PROPOSAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF

A MATERIAL RECOVERY PLANT AT THE

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE EDUCATION,
UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION WINNEBA

DEVELOPED BY:

ISAAC MONNEY

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SANITATION EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION WINNEBA

Introduction
Waste is an inevitable outcome of the various anthropogenic activities in any society. It is
usually regarded as worthless and destined for waste disposal sites. However, studies have
shown that waste could be a potentially valuable resource for other uses when properly
managed. For solid waste in particular, a thorough knowledge of its composition is
essential in the design of an effective management system that does not only aim at
disposing of the waste generated but also recovering valuable items for other uses.

Although the recovery of valuable items from solid waste stream has numerous benefits to
the society and the environment, it has not received the attention it deserves particularly in
Africa and for that matter Ghana. Currently, the enormous amounts of solid waste
generated across the country are only collected and disposed of mostly into landfills
without regard to the potential benefits of material/energy recovery. Apart from the easily
noticeable merit of reducing the total volume of solid waste that ends up at the disposal
site, recovering materials from the solid waste stream for other uses also conserves natural
resources. In the case of organic material recovery from solid waste, the resultant compost
enhances soil fertility to support plant growth eventually contributing to food security and
poverty alleviation. Studies in this respect are therefore crucial to forestall the risks posed
by solid waste to public health and the environment and create a shift towards sustainable
management of this valuable resource.

Project Justification
With the increasing student population on CAGRIC campus, it is anticipated that solid
waste generation would concurrently increase, thereby calling for a proactive approach to
solid waste management. To shift from existing management practices to a more
sustainable management system, it is critical to review the existing conditions and identify
its associated problems and alternative solutions. This requires forward-thinking studies to
tackle the potential challenges emanating from the voluminous amount of waste currently
generated and that likely to be generated on campus with time.

Currently, due the inadequacy of the solid waste storage facility crude dumping of waste is
sometimes practiced when the facility is either full or taken away for emptying. The
consequences of this practice are not far-fetched, and include environmental nuisance,
generation of offensive odour and above all presents adverse health effects. However,
several valuable items can be recovered from the solid waste stream. These recoverable
components (papers and plastics) could be either sold to recycling companies or (organics)
used as a composting material to support plant growth on the College's farms. Meanwhile,
as an Agricultural College, there exist the opportunity to turn this problem into a business
venture and a learning platform for students and professionals through the recovery of
biodegradable portions of waste. The resulting compost could be utilised on demonstration

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farms to grow crops and support research while the other component could be sold to
recycling companies to generate income.

It is against this backdrop that this project being proposed to promote environmental
cleanliness on CAGRIC campus, rake in profits for the College as well as support research
development and knowledge dissemination, among others.

Main Goal
The project mainly seeks to recover valuable items from the solid waste stream produced
on the College of Agriculture Education campus of the University of Education, Winneba.

Specific Goals
The definite goals under the main theme are to:
-characterize solid waste on campus
-assess feasibility of source separation of solid waste on CAGRIC campus
-recover and utilize valuable materials from solid waste

Development Framework
The project is divided into three main phases:

-PHASE ONE: waste characterisation

-PHASE TWO: feasibility studies on source separation

-PHASE THREE: design and construction of material recovery plant

-PHASE FOUR: production and utilization of organic components of solid waste

At present, phase one has been completed and the results are shown in appendix 1. The
proposed designs of the material recovery plant to be constructed are shown in append 2.

Anticipated Outcomes
Eventually the project is expected to produce the following results:

 Profit generation
 Reduce amount of solid waste for disposal
 Promote environmental cleanliness on campus
 Promote research development and knowledge dissemination

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Appendices
APPENDIX 1:

Solid waste from Block 5, Chapel and JCRC monitored for 14 days
Waste Cumulative Percentage Average SD
Component quantity (kg) (%)
Organics 146.7 55 10.5 2.0
Plastics 58.6 22 4.2 1.4
Paper 23.4 9 1.7 1.1
Metal 7.7 3 0.6 0.3
Glass 11.0 4 0.8 0.7
Others 19.9 7 1.4 1.1
Total 267.3

Solid waste from LT3, SRC secretariat and Females Block monitored for 19 days
Waste Cumulative Percentage (%) Average SD
Component quantity (kg)
Organics 187.7 37 9.9 1.6
Plastics 105.8 21 5.6 1.4
Paper 120.4 24 6.3 2.2
Metal 18.1 4 1.0 0.3
Glass 18.0 4 0.9 0.5
Others 56.5 11 3.0 0.6
Total 506.5

Solid waste from blocks 1, 2 and 3 monitored for 28 days

Waste Component Quantity (kg) Percentage (%) Average SD
Organics 379.4 61 13.6 1.3
Plastics 117.8 19 4.2 1.2
Paper 31.7 5 1.1 0.5
Metal 41.0 7 1.2 0.6
Glass 34.8 6 1.5 1.1
Others 14.6 2 0.5 0.2
Total 619.3
Cumulative proportions of solid waste
Waste Component Quantity (kg) Proportion (%)
Organic 713.84 51%
Plastic 282.15 20%
Paper 175.52 13%
Metal 60.6 4%
Glass 70 5%

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Miscellaneous 91 7%
Total 1393.1

APPENDIX 2:

PROPOSED LAYOUT OF COMPOSTING AREA

DEMONSTRATION FARM

WINDROWS/DRYING BEDS

STORE SORTING &

LAB SHREDDING
OFFICES SHED
LAB
OFFICES

OPTION A OPTION B

UDDT
WASHROOM
OFFICES

CHANGING
ROOM
CONFERENCE EQUIPMENT
ROOM STORAGE/LAB
OFFICES

CHANGING
ROOM

LOBBY EQUIPMENT 5 LOBBY

STORAGE/LAB