Ampong Richard Osei, Miezah Kodwo, Banunle Albert, Amuah Ebenezer Ebo Yahans, Amoah Ebenezer Gyampoh
Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana.
Department of Geography and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Heliyon. 2024 Oct 9;10(20):e39017. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39017. eCollection 2024 Oct 30.
Effective and efficient waste collection and management is critical to achieving sustainable cities and communities, public health, and sustainable development. This notwithstanding, the rapid and ever-increasing rate of urban waste generation in developing countries has led to the emergence of a dual system of formal and informal waste collection schemes with unclear effectiveness and efficiency. This study compared the operational effectiveness and efficiency of formal and informal waste collectors in the urban waste management system in Ghana. A case study research design is employed with a focus on households and waste collectors in the Suame Municipality in the Ashanti of Ghana. Data were collected through questionnaire administration and interviews, waste quantification, and field measurements. The findings reveal that 61.5 % of households rely on informal waste collectors, 35 % on formal waste collectors and 3.5 % use indiscriminate dumping. The formal waste collectors were more effective serving 111 households and collecting 11.239 tonnes of waste per trip but utilises 62 % of their collection capacity while the informal sector collects 846.67 kg per trip and uses 106 % of their collection capacity. Formal waste collectors were also more efficient with the use of time. The study unveils an opportunity to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in municipal waste management in low- and middle-income countries with reforms and practices that build upon existing waste management practices and integrate informal waste collectors into formal waste management systems.
有效且高效的垃圾收集与管理对于实现可持续城市和社区、公共卫生以及可持续发展至关重要。尽管如此，发展中国家城市垃圾产生速度的迅速且持续增长，导致出现了正式和非正式垃圾收集方案的双重体系，其有效性和效率尚不明确。本研究比较了加纳城市垃圾管理系统中正式和非正式垃圾收集者的运营有效性和效率。采用了案例研究设计，重点关注加纳阿散蒂地区苏阿梅市的家庭和垃圾收集者。通过问卷调查与访谈、垃圾量化以及实地测量收集数据。研究结果显示，61.5%的家庭依赖非正式垃圾收集者，35%依赖正式垃圾收集者，3.5%采用随意倾倒的方式。正式垃圾收集者更具成效，每次行程服务111户家庭，收集11.239吨垃圾，但仅利用了其收集能力的62%，而非正式部门每次行程收集846.67千克垃圾，且使用了其收集能力的106%。正式垃圾收集者在时间利用上也更高效。该研究揭示了一个机会，即通过基于现有垃圾管理实践进行改革和实践，并将非正式垃圾收集者纳入正式垃圾管理系统，来提高低收入和中等收入国家城市垃圾管理的有效性和效率。
