Willingness to pay for efficient waste management: the case of Bolgatanga Municipality

Abstract

This study sought to determine how much individual households are willing to pay for efficient solid waste management in the Bolgatanga municipality as well as what factors influence people's demand for the services at a particular price. In pursuance of this, the contingent valuation method which employed the biding game was used. Using cross tabulation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) the calculated mean willingness to pay (WTP) was Cl6,750. The income variable was found to have a significant effect on the individuals' WTP. Through the interaction dummy variables model, the income elasticity was 0.37. It was also found that occupation (OCC), level of education (EDU), the interaction between sex and occupation(SOC) and the interaction between sex and education (SED), as well as income(lnY) which is the covariate were all significant. Thus the antilog of the differential effects of OCC, EDU, SOC and SED were found to be; 0.64194, 1.65571, 1.69476 and 0.44884, respectfully. Thus the mean WTP of SOC was higher by C2.3367, while the mean WTP of SED was also higher by C2.10455. It is recommended that differential pricing as well as door-to-door refuse collection in selected areas among other services be put in place to ensure efficient refuse management in the municipality.