ABSTRACT
The admonition from Roosevelt is an indication of society’s long cherished dream of living in an environment of resourcefulness rather than wastefulness. Yet, as the world hurtles towards its urban future with the world’s urban population increasing by two new people every second, and
with 95 per cent of such increases taking place in cities of developing countries, nowhere is the impact more obvious than in society’s “detritus,” or solid waste (Hoorneweg and Bhada-Tata 2012). Studies show that currently, cities cover only 2% of the world’s surface but generate 70% of the world’s waste (Zaaman and Lehman 2011). In Ghana, Accra produces conservatively 2,200 tonnes of solid waste daily, and is expected to reach 4,419 tonnes by 2030 (Oteng-Ababio 2010). The relationship between waste and cities is particularly threatening the future, in situation where practically everything is based on a throwaway mentality, which pays little regard to sustainability.
