Types of solid waste generated, their storage and disposal in Pobaga, Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region, Ghana

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2014-10-29
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Uncontrolled urbanization in Ghana has resulted in poor environmental conditions in urban settlements in the country. Solid waste disposal, in particular, has become a daunting task for the municipal authorities who seem to lack the capacity to tackle the mounting waste situation. The study investigated the nature of solid waste problem in Pobaga, a suburb of Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, Ghana. It described the waste situation in the study area and identified the causes of the problem from the perspective of key stakeholders in the waste sector. The delivery of solid waste collection services across different socio-economic groups of the urban population. A mixed method approach including questionnaires, interviews, field observation, documentary analysis from stakeholders in the waste sector was adopted. The key issues identified by the study were: that Pobaga is experiencing worsening solid waste situations but the municipal authorities lack the capacity to cope with the situation; that while several causes of the urban waste crisis can be identified, data gathered showed that the major waste item generated in Pobaga is organic waste and the least waste item generated is metals. The increase in organic waste could be attributed to the fact that Bolgatanga’s economy is agro-based. As population increases, it is projected that there would be an increased in solid waste output in the near future. This means that the average per capita waste of 0.5 kg generated in urban areas will be exceeded and therefore the need for a more pragmatic ways of dealing with the solid waste collection and disposal. Based on these findings, it is suggested that the solution to the worsening environmental conditions in Pobaga and in Ghana lies in recycling by converting the waste (biodegradable) into a useful resources, the appropriate technology and resources have to be employed.
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Theoretical and applied Biology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science
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