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Incentives for improving municipal solid waste source separation behaviour: the case of Tamale Metropolis, Ghana

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Abstract

Source separation is a key step to increase waste diversion and can promote recycling by providing the needed raw materials. This study analyzed solid waste separation activities and incentive options through a survey conducted in households in four different solid waste management service zones. The study was conducted to evaluate preferences for solid waste separation activities and incentives in the service zones to identify options that can promote positive solid waste separation behaviours among households to aid the diversion of reusable and recyclable materials from the landfill. Multivariate probit analysis was conducted on proposed incentive choices by households which highlighted the key incentive options that can be used to improve household waste separation behaviour for effective solid waste separation at the households. The result of the study indicates that the majority of the respondents prefer the provision of free bins as an incentive to voluntarily participate in waste separation programmes. Cash fines were discovered as a sanction to coerce householders to comply with mandatory solid waste separation in the service zones. The study established that some of the proposed incentives may have complementary roles if used as motivation in a recycling scheme while others may serve as substitutes in supporting waste separation or recycling behaviour in the service zones. The results again indicate that incentives are significant predictors of solid waste separation behaviour in the service zones, however, its effects on waste separation behaviour depends on the incentive used and the service zone.

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Fig. 1

(Adopted from http://www.cres.gr/behave/framework_theory_4.htm)

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(Source Gyasi et al. 2014)

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the first author. The data are not publicly available because it contains information that forms part of a PhD research that has not yet been completed, however, the data can be made available upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi (RWESCK) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi with funding from the Ghana Government through the World Bank under the Africa Centres of Excellence project for funding this research and would like to state that the views expressed in this paper do not reflect those of the World Bank, Ghana Government and KNUST.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

    Wilhemina Asare, Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng & Emmanuel A. Donkor

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

    Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng & Emmanuel A. Donkor

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

    Mizpah A. D. Rockson

  4. Department of Environment and Sustainability Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

    Wilhemina Asare

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  1. Wilhemina Asare
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  2. Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng
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  3. Emmanuel A. Donkor
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Contributions

SOK, EAD and WA have contributed to the study conception and design, literature review and interpretation. SOK, WA, ED and MAD Rockson participated in the drafting of the manuscript, discussion and preparation of the final version. All Authors have read the manuscript and have agreed to submit it in its current form for consideration for publication. All read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Wilhemina Asare.

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The authors declare that this paper has not to be submitted nor under consideration for publication in any Journal. The authors of this article have no competing interest.

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Asare, W., Oduro-Kwarteng, S., Donkor, E.A. et al. Incentives for improving municipal solid waste source separation behaviour: the case of Tamale Metropolis, Ghana. SN Soc Sci 1, 132 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00139-0

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