State of Waste Management and the Willingness of Households to Sort Plastic Wastes before Disposal in Bolgatanga Municipality

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