Awareness on waste segregation at source and willingness to pay for collection service in selected markets in Ga West Municipality, Accra, Ghana

Proper solid waste management has become a critical environmental issue for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Ghana. Despite the efforts of authorities to remediate the issue, it remains a great hurdle to overcome. This study assesses the readiness of the Ga West municipality to integrate waste segregation into solid waste management in its markets. Interviews conducted with key stakeholders and questionnaires administered to traders were analysed using a binomial logistic model. Findings from the interviews reveal that the municipality, in the period of this study, not only had no bylaws for waste segregation, but was also inadequately resourced. In addition, we found that 60% of the traders were willing to segregate waste, though only 23.4% were willing to pay for its collection. Income, work experience, and marital status were found to influence willingness to separate waste at source (P<0.05). Age (20-30years) and awareness were found to also have a significant influence on a trader's willingness to pay for the collection of waste (P<0.05). It is recommended that, for waste segregation to be implemented in markets, municipal authorities ought to formulate bylaws that promote waste segregation from source. Additionally, they must provide the required infrastructure, such as different waste skips for different types of waste; embark on massive education; and introduce innovative strategies such as paying less for the disposal of segregated waste. These measures can help to increase the willingness of market traders to pay for waste disposal.