title: Domestic waste disposal practice and perceptions of private sector waste management in urban Accra.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Waste poses a threat to public health and the environment if it is not stored, collected, and disposed of properly. The perception of waste as an unwanted material with no intrinsic value has dominated attitudes towards disposal. This study investigates the domestic waste practices, waste disposal, and perceptions about waste and health in an urban community.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study utilised a mixed-method approach. A cross-sectional survey questionnaire and in-depth interview were used to collect data. A total of 364 household heads were interviewed in the survey and six key informants were interviewed with the in-depth interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the study revealed that 93.1% of households disposed of food debris as waste and 77.8% disposed of plastic materials as waste. The study also showed that 61.0% of the households disposed of their waste at community bins or had waste picked up at their homes by private contractors. The remaining 39.0% disposed of their waste in gutters, streets, holes and nearby bushes. Of those who paid for the services of private contractors, 62.9% were not satisfied with the services because of their cost and irregular collection. About 83% of the respondents were aware that improper waste management contributes to disease causation; most of the respondents thought that improper waste management could lead to malaria and diarrhoea. There was a general perception that children should be responsible for transporting waste from the households to dumping sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Proper education of the public, the provision of more communal trash bins, and the collection of waste by private contractors could help prevent exposing the public in municipalities to diseases.
authors.forename: Ramatta Massa
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Yoada
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chirawurah
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioural Science, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Post Office Box LG 13, Legon, Ghana. adongophilip@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Philip Baba
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Adongo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002947:Cities; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004777:Environment; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D005869:Ghana; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D010969:Plastics; D017149:Private Sector; D011634:Public Health; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D018505:Waste Management; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics