Willingness to pay for improved solid waste management in Dunkwa-on-Offin

Abstract

This study sought to examine willingness to pay for improved solid waste management in Dunkwa-on-Offin. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 100 households enjoying the communal container and house-to-house systems of solid waste collection. The selected households were drawn from residential areas which were divided into high, middle and low socio-economic strata. A double-bound choice contingent valuation was used to elicit households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for improved solid waste management. The study also examined the existing solid waste collection systems in operation and household’s level of satisfaction with them. Assessment was also done on household’s perception and attitudes towards the solid waste problem. The results showed that households perceived the current solid waste collection services to have some level of inconsistencies. On the current solid waste problem, 88 percent of the respondents rated it as not serious. The majority (94%) of the respondents were satisfied with the current solid waste collection services. The results of the study also revealed that willingness to pay for improved solid waste management is significantly related to level of education, gender, household size and age of the household head. It is recommended that the current collection operator should maintain service charges with the WTP levels while striving to improve services to maintain and attract new clients.