In a recent article in Quartz, one of the main reasons identified for the poor state of waste management in Accra was the unaffordability of waste collection fees for residents in low-income areas. A number of recent studies support this claim, such as one carried out in Gbawe in 2014.
This predicament is particularly worrisome as majority of Accra’s inhabitants reside in these areas. Due to the high cost of living in the nation’s capital, many do not, or more likely, cannot prioritise appropriate disposal of municipal solid waste. Unsurprisingly, some of the worst cases of indiscriminate dumping of waste can be found in our low-income areas.
Furthermore, the affordability question also entrenches the culture of poor waste management attitudes endemic in the city. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that local authority stakeholders in Accra review the current fee-based communal waste collection approach utilized in low-income areas.
The Koliba Solution
As a child growing up in the Dansoman SNITT flats, one of the somewhat regular Saturday fixtures was a knock on the door by a Koliba merchant in search of used glass bottles to buy. These itinerant merchants are still quite popular in Accra. Mostly consisting of Sahelian migrants, they crisscross the city in search of used glass and plastic bottles. They purchase these items from households, eventually depositing them at collection points located in Accra’s zongos.
Here, the bottles are cleaned and sold for reuse by local bars, street food vendors and traditional vegetable oil processors. Through its commodification of waste materials, the Koliba business model offers a potential solution to the affordability question relating to waste collection in low-income areas in Accra.
The Target Material
It is well documented that the two most common types of waste generated in low-income urban areas in Ghana are organic waste and plastic waste, accounting on average for 60% and 15% of the weight of waste generated, respectively. The organic waste usually consists of food waste sourced from households and street food vendors; the plastic waste largely comprises thin film plastics used for sachet water and food packaging, as well high-density plastic bottles.
Of these two waste types, plastic waste is generally the preferred candidate for commodification. This is because there already exists a relatively well established informal plastic recovery sector in Ghana’s urban centres. Furthermore, though considerably of lesser weight when compared to that of organic waste, plastic waste is usually the largest fraction of municipal solid waste in terms of volume. Organic waste, however, is disadvantaged by its low value, as well as concerns over storage, decomposition and the associated odour nuisance.
Recovered plastic waste can be reprocessed into pellets for the local plastics manufacturing sector or exported. In some scenarios, plastic waste could also be used as a refuse derived fuel for powering the operations of factories, such as cement production plants.
The Plan
The successful incorporation of the Koliba Solution in Accra’s low-income areas will require certain key measures. Firstly, there would have to be an adoption of a free primary collection system for capturing and segregating the targeted waste material. It should be a low-tech, low-cost collection system. Borla taxis or informal waste collectors could potentially be used.
This low-cost collection approach has the added advantage of increasing public involvement in waste management.
Additionally, a sufficient number of bulking hubs will be needed whereby the captured waste will be graded and stored. To keep down the cost of developing new sites, current communal collection sites in low-income areas can be converted to accommodate the new system. The bulking hubs will also double as sale centres for the recovered waste materials. Here, they will be sold directly to end use markets, such as plastics re-processors, or indirectly through waste merchants.
The Carrot
The income generated through the sale of recovered plastic waste will be used for funding social services directly used by residents of the low-income areas where the waste is sourced. The selection of the beneficiary social services will require cooperation between the local authorities and residents.
Examples of beneficiary social services include neighbourhood public schools, street lights, and public toilets. Consequently, by linking measurable social welfare benefits to appropriate waste collection, local authorities can drastically reduce incidents of indiscriminate waste disposal. If proven to be successful, the Koliba solution could play a key role in fostering a conscientious lifestyle in relation to waste management.
The Koliba Solution also offers residents additional benefits through the capture of waste generated by non-residents that pass through the community. For example, communities that have bus stops or stations are likely to capture plastic waste from occupants of buses that pass through. Scenarios such as the above increase the income generation potential for the areas where the Koliba Solution will be implemented.
Known Unknowns
Though the Koliba Solution has merits that are worth considering, it also raises many questions that need to be addressed. For example, because the success of the solution relies on a consistent demand for recovered plastic waste, clarity will be needed on the number and types of potential end use market stakeholders in and around Accra, as well as their capacity to accept more waste materials.
Also, issues relating to the pricing of the recovered plastic waste materials will be essential to the long-term sustainability of the initiative. An appropriate pricing mechanism that accounts for operational costs and a reasonable margin for service operators will have to be developed. The prices set by the mechanism should also enable purchasers of the recovered waste materials to operate at a profit. The government can also aid in safeguarding the viability of informal reprocessors by subsidising their investment in more efficient recycling technologies.
Additionally, issues affecting price stability will have to be explored. In particular, the impact of falling oil prices on income generation from recovered plastic waste will have to be studied. This will aid in the development of counter measures to pre-empt a collapse in demand for recovered plastics due to a significant fall in the price of virgin plastics.
Also, engagement with residents will be essential to both garner support for the initiative and formulate an acceptable adoption scheme. This will involve identifying important community leaders to explain the Koliba Solution to residents, as well as solicit suggestions. Additionally, through these engagements the most effective media platforms for communicating the Koliba Solution to residents will be determined. This is particularly important as literacy rates tend to be lower in low-income areas. Furthermore, the public engagements should also include communications to residents on the amount of funds raised by the Koliba Solution and how it is being spent in the community.
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By: Kweku Attafuah-Wadee
Assistant Waste Management Consultant at Wood plc
kwekuwadee@gmail.com