Challenges of Public Participation in Solid Waste Management at Nkanfoa Landfill Site in the Cape Coast Municipality of Ghana

Abstract

Public participation in waste management is considered a sustainable approach to waste management as such it should be embraced. In municipalities of developing countries like Ghana, public outcry over the wrong location of waste dumpsites and poor public interest in waste management has called for this study to understand how public participation contributes to efficiency in solid waste management. For those living close to waste dump sites, conditions including odour and smoke pollution are believed to be avoidable when the public participates in decision making on the location of waste dump sites. This study investigated challenges facing Nkanfoa community regarding their involvement in waste management decision making. A mixed method approach was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges associated with public participation in solid waste management. The findings showed that the community members feel their concerns are not factored into the decision making process of the assembly as such a lack of trust between them and the municipal assembly. Also, there is the perception that political office holders interfere in public meetings and are not accountable to citizens hence the public apathy towards collective waste management decision making and their unwillingness to pay for waste services. The study concludes that for community participation in waste management to be effective, there should be online platforms for verification of the extent to which assemblies engage the public in collective decision making and this should be one criteria for allocating more common funds to district assemblies that perform well on this indicator.