Quantification of Municipal Solid Waste-The Essential Basis in Waste Management in Tamale: A Ghanaian City

Abstract

One of the key ingredients to a sustainable functional solid waste systems in any nation is the existence and continual review of data on solid waste management (SWM). Many urban areas in Ghana are heavily polluted with solid waste and Tamale metropolis is not an exception. Households in the metropolis generates enormous amount of solid waste coupled with waste management practices that inevitably affects the environment. The main objective of the study was to determine the physio-chemical parameter of solid waste at Russia bungalows in the Tamale metropolis. In view of this, the specific objectives of the study was to find out the quantity of solid waste generated, determine the moisture content of the waste, and to find out the waste generation rate of the solid waste applying mathematical models. The research gathered data from two main sources namely: secondary and primary sources. The three main techniques employed in gathering the primary data were: preliminary field investigation, physical separation and household survey. The following key findings were established during the analysis of the results and it showed that the quantity of solid waste generated in the study area was 81.70 kg. The total moisture content of the samples was found to be 48.29%, it means that the waste generated can be used as compost to produce fertiliser on farms. This also showed that the generation rate of solid waste was 0.3148 kg/cap/day. Mathematical model showed a weak relation between the quantity of waste generated and household size. Waste generation rates data are crucial in the wider waste systems planning processes. Further studies on source separation of household waste at different areas in the metropolis.