The Study Of Municipal Solid Waste Management And The Environmental Impacts Of Artisanal Gold Mining

Municipal solid waste management has become a global concern.It affects all countries at all levels of development-especially developing countries.Economic development,urbanization,population growth and massive industrialization in most countries have brought about increases in the waste generated or produced.However,solid waste increases are expected to rise even faster than imagined as the world develops.It is necessary for countries to explore measures that effectively manage waste because poorly managed waste affects other sectors the economy such as health and even the global environment due to greenhouse gas emissions from the organic components in municipal solid waste.It is safe to say the highly developed countries have effective waste disposal tools and policies that meet international standards.But in most developing countries,there are issues with the collection,sorting,transportation,treatment,and disposal of solid waste.Currently,sustainable waste management puts emphasis on waste source reduction,reuse,and recovery through thermal application;as opposed to mere waste collection and dumping or landfilling.For example,while the effective application of the above principle of 3Rs-forms the basis for sound waste management;it equally guarantees a reduction in methane produced from waste thus reducing overall greenhouse gases available as both are intricately linked.The study,therefore,explores solid waste issues and prospects in Ghana and China to see how best these two countries could tap into the other’s waste management strengths while providing a common platform for cooperation to address their challenges on municipal solid waste as trade partners.Similarly;artisanal gold mining(AGM)has numerous socio-economic benefits to communities involved.AGM communities are besieged with issues such as water pollution,land degradation and air pollution which affect almost all facets of the environment including humans.Most miners have no idea about alternative technologies to make AGM sustainable,yet Ghana ranks next to South Africa as the highest producers of gold in Africa.The second part of this sutdy discusses the consequences of AGM for stakeholders to regularize AGM activities;and adopt alternative methods to mitigate the damage caused to the environment.