According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) in Ghana, the disposal of solid waste remains a significant challenge, with a large number of households resorting to indiscriminate dumping, burial, or burning of their waste.
The census revealed that over a quarter of a million households dispose of their solid waste through indiscriminate dumping, while an additional quarter of a million bury their waste in the ground, and nearly two million households resort to burning their waste.
The practice of indiscriminate dumping is particularly prevalent in the Savannah and Upper West regions, with significant percentages of households engaging in this behaviour. Additionally, the Upper East and North East regions record high percentages of households burning their waste, as well as burying it in the ground.
The census data also indicates that a considerable number of households across the country do not have their waste collected through formal means, such as compaction trucks or other vehicles. This lack of waste collection services is most pronounced in the Upper East and North East regions.
Furthermore, a significant proportion of households lack proper receptacles to store their solid waste, with nearly a million households nationwide facing this challenge. This issue is particularly acute in the Upper East and Upper West regions.
The disaggregated data on waste storage and disposal from the 2021 PHC can be accessed through the Ghana Statistical Service's StatsBank platform. Additionally, the PHC General Report Volume 3M: Water and Sanitation provides comprehensive information on wastewater disposal and solid waste management at the household level and is available for download from the census website.
