Housing Characteristics and Mode of Household Solid Waste Disposal in Ghana: An Empirical Estimation

Abstract

Improper solid waste disposal practices have negative consequences on the environment and the health of residents. While several factors have been blamed for poor solid waste disposal practices in most developing countries, household socio-economic and housing characteristics have received less attention in the scholarly literature in terms of how they affect residents’ waste disposal practices. This study, therefore, seeks to investigate whether type of dwelling characteristics, coupled with household socio-economic features, influence the choice of a particular mode of solid waste disposal. Using data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey , we found that the major socio-economic characteristics that influence household mode of solid waste disposal are; education, type of employment, residence (urban/rural) including the housing characteristics and income is found to be neutral in this case. More specifically, a multinomial logistic regression of relative risk ratio shows that majority of those who contract private waste collectors either stay in a separate house or compound house (rooms). Similarly, 82.46% of those who dispose their waste by burning stay in either a separate house or compound house (rooms) or huts/building (in same compound). Education is found to be a strong variable in determining the mode of solid waste disposal by households. Self-employed persons tend to practice more of burning of refuse, public dumping and indiscriminate dumping. . Policy implications are discussed in the paper.