Assessment of Refuse Shute Practices in Medium-Rise Buildings Within the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Purpose: This study explores how waste can be effectively managed and controlled in medium-rise buildings in Ghana. This was to ease the struggle, pain, and inconveniences and safely accumulate in one discreet location that people do not inhabit. Hence the study aims to assess refuse chute practices in medium-rise buildings within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative approach methodology technique was adopted for the study covering Accra Central, where people mostly live in medium-rise buildings. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire survey. The study employed a random sampling technique. A sample size of 150 was used, while data obtained from the study were analysed and presented in a frequency distribution, percentages, and inferential statistics with SPSS. Findings: The study found that respondents have limited access to refuse chutes in their medium-rise buildings. The study reveals the benefits of using garbage chutes as convenient disposal, a hygienic environment, waste segregation for recycling, prevention of gem development, and no physical contact with refuse. The study further discovered that strategies to overcome the challenges of not using refuse chutes include checking chute design in permit approval, monitoring chute construction, and developing policies on chute construction. Implications/Research Limitations: The revelation of this research means it is essential for an agency or authority mandated to regulate building construction activities to enforce the law regarding incorporating refuse chutes in medium-rise buildings. The present study was limited to the Greater Accra Region; however, the study could have been broadened further to cover the entire country due to the population increase where people live in medium-rise buildings. Practical Implications: The Study’s discovery is significant to building approval institutions that medium-rise building plans must incorporate refuse chutes before approval is issued. Originality/Value: literature in Ghana indicates little or no studies on refuse chute practice in medium-rise buildings in Ghana. The outcomes of the research have proven that a refuse chute is not popular in the country, so it is imperative to incorporate one to ease the struggle, pain, and inconveniences for the occupants of the medium-rise building. Founded on previous empirical and theoretical studies, the results of this research contribute to knowledge and understanding of the refuse chute practises in medium-rise buildings in Ghana.