Municipal organic waste management: challenges and opportunities in Tamale, Ghana

Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in ditches and streams is a common practice in developing countries and this contributes to environmental health problems. Although composting of MSW and its use as fertilizer is one of the sustainable pathways to manage MSW, improve environmental health and increase agricultural productivity, it is yet to be well developed as a successful business. This study analyzes the challenges and opportunities of the MSW composting business in the Tamale area, Ghana, by exploring a case study. DeCo! is a NGO - that produces compost from MSW and other agro-industrial waste in Tamale. DeCo-compost is rich with plant nutrients (4.7 gN, 0.85gP, and 1gK per kg of compost) and no health risks have been reported. DeCo-compost+mineral fertilizer produced significantly higher (P<0.0001) yields of maize (3.3±0.7 tons/ha) compared to that which was produced by control (0.45±0.2 tons/ha) or using mineral fertilizer (2.2±0.6 tons/ha).