made at all waste collection and
disposal sites. This comprised household collection
points and communal waste collection points in the
selected communities. Field observations were
captured in still photographs.
Sampling Techniques for household survey
The sub-cities of the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis are
diverse, and therefore needed to be stratified to get
adequate representation of the citizenry for the
household survey. To attain uniformity, towns in
metropolis were classified into high income, middle
income and low income areas to form the strata. The
classification was done by the Ghana Statistical
Service, western regional office. Within a stratum,
simple random sampling was applied to select one
town. This was achieved by writing the names of the
towns on folded paper and picking one from the lot.
Considering the jumbled nature of building coding in
Ghana, random sampling could not be applied to select
households. Thus, convenient sampling was used to
select households on the field. The households were
selected based on the following criteria:
i. willingness to participate,
 Korley and Fianko 184
Table 1: Sample size
Name Of Selected
Income Level
Town
High class Anaji Estates
Middle class Adiembra
Low class Ntankoful
TOTAL
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010
ii. availability for interview, and
iii. even spatial selection.
Sample Size for household survey
In the estimation of households sampling size, the
formula by Daniel (1987) was adopted as follows:
( )
According to the data obtained from the 2010
Population and Housing Census (Ghana Statistical
Service, 2010), the total housing stock within the
metropolis is estimated at 36,079 (N) and out of this
about 90 percent (P) according to the metropolitan
planning unit of STMA are residential with the
remaining 10 percent being used for commercial
activities, offices and other activities other than for
residential purposes. Therefore, n = 138 is the
minimum sample size of housing units for reliable
results (Table 1).The sample size used for the survey
was therefore One Hundred and Thirty-Eight (138).
This was to ensure that the sampled mean was closer
to the population mean and minimize errors.
Sampling with probability to size was used to decide on
the number of households to be surveyed in each
stratum. Thus a proportion of the selected towns in the
original housing stock of STMA were deduced as
follows.
Quantification and Characterization of Solid Waste
Materials Used
In the collection and sorting out of household solid
waste, the following materials and instruments were
used:
Personal Protective equipment (PPEs) for
waste sorting
Weighing scale
tricycle for transporting waste,
trash bags for collecting waste samples,
sieve to separate waste,
10 mm thick plastic sheets to cover the floor,
Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
Number Of
Total Number of % Housing
Households To Be
Houses units
Surveyed.
1712 55.7 77
1081 35.2 49
280 9.1 13
3073 100 138
Method
The weight-volume analysis method was adopted to
determine the per capita MSW generation rate. This
involved the measurement of the weight of solid waste
generated over a period. Each household was assigned
a code and given a plastic bag. The purpose of the
survey was explained during the distribution of the
plastic bags, with the number of persons in the
household noted. The waste generated was collected
th
from the selected households on the 7 day. Twenty
(20) households were randomly selected from each of
the three economic classes for this purpose. The plastic
bags with the waste collected were weighed (Plate. 1)
and recorded against their allocated household codes.
Afterwards, the content of the bags was then spread
over a plastic sheet for manual sorting (Plate 2).
Recyclable waste fractions of interest were sorted out
including plastics, metal cans, glass and paper. Each
component was then weighed and recorded on data
sheet.
The daily solid waste generation rate (DSWGR) of the
town as well as per capita per day solid waste
generation rate at household level of the socio-
economic areas was calculated as follows. Per capita
waste generation rate is given by:
The percentage composition of each residential waste
component generated from households with respect to
the socio-economic strata was also determined by
dividing the total amount of a particular solid waste
component type collected over a week with the total
amount of solid waste of all components within 7 days
multiplied by 100.
Source Sorting
The source sorting exercise was performed to assess
the ability of households to separate domestic solid
waste into well-defined recyclable materials for reuse
and recycling. To accomplish this, Twenty (20)
households were selected from each income class of
Sekondi-Takoradi (low income class, middle income
class and high income class) for the exercise. Two less
expensive poly sacks, labeled organics and recyclables
(plastics, cans, bottles), were given to each household
to separate their waste (Plate 3). The exercise lasted
for 21 days. The effectiveness of the sorting process

Plate 1: Weighing the bulk w aste
Plate 3: Weighing of w aste fractions
was checked on the first 3 days and the next 4 days
respectively.
Data Processing and Analysis
The Microsoft Office Excel Package was used to
process the quantitative data of the solid waste
quantification and characterization. The data were
processed into statistical tables and charts for easy
interpretation and discussion. Processed data were
analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The
sequence followed was:
a. Descriptive analysis was applied to describe
the distribution and range of responses to each variable
of the household survey. Descriptive techniques were
also employed in interpreting qualitative data on theme
such as solid waste handling practices.
b. Data was recoded into categories where
appropriate. For example, availability of storage bin,
mode of disposal, etc. to enable statistically meaningful
comparison of sub-groups.
c. Simple cross-tabulations were used to identify
trends and examine possible associations between one
variable and another. And finally, cross examination on
the completeness, accuracy and consistency on the
questionnaire responses were carried out to eliminate
errors prior to the analysis.
Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
J. Environ. Waste Manag. 185
Plate 2: Sorting out w aste fraction
RESULTS AND DISCUSIONS
Waste Characteristics and Resource Potential in
Sekondi-Takoradi
It is essential to identify and quantify the type of waste
generated. Typically, this will differ from one socio-
economic community to another, and it will ultimately
affect the potential for waste recovery, reuse and
recycling (chartered institute of purchasing and supply,
2007). With such background information, it will be
possible to develop appropriate strategies to maximize
the recovery of clean and uncontaminated waste
fractions for reuse and recycling.
The study revealed that solid waste generation varies
greatly amongst communities of Sekondi-Takoradi
metropolis. The generation rate for the three stratified
income levels was found to be 0.26 Kg/capita/day for
lower income communities, 0.42 Kg/capita/day for
middle income communities and 0.62 Kg/capita/day for
higher income communities (Figure 1). This trend
agrees favourably with World Bank reports that the
higher the income level of communities, the greater the
amount of solid waste produced (WorldBank, 2009).
The average per capita per day solid waste generation
rate for Sekondi-Takoradi was found to be 0.43
kg/capita/day. This amount is slightly below the
Korley and Fianko 186
Plate 4: Source sorting bags
Figure 2: Per capita generation of MSW in income classes .
USAIDs reported average rate for African countries
which is 0.5kg/capita/day (USAID, 2009). It is possible
that households in the metropolis are reusing their
waste which could be a major reason for some of the
waste not disposed.
The major difference in waste generated in lower
income communities compared to those generated in
higher income communities is firstly due to the quantity
of organic waste disposed, secondly the amount of dry
recyclables (plastics, paper, glass & metals) vary
greatly and lastly the weight of ash and sand disposed
by lower income communities. The variation in waste
fractions disposed by the income classes is presented
in Table 3.1 below.
The quantity and characteristics of solid waste
generated in a region is not only a function of standard
of living but also the abundance of natural resources
(UNEP, 2005). In tropical countries like Ghana, the
major component of the waste is putrescible organic
matter. These include crop market debris, vegetable
peels, food leftovers and night soil. These wastes
decompose rapidly with the release of obnoxious odour
and visual unpleasantness. Therefore when municipal
solid waste is collected together, dry recyclable
components are soiled by the decomposing organic
Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
components before they could be recovered by waste
pickers on municipal dumps.
This presents a great barrier to recycling efforts of cities
in developing countries. Because the cost of recycling
is increased due to the necessity for extensive cleaning
of waste fraction required before recycling. In order to
promote recycling, it is necessary to promote waste
sorting at source, in which case the dry recyclable
fractions can be recovered in a clean state.
The Informal Waste Recovery Market in Sekondi -
Takoradi
In the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, there is no formal
opportunities for waste recovery like deposit refund
system and product take back system. As a result,
homeowners and waste pickers use their initiative to
recover waste fractions of interest. It was discovered
that the motivation for waste recovery is purely
associated with economic gains. Waste picking is
mostly done by teenagers, and they do this by visiting
residential neighborhoods to purchase discarded
plastics and metal waste from homeowners (Plate 2).
They later sell these materials to a waste trader in the
center of Takoradi (Plate 3). According to the waste
pickers, they could earn at least Ten Ghana Cedis
(Gh10.00) (USD3.12) each day from their toil.
 J. Environ. Waste Manag. 187

Table 2: Percentage w aste fraction by income level of communities

Socio- Total solid

economic Organic Metal/c Other waste waste
Plastics Paper Glass
income waste ans (ash, sand) sampled/k
classes g

High income
39.4 23.6 9.8 8.0 5.8 13.4 112
communities

Middle income
59.9 20.4 6.6 2.4 3.6 7.0 100.8
communities

Lower income
17.4 15.8 3.7 3.1 3.5 56.4 112.9
communities

Figure 2: MSW composition in Sekondi-Takoradi.

Some homeowners retrieve ferrous materials from their
normal household waste and sell them to the waste
pickers. Waste pickers buy one kilogram (1kg) of
metals at Twenty Ghana Pesewas (Gp20)(USD0.06)
and later sell it for fifty Ghana Pesewas
(Gp50)(USD0.16), thereby making a profit of Thirty
Ghana Pesewas (Gp30)(USD0.10) on each sale. It
was revealed that the motivation for all the home
owners and waste pickers is purely for economic gains
and the economic gains comes through sale of waste
plastic and aluminum metals. That is not to say that the
inhabitants of Sekondi-Takoradi careless about their
environment. Another revelation was that high income
households expressed their willingness to donate
plastic waste to a recovery system if a convenient one
is established in the metropolis.
One notable waste trader has opened a buy-back
center at the heart of Takoradi Township (Plate 2). This
trader buys only plastic waste from the public and ships
one truck load every week to Accra. He only trades in
flexible water packaging plastics. This is popularly
known as insu-rubber in Ghana.
Most waste pickers in Sekondi-Takoradi, in their quest
to make more money, search for items they could pick
for free. As a result, they comb refuse heaps and open
waste bins for materials of interest. Sometimes, they
are tempted to steal recyclable materials which have
not been discarded by homeowners. This practice is

Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
Korley and Fianko 188
Figure 3: Percentage fraction of solid w aste re-used by households in Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis.
earning bad reputation for the waste pickers and makes
many landlords refuse to trade with them.
Generally, only formal or conventional methods of
waste recovery, which involves sole participation of the
formal sector, are documented in the waste
management system of the Sekondi-Takoradi
metropolis. City authorities have completely neglected
the existence and possible contributions of the informal
sector waste pickers that has developed around solid
waste. However, it is evident that solid waste
management in a Sekondi-Takoradi faces numerous
impediments, which can prevent the system from being
sustainable unless the informal sector is enhanced. The
material recovery of the informal waste pickers has
profound impact on the economy and environment. So
far, this practice has managed to sustain the few
recycling plants in Ghana without any formal system.
Also, informal resource recovery in STMA is believed to
have contributed to reduce waste volume that is
disposed and thus saved landfill space for city
authorities as asserted by Bartone et al., 1990.
Reuse of Household Waste
Globally, waste management strategies underscore the
need to firstly, reduce the amount of waste created
using the 3Rs (UK Environment Agency, 2016).
Whenever waste fractions are recovered, they seize to
be waste, but then they become resource for new uses.
The recovered materials can then be reused
immediately or sent to recycling factories for
processing. In the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of
Ghana, most people recover waste fractions for reuse
purposes (Figure 3). Reuse of solid waste comprises
the recovery of items to be used again, perhaps after
some cleaning and refurbishing (Tchobanoglous et
al.,1977).
Most households reuse PET as refill bottles for
packaging cooking oil and liquid soap (Plate 3). A
Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
recent developing in reuse is the booming business in a
homemade drink called sobolo, which is packaged in
reused PET bottles. In all instances, only PET water
bottles are reused. Other waste PETs are not used for
the fear of contamination. In addition, the processes of
recovering for reuse are carefully done to avoid
damage breakage to the PET bottles.
The study revealed that all households (100 percent) in
the higher income residential communities (HIC) of
Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis do not reuse any to their
waste fraction. On the other hand, majority of
households (60 percent) in middle income communities
(MIC) and almost all (90 percent) of lower income
households (LIC) indicated that they reuse part of their
waste. The middle income households indicated that
they reuse mostly PET bottles whilst the low income
residents also indicated that they reuse PET and
polythene shopping bags. Low income residents further
indicated that they feed vegetable peels to livestock.
The environmental benefit of solid waste reuse in
Sekondi-Takoradi is minimal because the reused
plastic packaging waste is eventually disposed when
they become dirty beyond cleaning. Most inhabitants in
the metropolis have expressed interest in plastic
recycling. However, they are compelled to dispose their
waste after a few uses since there is no recycling
program in the city. Reusing waste materials saves
energy and water and reduces pollution when
compared to recycling the same material. Reuse of
waste materials is therefore regarded as more socially
desirable than recycling the same materials (Hui et al.,
2006).
Another observation showed an inverse relationship
between income level and recycling behavior. The high
income households dispose all their solid waste, and
this behavior could be attributed to high purchase
power. On the other hand, middle income and low
 J. Environ. Waste Manag. 189

Plate 4.1: Sample w ater bottle that has been used to

package cooking oil (Source: Authors Field Data)

Plate 5: Sample clean source separated plastics

income households make use of part of their waste to
save money. This practice is also similar observations
that had been reported in parts of other countries like
Sweden in times past (Barr et al. as cited in
Miafodzyeva et al., 2013). This trend reveals an
indication that cash refund systems, when
implemented, could promote source separation and
recycling among middle income and low income
households in Sekondi-Takoradi. It is also reported by
Tucker (199) that households readily recycle plastics
and newspaper because it requires less personal effort.
This could be true for Sekondi-Takoradi because plastic
were mostly recovered because they are easy to
separate from other waste and they are also readily
reusable.
Finally, 65 percent of the households in Sekondi-
Takoradi metropolis indicated that they will join a
recycling program if there are enforced laws to that
effect. In a study by Miafodzyeva (2013), legal norms
were highly cited as influencing reuse and recycling
behavior of households globally. However, according to
other authors, the importance of legal norms for reuse
and recycling motivation decreases with the second

Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
Korley and Fianko 190

Table 3: Summary of household sorting performance

High income households Middle income households Low income households

Sorted material was Sorted a mixture of cans, Sorted mainly polythene sacks.
mainly PET bottles. PET and polythene sacks.

Sorted fewer materials Sorted the most quantity of Sorted the least quantity of
than MIC. recyclables. recyclables

Sorting efficiency was Sorting efficiency was 100 Sorted only polythenes in the
100 percent for the recyclables. percent for the recyclables. first 3 days. However sorting improved
in the next 4 days.

Source: Authors Computation from Field Data, 2013.

Plate 6: Waste picking at TakoradiLandfill Plate 7: dirty recovered plastics

Source: Authors Field Data, 2016 Source: Authors Field Data, 2016

and third generation (Martin et al., 2006). In effect,
economic instruments like cash refund systems could
be implemented to motivate households to recycle
more of their solid waste in Sekondi-Takoradi.
The Potential for Source Sorting of Household
Waste in Sekondi-Takoradi
Preliminary field investigations at the time of the
research revealed that source sorting/separation was
not widely practiced in the Sekondi-Takoradi
metropolis. Source sorting refers to the separation of
solid waste into its various components at the point of
generation, for a simpler and more efficient recycling
(businessdictionary.com, 2016). The sorting and further
retrieval of useful material from solid waste stream
reduces the bulkiness of waste that is collected for
disposal, and this prolongs the lifespan of landfills.
Source sorting also provide clean raw material for
recycling industries.
During the questionnaire survey, 94 percent of the
respondents stated that they will sort out their waste if
given additional bin and the necessary education on
source sorting. The source sorting exercise was thus
performed to ascertain whether households could
separate domestic solid waste into well-defined
recyclable materials for economic and environmental
benefits.
The preliminary test lasted for seven (7) continuous
days, after which the effectiveness of the sorting
process was examined. On the seventh day, it

Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana

research team found that most of the low income
households and the middle income households had
disposed-off the food waste component of the domestic
waste. As a result, the food waste sac in plate 3.5 was
empty at the time of examination. In an enquiry, these
households responded that the waste was releasing
obnoxious odour. The main exercise was carried out for
a period of two (2) weeks, and the effectiveness of the
sorting process was checked on the first three (3) days
and the next four (4) days of each week.
The study discovered that sorting of recyclables was
effectively done for 84 percent of all HH surveyed.
Again, all the plastics, cans and bottles sorted out were
seen to be clean and free of dirt, as compared to
recovered material from the Takoradi municipal
dumpsite (Plate 3.4). The householders, in their own
wisdom, added all dirty food wrappers to the food waste
label. The middle income households sorted the most
plastics, cans and bottle materials. Also, the high
income households sorted mainly PET, and the low
income households sorted mostly polythene bags.
Based on the sorting effectiveness witnessed, the
recovery potential is summarized in the table below.
In the Lower income communities, about 50 percent of
the households interchanged the labeled trash bags as
organics were disposed into the recyclables bag and
vice versa. This practice could impede the efficiency of
trucks picking waste for recycling because they might
end up transporting other waste instead of recyclables.
This necessitates public education before source
separation is practiced in Sekondi-Takoradi. If well
implemented, there is potential to recover an estimated
19,489 tons/month of plastics (27 percent of all waste)
for recycling through source sorting.
A major challenge that militates against source sorting
in the metropolis is the lack of storage facility for
domestic waste. Most of the households in the
metropolis do not have appropriate storage facilities to
contain decaying organic waste for many days. As
such, most of the houses will normally dispose their
waste by the end of the third or fourth day. This has
profound impact on source separation of organic waste
for composting because the waste will not be available
for truck pickup if the collection truck fails to visit the
household by the fourth day. The research overcame
this challenge by making frequent visits to the
household to examine the separated waste before the
end of the fourth day. This approach however
increased transportation cost for the study. Another
option that could be employed will be the need to
supply 240L bins to all households involved in the
recycling program. According to most of the
respondents of the study, the 240L bins could contain
their waste for 7 days. This approach will thus reduce
the frequency of visit to the site, and thus reduce
transportation cost. Therefore, in future studies, cost
benefit analysis should be done for cost of frequent
visits against cost of supply of 240L bins to participants
in the recycling program.
Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
J. Environ. Waste Manag. 191
Private Sector Involvement in Waste Segregation
and Recycling
The metropolitan authority of Sekondi-Takoradi (STMA)
has contracted 4 waste collection companies and one
waste disposal company through public private
partnerships (PPP). Public private partnerships are
arrangements whereby the private sector provides
infrastructure assets and services that traditionally have
been provided by governments water and sanitation
facilities (IMF, 2007). The private service provides are
permitted to use the principle of best applicable
technology not entailing excessive cost (BATNEEC) to
devise appropriate strategies to collect waste from the
contract zones. However, it was discovered that the
actions and processes prescribed by the regulatory
authority does not provide any incentives for waste
collection companies to segregate their waste before
disposal. As a result, none of the private partners is
doing waste recovery in the cities of Sekondi and
Takoradi. This finding is similar to what has been
reported by Baabereyir (2009). In principle, the WMD of
the STMA is the regulatory body for all waste handling
activities in Sekondi-Takoradi. They could therefore
develop and implement favourable policies to motivate
partners to start waste segregation and recycling in the
metropolis.
At the time of the study, the STMA had contracted 100
percent of solid waste collection service in the
metropolis to the private companies. The companies
are: Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Vermark Limited, J.S.
Owusu Company Limited and Asadu Company Limited.
Meanwhile, the STMA has not obliged the service
providers to undertake waste segregation and recycling
of any form. The director of waste management
department (WMD) of the STMA revealed that there is
no legal instrument for the practice of waste
segregation and recycling in the metropolis. It was
further revealed that the WMD has competent technical
personnel, but lacked the equipment capacity to
practice waste segregation and recycling. The WMD
therefore had developed plans to assist private
companies that would want to take up the task of waste
segregation and recycling in the Sekondi-Takoradi
metropolis.
On their part, the service providers stated that they
currently lack the capacity to undertake waste
segregation and recycling in the metropolis. However,
Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the largest waste
management company in the metropolis, outlined plans
to establish a recycling and composting plant in the
near future. The management of Zoomlion indicated
that they will soon establish one plant to recycle plastic
waste, and another plant to turn organic waste into
compost fertilizer in the metropolis. The recycled
plastics will be mostly used to manufacture waste bins,
and the bins would be supplied through National
Waste Bin Distribution Program (NAWABIN). The
NAWABIN is the Ghana Governments initiative to
supply one million dustbins to households throughout
the country (GNA, 2014).
Korley and Fianko 192
The Recovery of Plastic Waste at Takoradi Landfill
The study revealed a group of waste pikers who
undertake material recovery at the Takoradi landfill
(Plate 3.4). There is a group of 40 waste pickers, most
of whom are youth between the ages of 17 and 25
years. The leader however, and some few other
members are above 30 years. The group segregates
solid waste that has been disposed on the dumpsite
and takes out materials of interest. The recovered
materials are mainly plastics. Metallic materials are
hardly found on the dumpsite. This observation is
consistent with Tulokhonova, (2003), that there is a
trend of increased percentage of plastics and reduced
metals at most municipal dumps.
The study revealed that the waste pickers are able to
take out 3,000 to 4,000tonnes of plastic waste every
month. The group further indicated that they could
recover more plastics for recycling, but they do not
have ready market for the additional quantity. The only
buyer of their product would not purchase more than
4,000tonnes of plastic waste in one month. It was
deduced that most buying companies have refused to
purchase the recovered materials on the dumpsite
because of its physical appearance (Plate 3.4). The
plastics appear dirty, and the recycling companies
complain about excessive cleaning cost during
processing. As a result the waste pickers have only one
buyer who enjoys monopoly, and therefore uses his
influence to beat-down the price.
One ton of plastic waste is priced at Two Hundred and
Fifty Ghana Cedis (Gh250.00) (USD78.13). The buyer
also traverses long distance from Accra to Takoradi to
buy the plastic waste.
The management of the Takoradi landfill wants to
encourage more material recovery from the bulk waste
that is received for disposal. Management of the facility
believes that the activities of the waste pickers help to
reduce the tonnage of solid waste that is buried on the
dumpsite. The interest in recovering more plastics is
based on the fact that plastics are bulky materials that
make management of landfills difficult. Plastic wastes
create airspaces in the buried waste and bloats the
volume of landfill, and this is the cause of major cave-in
accidents on landfills. The management of the landfill
hopes to take out 20% of the volume of waste received
for disposal when they encourage waste picking.
CONCLUSION
The focus of the research is to present an
understanding of waste recovery, reuse and recycling,
as practiced by the inhabitants of Sekondi-Takoradi
metropolis of Ghana. The solid waste characterization
approach was very useful in examining the components
of solid waste generated in the Sekondi-Takoradi
metropolis, and the data gathered clearly indicates that
the middle income communities and higher income
Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana
communities generate most dry recyclable waste
fractions especially plastics.
In the researchers quest to identify existing practices of
waste recycling, it was discovered that material
recovery is practiced in the metropolis but it is not
formalized. There exist sorting of recyclables by
collection crews whilst on their collection routes; there
is also recovery of recyclables by waste pickers and
lastly there is recovery at the Takoradi Landfill. The
quantity of plastics and metals which are normally
collected and sold to scrap dealers and plastic buyers
is unknown. Also, their economic value is not known.
The research further zoomed in to assess the ability of
householders in Sekondi-Takoradi to source separate
dry recyclable waste from their household solid waste.
This component of the study revealed that middle and
higher income householders are able to separate their
waste at source, whilst the lower income households
could not. With this background information, it is
possible to develop appropriate strategies to maximize
the recovery of clean and uncontaminated waste
fractions for reuse and recycling.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that recycling must be practiced in
Sekondi-Takoradi to encourage the recovery of waste
materials. Appropriate strategy which involves public
education in local languages must be developed to
enhance understanding of the recycling concept. When
done, this will encourage participation.
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Citation: Korley TN, Fianko JR (2017) Solid Waste
Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi-
Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana. Journal of Environment and
Waste Management 4(1): 181-193.
Copyright: 2017 Korley and Fianko. This is an open-
access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author and source are cited.

Solid Waste Management: Recovery, Reuse and Recycling in Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana