WASTE DISPOSAL: What's The Best Medium?

Cleanliness is next to Godliness it's often remarked. And man can only be in good health when his environment is kept tidy and safe by employing the best of waste disposal practices and being above all, health conscious. However, the reality on the ground is far from what is being revered.

The drains in most areas of the country are choked with solid waste materials such as plastics, papers, metals, wood, .... defying the very function that drains or gutters serve - a passage way for excess water (which must be considerably clean) particularly during floods. Worse of it all, most of the gutters are left open and without constructing its edges with concrete, it expands and overflows when it rains heavily.

  Ameyaw Debrah

But for the stench emanating from these drains due to rotten debris dumped into them, the least said about it the better. And yet, people live close and around these water ways, risking their precious lives and contracting diseases.

culled from Google search

One noticeable thing among many Ghanaians in disposing off their wastes is by mixing both solid and liquid waste matter. Metals, rubbers, papers, etc., are mixed with wet peels of vegetables and fruits. These wet peels and mixed debris makes it difficult when burning. So what then is the ideal remedy? Well, this is simple: Separate solid waste materials from wet/liquid ones. Metals, used papers, rubbers,... must each be put into different trash cans whether in private (homes) or public locations. When this is done, recycling becomes more meaningful, thereby safeguarding the environment's pollution. 

"Recycling saves space in landfills and reduces the amount of virgin materials that must be mined or manufactured to make new products, saving energy and reducing global climate change in the process".

Because most of the wastes generated are not biodegradable (uneasy to break down) which include plastic bags, "PURE WATER" Sachets, bottles, tin cans and even computer hardware, it is imperative and prudent to ascribe to the following two disposal methods:

_*LANDFILLS: LANDFILLS: this "provide long-term storage for non-biodegradable waste. Ideally, landfills are carefully situated to prevent contamination from entering surrounding soil and water, and managed to reduce odor and pests as much as possible".

* COMBUSTION: "waste like used rubber tires and plastics can be burned at combustion facilities. Most of these facilities use the heat generated by incineration to make energy in the form of steam or electricity, including coal and petroleum.... Combustion of municipal waste also reduces the volume of trash that ends up in landfills".

Though these methods comes with cost, the Ghanaian government must be more environmentally responsible to channel more funds into helping procure these facilities. Ghanaians in general must also adopt a very positive mindset and attitude on how they generate and manage their wastes. Dumping refuse "anyhow" is unworthy of a people revered to be peace-loving and hospitable.

As long as the earth exists and man also survives, the issue of waste management will have to be tackled. Our health, success and long life depends solely on a beautiful and clean environment.

Arise, let us embrace the best of waste disposal practices for OUR OWN GOOD.