Electronic waste control and management in Ghana: A critical assessment of the law, perceptions and practices

Owusu-Twum, Maxwell Y., Kumi-Amoah, Gifty, Heve, William K., Lente, Ishmael, Owusu, Seth Anim ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3272-130X, Larbi, Lloyd and Amfo-Otu, Richard 2022. Electronic waste control and management in Ghana: A critical assessment of the law, perceptions and practices. Waste Management and Research 40 (12) , pp. 1794-1802. 10.1177/0734242X221103939

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of Ghana’s hazardous and e-waste control and management Act 917 of 2016 on current e-waste management practices and the level of awareness among key stakeholders (general public, repairers, wholesalers/retailers, recyclers and importers of electronic items) in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and examined in this study. Results showed a low level (12%) of awareness among stakeholders on the e-waste legislation. Almost 13% of respondents had been educated on e-waste management. Community engagement and the mass media were the main sources of information on e-waste. Significant associations between background information of respondents and awareness level on ‘Ghana’s Act 917’ were observed. Relative to general e-waste issues, only education and stakeholder showed significant associations with e-waste legislation and management. The main e-waste disposal methods adopted by respondents were disposal at dumpsites (22.7%), repair and reuse (21.1%) and reselling (20.1%). Almost 10% of respondents made changes to their e-waste disposal practices over the past 5 years. These changes were mainly due to the economic benefits derived from reselling e-waste (37.6%) and the perceived adverse impacts of e-waste on the environment (23.9%). Overall, there is the need to intensify awareness on ‘Ghana’s Act 917’, especially issues regarding sustainable e-waste management practices.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	0734-242X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 July 2022
Date of Acceptance:	11 April 2022
Last Modified:	27 Nov 2024 18:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/150800

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