DOI: 10.21276/haya.2016.1.2.4 Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences ISSN 2415-623X (Print) Scholars Middle East Publishers ISSN 2415-6221 (Online) Dubai, United Arab Emirates Website: http://scholarsmepub.com/ Research Article State of Waste Management and the Willingness of Households to Sort Plastic Wastes before Disposal in Bolgatanga Municipality Bright Buzong Yintii1*, Maxwell Anim- Gyampo2, Maurice M. Braimah3 1Lecturer, School of Applied Science and Arts, Department of Ecological Agriculture, Bolgatanga Polytechnic, Ghana 2Lecturer, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Department of Environmental Science, University for Development Studies, Ghana 3Lecturer, School of Engineering, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bolgatanga Polytechnic, Ghana *Corresponding Author: Bright Buzong Yintii Email: [email protected] Abstract: The study was conducted in the Bolgatanga Municipality of Ghana involving 360 household heads. A simple random sampling was used to select the households from 12 randomly selected Electoral Areas out of 47 Electoral Areas. The study shows that 34% preferred plastic products because of the lack of alternative materials while 53% and 13% preferred plastics products because it was common and light in weight respectively. The desire to use plastic products has resulted in high plastic waste generation. Out of the total households of 360, 2% were not aware that plastics could cause any threat whilst 98% households were very much aware of the threats caused by plastics. In a multiple response, almost all household within the Municipality agreed that plastic waste created a diversity of problems. 97% indicated that plastic waste silt gutters, 97% said plastic waste creates unsanitary environmental conditions, 66% was of the view that plastic wastes serves as breading grounds for mosquitoes, 60% said they cause animal death whilst 53% said they pollute water bodies. Also nearly 50% indicated that plastic wastes affect human health and 59% said they affect agricultural soils. The study also revealed that 34% were not willing to separate plastics waste from household waste before disposal whilst 66% were willing to do so. The Bolgatanga Municipality and the Zoomlion Company have very little capacity to manage plastic waste in the Municipality. The government and civil society organizations must therefore establish recycling plants in each region to convert the plastic wastes into useful products for the society. Keywords: State, Waste, Plastics, Management, Households. INTRODUCTION for a very long time [10] it may pose risks to human According to Spokas [1] and Geographical [2] health as well as the environment; and it can be difficult around 500 billion of plastics bags are used worldwide. to reuse and/or recycle in practice. An issue of Mudgal et al., [3] have noted that global plastics particular concern is that, giant masses of plastic waste production grew from 1.5 million tonnes (Mt) per have been discovered in the North Atlantic and Pacific annum in 1950 to 245 Million tonnes in 2008. Ocean; the full environmental impacts of which are not Production of plastic has leveled off in recent years, yet fully understood but which cause severe damage to however, it is not declining and may well increase in seabirds, marine mammals and fish [10]. the future as applications for plastic increase and its use continues to grow in developing and emerging As enormous amount of plastic waste is economies [4]. As plastic consumption is increasing, generated throughout the world, the most crucially more and more plastic waste is being generated [5, 6]. posed question is how to manage it effectively and FOEN [7] indicates that, plastics form around 15% of efficiently to save the environment and the continuous household refuse and according to a report published in existence of mankind [11]. Many municipalities, cities December 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection and towns the world over continue to grapple with the Agency (USEPA) determined that, the United States problem because it imposes negative environmental alone generated 30 million tonnes of plastic waste in externalities. In Ghana, most of the concern for plastic 2009. It is believed after their entry into the waste management is with the urban areas than the rural environment, plastics can persist up to 100 years areas. Urban areas in Ghana produce a variety of these without being decomposed by sunlight and/or plastic wastes because of the adoption of a more microorganisms [8, 9]. It is usually non-biodegradable hygienic mode of packaging food, beverages, “iced and therefore can remain as waste in the environment water” and other products. This has brought plastic 76 Buzong YB et al.; Haya: Saudi J. Life Sci.; Vol-1, Iss-2(Apr-Jun, 2016):76-84 packaging to replace the existing cultural packaging marine mammal species [22]. The effects of plastic methods (leaf wrappers, brown paper and metal cup waste especially bags on animals is also well noted uses) in cities and towns [12-15]. This widespread [23]. A study conducted by Ramaswamy and Sharma replacement of the modes of packaging with plastics is [24] in Gondar City of Ethiopia, on impacts of plastic an indication of the uniqueness of plastic properties bag usage on environment and cattle health, indicated such as versatility, inertness and flexibility, especially that plastic bags posed several cattle health problems in the application areas of packaging. As a result of including deaths. Moreover, ingestion of plastic bags their unique properties, plastics have become the most (along with other foreign bodies) was reported to cause favored packaging materials in commerce with firms reduction in milk yield [24]. According to Tiruneh and making windfall profits and transferring the Yesuwork, [25] and Ramaswamy and Sharma, [22] environmental cost associated with cleaning plastic domestic animals that were most affected were waste on the general public. ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) and dogs. Further research findings have also indicated that reusable The shift to this new form of plastic packaging plastic bags posed serious human health problems [26- in Ghana has equally created or generated huge 28]. The studies showed that reusable plastic bags can quantities of waste and created pressing sanitation become habitats for pathogenic microorganism. Gerba problem as many towns and cities are overwhelmed et al., [28] for instance reported that reuse of plastic with management of wastes. According to a study bags to carry groceries could cause a significant risk of conducted in Accra, Ghana by GOPA Consultants in cross contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria 1983, Plastic Waste accounted for 1-5% (of net weight) such as coliform and E. coli. of the total amount of waste generated [16]. The majority of these wastes are sachet water bags. This is Plastic waste contributes to climate change so because, the public have developed a strong taste for especially when it is burned resulting in the emissions such sachet water since it is portable and can easily be of greenhouse gases [29-31]. There is also release of carried from one place to another. After gulping down toxic organic compounds into the environment that the liquid content, these bags are discarded cause different health risks, such as respiratory health indiscriminately thereby littering the whole problems [32, 33]. Plastic waste especially polyethene environment. These bags now constitute a major bags deteriorates the natural beauty of the environment proportion of the plastic waste generated throughout the as a result of indiscriminate and open dumping of waste urban areas in Ghana [11]. by people [32, 34, 35]. Deterioration of natural beauty of the environment by plastics have been confirmed by Statistics released by the Accra Metropolitan Mangizvo [36] and Adane and Muleta [23] as a Assembly (AMA) Waste Management Department and problem associated with plastic wastes. These other waste management bodies indicated that about observations are consistent with reports on 9000 tonnes of waste is generated daily, out of which environmental problems of plastic bag wastes in other 315 tonnes are plastic related [17]. Plastic wastes are countries [37]. In Ghana, deterioration of environment sent to dumpsites, but majority end up in drains, by plastics has also been noted by Anomanyo [39]. streams and open places. Some plastic wastes are disposed of by open dumping, open burning, controlled Another problem of plastic waste that has to do burning and tipping at dumpsites. These methods with their ability to block drain systems resulting in employed in the management of plastics over the years flooding any time it rained [23]. This has been have only proved unsuccessful. Households are the supported by Seema, [35], Boadi and Kuitunen, [32], single largest generator of municipal waste and account Smith, [40] in a report on consequence of blockade of for more than 50% of the total waste in the cities [18]. sewerage systems by plastic bag wastes. Moreover, the In some urban area, approximately 80% of the blocked storm drains also created pools of stagnant municipal waste is generated within households of water, allowing mosquitoes and other insects to breed which plastic waste constitutes 25% [19]. more easily within a city, and transmit a variety of lethal diseases such as dengue, malaria, yellow fever UNEP [20] reported that plastic waste causes and several forms of encephalitis [32, 33, 41]. the death of up to a million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals