Volume 19, Issue 1, November 2015, Pages 15–23
Bernard Effah1, Kwaku Antwi2, Ernest Boampong3, Jack Nti Asamoah4, and Osei Asibey5
1 Department of Interior Architecture and Furniture Production, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
2 PhD Student, Department of Construction and Wood Technology Education, University of Education-Winneba, Kumasi Campus, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
3 Department of Interior Architecture and Furniture Production, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
4 Department of Civil Engineering, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
5 Department of Interior Architecture and Furniture Production, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
Original language: English
Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This research assessed how small scale sawmills residues at Sokoban and Ahwia wood markets are managed and disposed off and suggested appropriate measures for dealing with the situation of waste disposal at these industrial estates. The study was conducted at two local timber markets in Kumasi and its environs in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The study was a descriptive social survey design which sought to portray an accurate profile of persons, events and situations. To harness the needed information, a triangulation method comprising of questionnaire, interview and observation/photography methods were employed in gathering data. For primary data collection, systematic random sampling method was used to select a realised sample of 208 respondents from an infinite population comprising of wood processors, carpenters and timber sellers from the areas under survey. The study showed sawing and planing as the highest waste generation sources. Sawdust was the highest waste generated by the artisans while majority were also collecting their waste by manual clearing. The artisans have also resorted to open burning as the means of disposing their waste. There was general assertion that state authorities were not doing enough to manage waste at the surveyed sites. A significant positive correlation between methods of collecting waste and methods of disposal practiced were identified. Ideally, the easiest and most cost-effective way of managing any waste is not to generate it in the first place. Reassessing daily practices and overall product design of the artisans may significantly reduce the amount of wood waste they discard.
Author Keywords: Sawdust, waste management, timber market, open-burning, pollution.
Bernard Effah1, Kwaku Antwi2, Ernest Boampong3, Jack Nti Asamoah4, and Osei Asibey5
1 Department of Interior Architecture and Furniture Production, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
2 PhD Student, Department of Construction and Wood Technology Education, University of Education-Winneba, Kumasi Campus, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
3 Department of Interior Architecture and Furniture Production, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
4 Department of Civil Engineering, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
5 Department of Interior Architecture and Furniture Production, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ashanti, Ghana
Original language: English
Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This research assessed how small scale sawmills residues at Sokoban and Ahwia wood markets are managed and disposed off and suggested appropriate measures for dealing with the situation of waste disposal at these industrial estates. The study was conducted at two local timber markets in Kumasi and its environs in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The study was a descriptive social survey design which sought to portray an accurate profile of persons, events and situations. To harness the needed information, a triangulation method comprising of questionnaire, interview and observation/photography methods were employed in gathering data. For primary data collection, systematic random sampling method was used to select a realised sample of 208 respondents from an infinite population comprising of wood processors, carpenters and timber sellers from the areas under survey. The study showed sawing and planing as the highest waste generation sources. Sawdust was the highest waste generated by the artisans while majority were also collecting their waste by manual clearing. The artisans have also resorted to open burning as the means of disposing their waste. There was general assertion that state authorities were not doing enough to manage waste at the surveyed sites. A significant positive correlation between methods of collecting waste and methods of disposal practiced were identified. Ideally, the easiest and most cost-effective way of managing any waste is not to generate it in the first place. Reassessing daily practices and overall product design of the artisans may significantly reduce the amount of wood waste they discard.
Author Keywords: Sawdust, waste management, timber market, open-burning, pollution.
How to Cite this Article
Bernard Effah, Kwaku Antwi, Ernest Boampong, Jack Nti Asamoah, and Osei Asibey, “The management and disposal of small scale sawmills residues at the Sokoban and Ahwia wood markets in Kumasi – Ghana,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 15–23, November 2015.
