Solid Waste Disposal

Solid waste disposal in the tropics is becoming increasingly difficult for governments in the developing countries to cope with, especially with the increasing wastes generated. There have not been adequate sanitation facilities and management programmes set up. Solid waste management has been on ad hoc basis resulting in adverse impacts on both the environment and on human health. There are multiple issues involve with waste disposal in most countries in the West African region leading to indiscriminate dumping, inadequate logistics, increasing difficulties with acquisition of suitable disposal sites, difficulty in applying services charges, landfills not engineered and located in ecologically and hydrologically sensitive areas, poor operation and maintenance of waste disposal sites, difficulties with conveyance of solid waste by road due to worsening traffic problems and the lack of alternative transport options, and, weak demand for composting and recycling as options for waste treatment and disposal. A study was undertaken in the Accra, Ghana to investigate the impacts of solid waste collection and disposal using landfill sites.