Landfilling waste management creates no value, it's an economic waste
Ghana is sitting on a resource it continues to misclassify as a nuisance. Every day, large volumes of solid waste are collected across urban Ghana, especially in Greater Accra, only to be transported and dumped at considerable cost. Public authorities spend heavily to manage it, citizens suffer from the consequences of poor disposal, and the economy absorbs the hidden costs of flooding, disease risk, land degradation, and urban disorder.
The article states that landfilling is not waste management, but value destruction. Government pays to collect waste, pays to transport it, pays to dispose of it, and later pays again for the consequences- blocked drains, periodic flooding, foul odour, methane emissions, health hazards, degraded landscapes, and rising pressure to secure more land for disposal. The fundamental policy mistake has been to treat municipal solid waste only as a problem to be removed, rather than as a resource to be processed.
Waste-to-Energy offers Ghana a clear alternative. Instead of paying only for disposal, the country can convert part of its waste stream into power. Waste becomes feedstock, feedstock becomes electricity, and electricity becomes revenue.
Quick Summary
Ghana grapples with the challenge of managing ever-increasing solid waste in urban areas - a costly endeavor with significant environmental and economic repercussions. Experts suggest that viewing waste as a resource, rather than a burden, could unlock substantial value for the nation.
Summary - read the full story for complete context.
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