Stakeholders perceptions on key drivers for and barriers to household e-waste management in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Safe management of e-waste has become a major problem for many countries particularly developing countries. This is because e-waste management in an environmentally sound manner (ESM) is affected by many factors in most African countries. To address this emerging urban waste problem, city authorities are devising management strategies that would be acceptable to key stakeholders. This paper evaluates perceived drivers for and barriers to the adoption of e-waste management option in Accra, Ghana from the perspective of households, e-waste workers and institutions. The paper identified four critical factors that could facilitate the adoption of e-waste management option. These include regulatory framework, public health outcomes, education and awareness on e-waste management and good policies and stricter legislation. In addition, the paper identified poor policy framework, lack of or inadequate legal/regulatory framework, low public education and awareness of e-waste management and unhealthy conditions of informal recycling as the four most critical barriers to overcome in the search of e-waste management option. We draw attention of policy makers and waste planners to critically take into consideration the identified drivers and barriers in the adoption of any management option to ensure sound environmental practices.   Key words: E-waste, stakeholders, drivers, barriers, management option.