It found out that low social inclusion in waste management to a large extent, resulted in the overwhelming filth that continued to engulf the city.

Conducted in major communi­ties within the Greater Accra Re­gion from February to December last year, the study, titled “Munic­ipal solid waste source separation and composting project,” urged authorities to actively engage residents in waste management to enhance good environmental health.

A senior lecturer and team lead for the group of researchers from the University of Winneba, on the project, Professor Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu, shared findings of the study at a community en­gagement at Jamestown in Accra yesterday.

Funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, (GIZ) United Kingdom (UK) Gov­ernment, and the United States Agency International Development (USAID), findings of the research is expected to be implemented by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and other agencies.

The Director of the Director­ate of Research, Innovation and Development (DRID) at the Uni­versity said, individual differences and perceptions towards waste called for efforts to be directed at behavioural change to tackle the problem.

“Each and everyone must be in­volved in the management of solid waste; how to separate the waste we generate, compost etc.”

Prof. Danso-Wiredu, explained that the project went through a number of stages, including social mapping, equity and inclusion study, and the development of different communication models for different target audiences.

She expressed hope that various Metropolitan, Municipal and Dis­trict Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region, would incorporate effective community and communication strategies in waste management across the city to promote human and environmental health.

A member of the research team, Professor Peter Akayuure, not­ed that Ghana was far behind in meeting targets under goal six and 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals focused on clean water and sanitation and climate change, respectively.

However, he said as citizens became more aware of the impor­tance of solid waste separation and management, it could accelerate efforts at meeting the goals.

The Director of the Ga Mashie Development Agency (GAMA­DA), and Chairperson for the event, Mr Nii Teiko Tagoe, admon­ished the community members to desist from using waste bins pro­vided by city authorities for other purposes including the storage of domestic items.

Present at the event were the Assembly man, Ngleshie Electoral Area, Mr Festus Nii Ayi Hayford, representatives from AMA, and other implementing and funding partners and agencies.