Chapter 1

The Problem and its Scope

Introduction

Solid waste management (SWM) continues to dominate as a major societal and

governance challenge, especially in urban areas overwhelmed by the high rate of
populationgrowth and garbage generation. The role of SWM in achieving sustainable
development isemphasized in several international development agendas, charters, and visions.
Solid waste management and disposal has been a worldwide concern which most countries are
battling with and trying to find best solutions of dealing with (Alkaateb and Yakubu, 2013; Laner
et al., 2012). Waste is defined as unwanted remains, residues discarded and material or by
products which are no longer required by the initial user.

These materials are by-products of human activities such as process of preparation,

manufacture, packing, repacking, unpacking, construction, renovation of structures and mining
operations. Almost any substance that is discarded is designated as waste (Hoornweg et al.,
2012).
Rapidly growing populations, rapid economic growth and rise in community living standards
have accelerated the generation rate of this Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW), causing their
management to be a bigger challenge worldwide (Seo et al., 2004). City experiencing rapid
population growth and development in all sectors of life and resultant change in land use
patterns have the biggest challenge in handling their solid wastes. With high level of
development, the issues of mismanagement and deterioration in solid waste generation and
disposal are hiking (Mohsin and Chinyama 2016; Owusu, 2010).
Proper solid waste disposal is a vital component of environmental sanitation and
sustainability. A sustainable environment and improved waste management offers
opportunities for income generation, health improvements and reduced vulnerability. This
could hardly be attained in some of the developing countries such as Somalia (Wilson et al.,
2006).
The environmental and public health impact of poor solid waste disposal is not fully
understood (Wilson et al., 2006; Pate, 2012). Many health impact of poor solid wastes disposal
depends on the type of exposure, nature of the waste, disposal site proximity. Common
environmental impact includes contamination of underground water quality, emission of odor,
breeding places of insects, such as flies, mosquitoes and dumping rodents. Managing solid
waste improperly poses threat to the health of individuals and the environment. If these wastes
are not disposed in a proper way, they create breeding places for insects such as flies,
mosquitoes as they provide food and harborages for rats. These insects and rats are health risk
in that they are potential disease transmitters (Yemaneh et al., 2017).

Improper solid waste management contaminate the environment, causes all types of pollution,
contamination of water sources etc., according to United State Public Health Service identifies
22 human diseases that are linked to improper management of municipal solid wastes (Pervez,
2013)

Background of the study

Water disposal and management is both and rural problem. Every person is a potential
generator of waste and thus a contributor to this problem. To generate waste is onw thing, the
type of waste generated is another and yet also the way the generated waste is managed or
disposed. Waste is generated by and from different sectors, domestic, commercial, industry and
other and in many instances, the waste management responsibility has been left to the
government or administrative authorities.

Rationale

The UN Environmental Protection Agency (2006) states that, incineration is the process of
destroying waste material by burning it. Incineration is often alternatively named "Energy-from-
waste" or "waste-to-energy"; this is misleading as there areother ways of recovering energy
from waste that do not involve directly burning it. Incineration is carried out both on a small
scale by individuals and on a large scale by industries. It is recognized as a practical method of
disposing of hazardous wastematerials, such as biological medical waste. Many entities now
refer to disposal of wastes by exposure to high temperatures as thermal treatment.
Marshal (1995) states that, waste materials that are organic in nature, such as plant
material, food scraps, and paper products, are increasingly being recycled. These materials are
put through compost and/or a digestion system to control the biological process to decompose
the organic matter and kill pathogens. The resulting stabilized organic material is then recycled
as mulch or compost for agricultural or landscaping purposes.

Research objectives

The study aimed to (1) determine the wastes source generated by the municipality,(2) assess
the percentage of waste composition in terms of compostable, recyclables,residualss,special
and fine residuals produced daily from these various waste source and (3)disign measures
toward effective sustainable solid wastes management project, legislation policies and
strategies in the municipality.

Statement of the problem

This study aim to determine the impact of solid waste on health and the environment in the
Municipality of Sergio Osmeña.

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age

1.2 Gender

2.How effective/often do they dispose solid waste in their communities?

Significance of the Study

This study shall benefit the following:

Human/Residents: This study shall help the health of every person who live in a community.
Municipal: This study shall help to the municipal to make a program or strategy to prevent risk.

General: This study shall help everyone to know how to seggregrate their wastes.

Future researchers. This study shall provide essential inputs to researchers who shall conduct
further study on the impact of solid waste on health and environment.

Scope and delimitations

The main concern of the study is to find a solution to the problem in Sergio Osmeña

specially the improper waste disposal observe in the Sergio Osmeña National High school do

this that causes the problem and what could be the effects of thier lack in proper waste

disposal to the environment and to thier health.

Related Review Literature

The literature review discusses some pertinent studies on solid waste and health related

issues.

Waste

The Sergio Osmeña Zamboanga del norte Statistics Division Glossary of Environment

statistics describes “waste as materials that are not prime products for which the generator has

no further use in terms of his/her own purposes of production, transformation, or

consumption, and of which he/she wants to dispose. Waste may be generated during the

extraction of raw materials into intermediate and final products, the consumption of final
products and other human activities. Residuals recycled or reused at the place of generation

are excluded”. There are many waste types defined by modern systems of waste management,

notably including;

Municipal waste which includes household waste, commercial waste and demolition waste.

Industrial waste which includes factory waste.

Biomedical waste which includes clinical waste.

Special Hazardous waste which includes radioactive waste, explosive and electronic waste.

Municipal solid waste (MSW)

Commonly known as trash, garbage, or rubbish is a waste type consisting of everyday items

that are discarded by the public. Although the waste may originate from a number of sources

that has nothing to do with a municipality, the traditional role of municipalities in collecting and

managing these kinds of waste have produced the particular etymology ‘municipal’.The

composition of municipal solid waste varies greatly from municipality to municipality, and it

changes significantly with time. In municipalities which have a well-developed waste recycling

system, the waste stream mainly consists of intractable waste such as a plastics and non-

recyclable packaging materials. In developed areas without significant recycling activity it

predominantly includes food wastes, market wastes, school wastes, yard wastes, plastic

containers, product packaging materials and other miscellaneous solid wastes from residential,

commercial and institutional.

Industrial waste (IW)

It is the waste produced by industrial activity which includes any material that is rendered

useless during a manufacturing process such as that of factories, industries, mills, and mining

operations. Types of industrial waste include dirt and gravel, masonry and concrete, scrap

metal, oil, solvents, chemicals, scrap lumber etc. Industrial wastes may de solid, liquid, or

gaseous. Industrial waste may pollute the air, the soil, or nearby water sources, eventually

ending up in the sea.

Biomedical waste (BW)

It is any kind of waste containing infectious or potentially infectious materials. It may also

include waste associated with the generation of biomedical waste that visually appears to be of

medical or laboratory origin, example, packaging unused bandages, infusion kits, and research

laboratory waste containing biomolecules or organisms that are mainly restricted from

environmental release. Discarded sharps are considered biomedical waste whether they are

contaminated or not, due to the possibility of being contaminated with blood and their

propensity to cause injury when not properly contained and disposed of.

Biomedical waste is generated from biological and medical sources and activities such as the

diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases. Common generators of biomedical waste

include hospitals, health clinics, nursing homes, emergency medical services, medical research

laboratories, offices of physicians and dentists, veterinarians, morgues etc.

Special hazardous waste (SHW)

It is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.
Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known or tested to exhibit one or more

of the following hazardous traits.

Corrosive: these are wastes that include acids or bases that are capable of corroding

metal containers, e.g. tanks.

Ignitability: this is waste that can create fires under certain condition, e.g. waste oils

and solvents.

Reactive: these are unstable in nature; they cause explosions, toxic fumes when heated.

Toxicity: waste which is harmful or fatal when ingested or absorbed.

Hazardous wastes may be found in different states such as gaseous, liquids, or solids.

They are special type of waste because it cannot be disposed of by common means like other

by-products of our everyday lives. Depending on the physical state of

waste, treatment and solidification process might be required.

Solid Waste

In the view of Adipah and Ofotsu (2019), waste is a complex mixture of different substances

that are discarded by household, individual or organizations that are harmful to the

environments and health. According to the World Health Organisation (2019) solid waste refers

to all non-liquid waste including rubbish, garbage, and faeces. The United States Environmental

Protection Agency (2015) also portrays solid waste as comprising of everyday items such as

product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles and cans, food scraps,

newspapers, appliances, consumer electronics, and batteries.

Categories of Solid Waste

 According to Hamer (2003), solid waste can be categorized in the following ways:

municipal solid waste (domestic, market and trade wastes); construction industry and

demolition waste; Fuel production and energy-generation waste; food, beverage and agro-

industry waste; catering industry waste; forestry and forest product industry waste; Amenity

area and garden waste; Slurries from intensive animal husbandry (animal manures);

slaughterhouse solid waste (including specified materials) and diseased carcasses; waste

sewage sludge (treated or untreated) and night soil and septic hospital waste.

Solid Waste Management

Solid waste management comprises a diverse range of activities encompassing reduction,

recycling, segregation (separation), modification, treatment and disposal at varying levels of

sophistication (Hamer, 2003). Waste management consists of the collection, processing,

transport, and disposal of solid waste (Adipah, Ofotsu, 2019).

According to the MENRO (2013), the waste hierarchy is now used globally as a

communication tool to remind those who generate waste and those who manage it that

preventing waste through efficient use of resources and raw materials is the best option. Re-

using discarded goods without reprocessing or remanufacture is assumed to provide greater

savings in resource consumption and is given priority over recycling.

MENRO (2013) also assert that increased scarcity of natural resources and the consequent

rise in commodity prices have influenced the demand for recycled products. The resource value

of waste has become an important driver in many developing countries today and provides a

livelihood for the urban poor. Recycling materials such as paper, glass, and plastics, as well as

composting and digestion of bio-waste, becomes the obvious next preferable option. Aerobic
(with oxygen) composting of MSW avoids the formation of methane associated with anaerobic

conditions. MENRO(2011) municipal solid waste

Waste Management Practices

Traditional Practice

Traditional solid waste management practice has been portrayed by the frequently

irresponsible dumping of complex mixed and harmful solid wastes in landfill sites. Also,

poisonous liquids and slurries contained in corrosion-prone metal drums have frequently been

covered in landfills or have been subject to marine dumping (Hamer, 2003).

Mistreatment of Solid Waste

Mistreatment has, for a long time, been the preferred method for effectively treating

biodegradable waste materials. As far as bulk pollutant load disposal from waste streams is

concerned, mistreatment technology has dominated wastewater and waste sludge treatment

for almost a century and, more recently, is finding rapidly expanding application in waste gas

stream pollutant elimination (Hamer, 2003).

Incineration

In numerous respects, the incineration of combustible solid waste can be viewed as an

absolute treatment method for taking infectious components present in such wastes, despite

the claims to this effect are not without question (Hamer, 2003). However, incineration is also

associated with the production and release of cancer-causing and poisonous compounds, and

especially in those countries where the performance of waste management and treatment

facilities has failed to gain public confidence (Hamer, 2003).

 Other authors have provided some waste management practices in literature. In the view of

Rushton (2003), waste management is currently firmly controlled in most countries and

includes the generation, collection, processing, transport, and disposal of waste. Ruston (2003)

further stated that the remediation of waste sites is a significant issue, both to reduce hazards

while operational and to prepare the site for a change of use (e.g. for building). The major

methods of waste management are:

• Recycling: the recovery of materials from products after they have been used by consumers.

• Composting: an aerobic, biological process of degradation of biodegradable organic matter.

• Sewage treatment: a process of treating raw sewage to produce a non-toxic liquid effluent

which is discharged to rivers or sea and semi-solid sludge, which is used as a soil amendment on

land, incinerated or disposed of in a landfill.

• Incineration: a process of combustion designed to recover energy and reduce the volume of

waste going to disposal.

• Landfill: the deposition of waste in a specially designated area, which in modern sites consists

of a pre-constructed ‘cell’ lined with an impermeable layer (man-made

or natural) and with controls to minimize emissions.

Prospects of Waste Management

The management of waste can lead to some positive impact. Samewine et al. (2017), provide

some prospects in waste management. These include:

Employment Opportunities
 The increasing volume of waste contributed to the significant growth of the waste

management industry. Zoom lion a private waste management company currently employs

about 65,000 citizens out of the labor force of Ghana (Samwine et al., 2017). This improves the

economic livelihood of these employees.

Economic Value

Local Governments should now be looking at waste as a business opportunity, to extract

valuable resources contained within it that can still be used and to safely process and dispose of

wastes with a minimum impact on the environment. This means that the potential for

privatizing waste management is very possible (Samwine et al., 2017).

Energy Generation from Waste

Using waste to create energy is a viable option for most African cities. Waste can be

incinerated to produce heat or electricity; and methane can be collected from landfills and be

used to, again, generate heat or electricity. There is a high level of organic content of waste

generated in most African cities (Samwine et al., 2017).

Challenges of Waste Management

Large Amount of Uncollected Waste

The basic challenge to the effective management of solid waste is increasing volumes of waste

because of the faster rate of generation and the high cost of waste management. Solid waste

management is an enormous issue for many city managers not only in Ghana but all over Africa,

Asia, South America, and even some

European countries. “One to 66% of the solid waste generated is not collected (Samwine et al.,
2017).

Limited Use of Technology

In addition to the above problems, Ghana is also beset with the challenge of modern

technology which ranges from equipment and tools to the break-down of waste collection

trucks and dustbins due to poor maintenance to inadequate skills required in tackling the solid

waste menace. Such deficiencies have particularly hindered Ghana’s ability to establish and

operate engineered landfill sites, recycling and energy recovery plants. (Samwine et al., 2017).

Ineffective Planning

Lack of proper planning for waste management services eventually leads to the inability of the

authorities to predict and forecast the quantity of waste to be generated. Hence “the cyclical

mantra of planning is thus invoked: planning to predict or predicting to plan (Samwine et al.,

2017).

Ineffective Engineered Landfill Sites

Ghana as a whole lack sufficient engineered landfill sites for proper treatment and disposal

of solid waste. The exception of the Metropolitan Assemblies which have engineered sanitary

landfills the remaining Assemblies in Ghana still resort to the crude open dump practice

(Samwine et al., 2017).

Poor Attitude of Citizens

The challenge of the poor attitude of individuals in complementing the efforts of waste

managing bodies. There are several instances where individuals prefer littering the

environment with particularly plastic waste instead of using provided dustbins (Samwine et al.,
2017).

The Health Effects of Solid Waste

Alam and Ahmade (2013), there are potential dangers to the environment and wellbeing

from improper handling of solid wastes. Direct health risks concern mainly the workers in this

field, who should be protected, as far as possible, from contact with wastes. There are also

specific risks in handling wastes from hospitals and clinics facilities. For the general public, the

fundamental risks to health are indirect and arise from the breeding of disease vectors,

essentially flies and rats. Uncontrolled hazardous wastes from industries mixing up with

municipal wastes create potential risks to human health. Traffic accidents can result from toxic

spilled wastes. There is specific danger of concentration of heavy metals in the food chain, a

problem that illustrates the relationship between municipal solid wastes and liquid industrial

effluents containing heavy metals discharged to a drainage/sewerage system and /or open

dumping sites of municipal solid wastes and the wastes discharged thereby maintains a vicious

cycle. Alam and Ahmade (2013) some other types of problem are as follows: Chemical

poisoning through chemical inhalation, uncollected waste can obstruct the storm water runoff

resulting in flood, low birth weight, cancer, congenital malformations, neurological disease,

nausea and vomiting, mercury toxicity from eating fish with high levels of mercury, degrades

water and soil quality.

Kpone landfill site poses danger to residents There is a looming environmental disaster at

Kpone in the Kpone-Katamanso municipality in the Greater Accra Region, as an overflowing

landfill site in the area continues to be used as dumping ground for both faecal matter and solid
waste.Also, an old landfill site that was decommissioned some years ago has been reopened,

thereby worsening the situation.

According to some residents of Kpone, there is leachate from the holding wells of the

engineered site into nearby open drains in the community.

Chapter 3

Research design

The study is into solid waste awareness level and its wrongful impact on the health of

resident in the municipality of Sergio Osmeña Z N. The study was conducted to perceive the

level of awareness and practices of solid waste management among residents. The study

focused on their awareness, practices and management level. The study designed enable the

researcher to collect information from sample who were all residents within the Sergio Osmeña

municipality.

Population

The population includes all the residents and households within the municipality of Sergio

Osmeña. This area is predominantly a farming community and some major industrial facilities

with much residential area.

Target Population

The target population of this study are households, institutions( school, government offices and

healt center), commercial establishments and public Market

Research Instrument

Solid waste management awareness and practices questionnaire (SWMAPQ) developed bt

the researchers paterned from books and existing studies on solid waste

management.SWAMAPQ is divided into three parts.Part 1 has a total of 36 statements focusing

kn solid waste management awareness .More so,part 2 has a total of 10 items that focuses on

thes sources of solid waste management awareness among respondents.Lastly,part 3 has a

total of 25 items that deals with in the solid waste practices of the respondents.Pilot testing

was carried non-parcitipating grade 12 students and SWMAPQ obtained a Cronbach alpha value

of 0.90 which can be interpreted that the developed instrument has excellent internal

consistency(George &Malarry,2003).

Data collection procedure

Questionnaire were constructed by the researcher and given to most households,

institutions, commercial establishments and public market. Items on the questionnaire were

explain to the fifty (50) questionnaire representing 100% were given out to the residents and all

of them were collected.