Willingness to Pay for Improved Solid Waste Collection and Its Implication on Business Orientation Practices of Local Governments in Ghana

Alexander Amoah^1,

¹Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Legon

Cite this paper:
Alexander Amoah. Willingness to Pay for Improved Solid Waste Collection and Its Implication on Business Orientation Practices of Local Governments in Ghana. American Journal of Environmental Protection. 2018; 6(3):77-97. doi: 10.12691/env-6-3-4

Abstract

Once upon a time it was believed that poor sanitation conditions in the Kumasi Central Business Districts were as a result of consumers’ unwillingness to pay for improved solid waste collection. This study sought to investigate consumers’ willingness to pay for improved solid waste collection and the implications it would have on the business orientation practices of local governments in Ghana. This is crucial as the local governments are burdened with increasing sanitation problems, sanitation has become a yardstick for measuring government’s performance and citizens’ demand for improved sanitation is influencing party politics. The study adopted an institutional assessment procedure developed by Cullivan et al . This procedure allowed the use of a mixed-method approach with questionnaire and interview as instruments for gathering data. In all 100 consumers in central business district and 30 experts from service providers including the Waste Management Department, Environmental Health Unit, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, and Freko FD Limited participated in the study. The study showed that contrary to popular believe, consumers were willing to pay for improved sanitation and that poor solid was disposal thrived on institutional ineffectiveness. It was recommended that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly must improve on its service delivery by recruiting more people into the sector and demonstrate to consumers the Assembly’s readiness to deliver on waste collection, as well as provide adequate dustbins at vintage points as parts of its commitment to improve on solid waste collection and ensure that consumers become responsible in making use of the facilities.

Keywords:
solid waste collection urban sanitation business orientation institutional ineffectiveness and local government

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