Assessment of Solid Waste Management Practices and Challenges among Residents in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region, Ghana

Abstract

Background: Inadequate household solid waste management poses significant environmental and health challenges in various communities worldwide. Adaklu, a community in Ghana, faces similar issues, with improper waste disposal methods leading to pollution, health risks, and degradation of the local environment. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive understanding of the prevailing waste management practices, knowledge levels, attitudes, challenges, and influencing factors. Method: Data for this study were collected through surveys and interviews conducted among 403 households within the Adaklu community. The selection of households was carried out using probability sampling techniques. A multi-stage sampling approach was employed. The first stage, Zonal councils and the participating communities were chosen using a Simple Random Sampling method. In the subsequent stage, Systematic Sampling technique was utilized to select the households within these communities. The survey instrument encompassed questions related to waste generation, disposal practices, knowledge about waste management, attitudes, challenges faced, and factors influencing waste management behaviors. The data that was gathered underwent analysis through the use of descriptive statistics, allowing for insights into waste management trends and the relationship between knowledge levels and actual practices. Results: The investigation revealed that plastic waste (28.8%) and food waste (49.9%) constitute the dominant waste categories in the Adaklu community. Despite varying knowledge levels, households exhibited uniformity in the adoption of improper methods of waste disposal, like the practice of openly burning waste and inadequate waste segregation. The roles of culture and government policies were found to have statistically significant associations with waste disposal in the communities at p-values of <0.001 and 0.004 respectively.Conclusion: Although there were differences in knowledge levels among households, there was a troubling consistency in the adoption of insufficient waste management practices. This emphasized the need for targeted interventions to bridge the gap between knowledge and action, aligning with previous research highlighting similar challenges. The community's positive attitude toward waste management, coupled with a balanced perception of responsibility, offers a foundation upon which educational efforts can build to encourage better practices.