Solid Waste Generation, Composition and Recycling Opportunities at Juaso Senior High Technical School, Ashanti Region, Ghana

Solid waste management remains a significant environmental challenge in educational institutions, particularly where increasing student populations, consumption activities and, inadequate waste management infrastructure place pressure on existing collection and disposal systems. This study assessed solid waste generation, composition, and recycling opportunities at Juaso Senior High Technical School in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A quantitative waste characterization approach was employed to determine the quantity and composition of solid waste generated at six selected sampling points comprising one selected student residential house (House A), Dining Hall, Classroom Block, Laboratory Block, Open Space and, Administration Block. Waste was collected and weighed at the selected sampling points during the study period and subsequently sorted into organic, plastic, paper, metal, glass, textile, and e-waste. Descriptive statistics, including total waste mass, mean daily generation, percentage composition, and standard deviations, were used to summarise the results. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to test whether mean daily waste generation differed across the six sampling points. The study recorded a total of 6,846.80 kg of waste over the 14-day period, corresponding to an overall mean of 489.06 kg/day. The Student Residential House (House A) recorded the highest total (1,900.00 kg), followed by the Dining Hall (1,500.00 kg), whereas the Laboratory Block recorded the lowest (696.80 kg). Organic waste was the dominant component (46.87%), followed by plastics (25.72%) and paper (16.21%). Plastics, paper, metals, and glass together accounted for approximately 47.93% of the total waste stream, indicating potential for material recovery, while the high organic fraction suggests opportunities for composting. Smaller proportions of metals, glass, textiles, and e-waste were also recorded. However, the absence of effective source segregation may limit material recovery. The study provides an institution-specific baseline to support waste segregation, recycling, and composting at Juaso Senior High Technical School.

Characterization, generation, composition, recycling, resource recovery

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