Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Operational Performance in Wa Municipality, Ghana

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Waste Management Engineering
• Public Health

Background:

• Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and management present significant environmental and human health risks.
• Effective strategies are crucial to mitigate the adverse impacts of MSW disposal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the operational performance of MSW disposal systems in the Wa Municipality, Ghana.
• To model and compare five distinct MSW disposal scenarios using the municipal solid waste decision support tool (MSW DST).

Main Methods:

• Employed qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Utilized the MSW DST to model scenarios focusing on acid gases and particulate matter.
• Analyzed pollutants including lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, copper, chromium, and zinc.

Main Results:

• Scenarios 4 and 5 (integrating separation and waste-to-energy) demonstrated the lowest engineering costs ($1,150,000 US $/year).
• Scenario 5 achieved the lowest average health impacts (-5.812E-04 lbs/year), while Scenario 2 had the highest.
• Waste-to-energy components in Scenarios 5 and 4 significantly reduced average health impacts.

Conclusions:

• Adopting integrated solid waste management, including waste-to-energy technologies, is vital for reducing MSW disposal hazards.
• This approach can provide alternative energy sources for Ghana and other developing nations.
• Sustainable MSW management is key to environmental protection and public health.