PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN WA TOWNSHIP

Abstract

Plastic waste management has become a daunting task for Municipal Authorities who seem to lack the capacity to tackle the mounting waste situation. This study investigated the nature of plastic waste management in the Wa Township of the Upper West Region. The aim was to identify the causes of the waste problem, the effectiveness of current management practices and also techniques required to improve plastic waste management in the municipality . A mixed methodology was used which combined the use of questionnaires and interviews for data collection from stakeholders in the waste sector, together with documentary and observational data to examine the issue of plastic waste management in the study area. The study reveals that the Watownship is experiencing emerging and worsening plastic waste situations but the Municipal Assembly lack the capacity in terms of financial, logistical and human resources to cope with the situation effectively. While several causes of the urban plastic waste crisis can be identified, the negative attitude of the people to urban environmental management is a root cause of the worsening plastic waste situation in the Watownship. Based on these findings, it has been argued that the solution to the worsening environmental conditions in the study area lies in the availability of finance, logistics, human resources as well as attitudinal shift by the people.