As part of the strategies to improve waste management in Ghana, CDDF President Prof. K. M. Bosompem, initiated research into sustainable waste sorting at the household level in the Dangme East District. The first research project was conducted by Kofi Kyenkyenhene Appawu, a student from the Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, in 2005. The research investigated the feasibility of sorting waste at the household level for innovative poverty reduction in the community. The project was entitled ‘Household Garbage Management in the Dangme East District: Feasibility of Sorting Garbage at the Household Level for Agricultural Production’.

The results showed that over 82% of persons in the community interviewed were willing to sort garbage if they were requested. Nearly 60% of the residents of the study site believe there is a relationship between garbage management and household development and therefore there was need to sort garbage. They believe garbage could either be recycled to generate biogas, used as fertilizer, or for land reclamation. They also believe that there is a relationship between garbage management and health, since improper collection and disposal of garbage could bring about outbreak of diseases ranging from cholera, typhoid to malaria. However, the proper management of waste will result in good environmental health conditions and increase the yield of farmers.

The research was supervised by Dr. Steve Tonah, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, Legon and Prof. K. M. Bosompem, who is also a research scientist at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).

In March 2007 CDDF initiated discussions with the Coordinator and workers of Zoomlion Ghana Ltd. in the Dangme East District about working together to implement a novel Community Directed Development (CDD)-based model of sustainable waste management at the household level. CDDF is in the process of discussing further with the management of Zoomlion Ghana Ltd. about a nationwide campaign in Ghana that will be extended to the rest of Africa.