Households: passive users or active managers?: The case of solid waste management in Accra, Ghana

Solid waste management is an essential public health service, but in manydeveloping countries it is not provided to the full satisfaction of residents.Generally, solid waste systems tend to be provided on the basis of technical andfinancial considerations, and little or no consultation is carried out with therecipients of the service. Systems are often designed to satisfy the short-termviews of politicians and professionals, rather than the needs of the users of theservice. This has led to the development of solid waste systems that are inappropriate,and so receive little cooperation from residents. Consultation with theusers at all stages of planning and implementation could improve the quality ofservices and reduce the costs. There is a need to develop new approaches that arebased on integrating the existing practices and perceptions of the users withproposed developments. This paper presents the findings of a study thatexplored households' approaches to solid waste management in three suburbs inAccra, Ghana. The study showed that household activities are greatly influencedby social factors, service type and income levels. The study concludes that boththe cooperation of households and cost recovery would be enhanced if residentswere more involved in the planning of schemes.