KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF CHEMICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINNEERING

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

CENG 291-ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY

MANAGEMENT OF THE INREASED PLASTIC WASTE IN
KUBEKROM NO. 2

BY:
JULIUS DUGBATEY
INDEX-7339421

DECEMBER,2022

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 DECLARATION
I solemnly declare that the project report titled (MANAGEMENT OF PLASTIC WASTE IN
KUBEKROM NO.2 is based on my own work undertaken under the general supervision of
Dr. Wahib Faisal Adams. I assert the statements made and conclusions drawn are an outcome
of my research work.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I first and foremost give thanks to the Almighty God who has given me the grace to follow
through with this project to an eventual completion.

I am grateful to my family for the support and words of encouragement that they gave me
throughout the compilation of this report.

I also appreciate the cooperation of the members of the community during this whole project.
The warm welcome they gave me and the time they dedicated to respond to my questions and
provide helpful suggestions to this project.

I also express my deepest appreciation to my senior course mates, friends who supported me
in any way and granted me the possibility to complete this report and the guidance given by
the ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY (CENG 291) supervisors or coordinators over social
media that has improved this report presentation due to their comments and advise.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT
DECLARATION.......................................................................................................................ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT........................................................................................................iii

CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE COURSE..................................................................................1

1.2 Objectives of the assignment................................................................................................1

1.2.1 Main Objective..................................................................................................................1

1.2.2 Specific Objective.............................................................................................................1

1.3 REPORT CONTENT...........................................................................................................1

CHAPTER TWO.......................................................................................................................3

METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................................3

2.1 Identification of the problem................................................................................................3

2.2 Survey/questionnaire............................................................................................................3

2.3 Map preparation...................................................................................................................3

2.4 Data collection......................................................................................................................3

2.4.1 QUESTIONNAIRE...........................................................................................................4

2.4.2 RESEARCH......................................................................................................................4

CHAPTER THREE....................................................................................................................5

DISCUSION OF RESULTS......................................................................................................5

3.1 DESCRIPTION OF MY COMMUNITY............................................................................5

CAUSES....................................................................................................................................6

UNNECESSARY USE OF PLASTIC.......................................................................................6

OVERUSE OF PLASTIC..........................................................................................................6

WRONG PLACES OF DISPOSING PLASTIC........................................................................7

NATURE....................................................................................................................................7

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION..........................................................................................8

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HEALTH THREATS.................................................................................................................8

BLOCKING OF DRAINS.........................................................................................................8

ABOUT MY PROGRAMME OF STUDY...............................................................................8

INDUSTRIAL ENGINNEERING.............................................................................................8

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING......................................................................................................9

QUALITY ENGINEERING......................................................................................................9

ENERGY MANAGEMENT......................................................................................................9

SAFETY ENGINEERING.........................................................................................................9

WHY MANAGE THE INCREASED PLASTIC WASTE OF KUBEKROM NO. 2...............9

SOLUTION..............................................................................................................................10

CONCEPT ONE: PROVISION OF DISPOSING UNITS AT VANTAGE POINTS............10

ADVANTAGES OF CONCEPT ONE....................................................................................11

DISADVANTAGES................................................................................................................11

CONCEPT TWO: RECYCLING WHAT IS RECYCLABLE................................................11

CONCEPT THREE: RE-PURPOSING OF PLASTIC............................................................13

RESULT FROM EVALUATION...........................................................................................15

CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................15

RECOMMENDATION...........................................................................................................15

REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................16

APPENDIX..............................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION LETTER....................................................................................................18

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE COURSE
Course Name: ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY (CENG 291)

Engineering is a field that requires the application of scientific procedures to tackle problems.
Like the saying goes, practice makes man perfect, the ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY course
(CENG 291) challenges all first year engineering students to find problems related to their
field of study in their various communities and suggest effective solutions to them.

The course does not only improve student’s sense of innovation but it encourages them to
appreciate solving of societal problems that will lead to development.

The course was introduced under the initiative of the provost of the college of engineering
and was being made to be deliberately taken early by students. This is to open them up to the
main aim of engineering which is problem solving right from year one so that they quickly
familiarize themselves.

1.2 Objectives of the assignment

1.2.1 Main Objective

The main objective is to manage plastic waste in KUBEKROM NO.2

1.2.2 Specific Objective

Suggesting an economically cheaper but very effective concept/solution to the problem of

unmanaged plastic waste in KUBEKROM NO.2

1.3 REPORT CONTENT

• Identification of disturbing problem in KUBEKROM NO.2; Unmanaged plastic waste

• Description of my community
• Description of the problem: causes and effects

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• Approach in solving the problem(surveys,etc)
• Conceptual design, selection of effective concept
• Implementation of selected concept/solution
• Conclusion and recommendation

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 CHAPTER TWO

METHODOLOGY

2.1 Identification of the problem

Every community is one way or the other faced with some challenges and my community is
no exception. I have been living in KUBEKROM NO.2 quite not long ago but I have
witnessed some few disturbing problems myself. Almost everywhere in the community, there
are plastic litters such as plastic sachets, bottles, wrappers, packages and polythene along our
streets which accumulates and remain time to time

To ascertain the problem identification and be sure it was a general problem, I embarked on a
three days survey moving round different parts of the community while keenly looking at
problems of interest, questioning other members of the community and also seeking expert
opinion from elders and stakeholders of the community.

2.2 Survey/questionnaire
A survey was conducted to ascertain whether the problem of unmanaged plastic waste was
indeed an issue of concern. Members enthusiastically welcomed my questionnaires and
readily answered them and also gave me their opinions. Tables 1 and figure 1 below shows
the data I gathered through enquiries and the filing of questionnaires by members.

2.3 Map preparation

I relied on google maps for an outline of the map my area. I took cognizance of some well-
known landmarks of my community and with that as reference, I obtained a map of my
community. I came up with both an outline map and a satellite version of the map of the area.

2.4 Data collection

I needed to gather some data in order to kick-start my project. It was done in such a way as to
provide a very precise and accurate result. To do this I used the following approaches:

 Informal interviews with my family

 Informal interviews with some community members
 Questionnaires to random members of my community.
 Internet based research

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2.4.1 QUESTIONNAIRE

2.4.2 RESEARCH

I apart from interviews and questionnaires I engaged with my community, I also extensively
used the internet to probe more into the issue of plastic waste, its causes and effect and how
others have been able to manage the predicament. This went a long way to enable me project
and propose efficient and practical solutions to the problem.

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 CHAPTER THREE

DISCUSION OF RESULTS

3.1 DESCRIPTION OF MY COMMUNITY

Kubekrom no.2 is the name of my community. Kubekrom no.2 is a town in the Greater Accra
region with a population of about eight hundred (800). Some communities surrounding
Kubekrom no.2 include Zenu, Atadeka, Ashaiman,Oyibi and Appolonia. Kubekrom no.2 is a
semi-developed community with access to basic social amenities such as water and
electricity. The community can also boast of having basic infrastructure like schools,
Hospitals and Industries that produce drinking water. Majority of working population are into

trading activities with just a few into white collar jobs.

“Would you believe if I told you nearly 400 million tons of plastic waste is
produced by the world every year?”
There is an annual 9% increment in the global production of plastic waste. This means that,
the amount of plastic waste produced by our various communities is continuously on the rise.

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Based on my research about the problem of increased plastic waste in KUBEKROM NO.2,
the following are some causes of the problem:

CAUSES

• Unnecessary use of plastic

• Overuse of plastic
• Wrong places of disposing plastic
• Nature

UNNECESSARY USE OF PLASTIC

Plastic is everywhere, even on those items you may not expect them to be. Milk cartons are
lined with plastic and some products may even contain tiny plastic beads. We would always
need the help of plastic as usual but putting them on almost every item is what becomes the
problem as it increases the plastic waste content of our communities. Plastic takes over 400
years to decompose and although the decomposition rate of plastic can vary depending on the
type, however, this typically ranges from 50 to 600 years. As a result, for such a long period
of time they get accumulated in our communities and thereby releasing their toxic
compounds into the land, hence degrading it. Instead of using plastic for almost everything
even if not necessary, we could use some of these more environmentally friendly materials
like paper.

OVERUSE OF PLASTIC

As plastic is less expensive, it is one of the most widely available and overused items. Since
it is an affordable and durable material, it is utilized in every other way possible, from
packaging materials to plastic bottles and containers, straw to plastic carry bags. And because
they are so cheap, we have a disposal mentality. When disposed off too, it does not
decompose easily and pollutes the land or air when burned in the open.

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WRONG PLACES OF DISPOSING PLASTIC

My research on my community has clearly shown me one of the root causes of the increased
plastic waste in the community. Inhabitants of Kubekrom No.2 are no exception of the
practice of disposing plastic anywhere. The problem can be clearly understood since there are
no bins for disposal at vantage points of the community and so anywhere could be a dumping
site for plastic waste.

NATURE

With regards to the problem of increased plastic waste in the Community, nature also is a
causing factor but it only becomes a causing factor when the above causes are already
existing. Because there are no disposing units around, plastic that find their way into the
environment are ultimately being carried away by wind across everywhere and there the
problem proceeds. The natural phenomenon of wind stop been a cause if we are able to arrest
the initial causes of the problem.

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 EFFECTS OF THE PROBLEM
• Environmental pollution
• Health threats
• Blocking of drains

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Plastic waste left on our environment exposes the environment to pollution. As plastic is
made from hazardous chemical families like heavy metals, flame retardants, phthalates,
bisphenols, and fluorinated compounds, all such chemicals are released into the land thereby
rendering it polluted. Evidently, the sustainability of the quality of land to future generations
become absolutely uncertain.

HEALTH THREATS

Our health is affected directly or indirectly by the plastic waste that exists in our
environment. When in the soil, our soil gets polluted and so crops are grown in
contaminated soil and when burnt too, toxic chemicals are released into the air
which then contaminates the air and this exposes us to diseases such as cancer,
cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases like asthma.

BLOCKING OF DRAINS

Plastic waste in Kubekrom No. 2 has increased to the very point of blocking passage way of
water. Most parts of the community suffers flood whenever there is a heavy down pour.
Because of the already existing plastic such as polythene, bottles, sachets, wrappers, and
plastic containers on our roads and some being carried by wind into our gutters. It has been
an issue of the inhabitants of the community which they have raised voices to very loudly.

ABOUT MY PROGRAMME OF STUDY

INDUSTRIAL ENGINNEERING

Industrial Engineering is a branch of engineering management concerned with how to make

or do things better, crossing a range of disciplines associated with manufacturing industrial or
consumer products. In other words, it involves the optimization of complex processes and
systems. It looks at ways of reducing waste and rather maximizing productivity in

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engineering setups (firms). Industrial Engineering is a broad field of study and has many sub
disciplines. Some are:

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
This is an inter disciplinary field of enginnering and enginnering management
that fouses on how to design, integrate and manage complex systems over their
life cycles. As its core, systems engineering utilizes systems thinking principles
to organize this body of knowledge.
QUALITY ENGINEERING

This is the discipline of engineering that concerns itself with the principles and practice of
product and service quality assurance and control. Quality Engineers focus on optimizing
product quality which W. EDWARDS DEMING defined as

Quality = results of work efforts/ total costs

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

It includes planning and operation of energy production and energy consumption units as
well as energy distribution and storage. It is a systematic endeavor to optimize energy
efficiency for specific political, economic, and environmental objectives through Engineering
and Management techniques.

SAFETY ENGINEERING

This is an engineering principle which assures that engineered systems provide acceptable
levels of safety. It is strongly related to industrial engineering/systems engineering, and the
subset system safety engineering. Safety Engineering assures that a life-critical system
behaves as needed, even when components fail.

WHY MANAGE THE INCREASED PLASTIC WASTE OF KUBEKROM NO. 2

 Presrve the quality of our environment. This means that we would breathe
clean air and grow crops in clean soil.
 Ensure good health of inhabitants
 Eschew flood.

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SOLUTION

In this report, there are three different concepts/solutions mentioned to the problem of
“increased plastic waste in KUBEKROM NO. 2”. At the end of the report, one of them will
be selected over the others based on the criteria of concept evaluation.

CONCEPT ONE: PROVISION OF DISPOSING UNITS AT VANTAGE POINTS.

The main reason why people leave plastic waste on the streets and the environment is
because there are no bins for disposal around them. To solve the problem, a committee
should be formed to mobilize fund from the inhabitants to purchase these bins for plastic
waste. Again, the committee would have to be responsible of supervising the disposal of the
waste to the nearest landfill as this is this the commonest and cheap way of dealing with
waste in Ghana.

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ADVANTAGES OF CONCEPT ONE

• It is easier and simple

• It is effective
• A faster means of solving the problem

DISADVANTAGES

• Expensive cost in transporting waste to land fills

CONCEPT TWO: RECYCLING WHAT IS RECYCLABLE

This concept looks at recycling plastic into useful products. It requires the help of a recycling
machine to achieve this goal. With this concept, all the plastic waste bins of the community
will rather not be sent to landfills to be buried, but will be sent to the recycling machine for
recycling. A committee would have to be set up to raise funds from the people to undertake
the project. A location would have to be chosen, which could be in the middle of the
community, where the recycling machine would be installed. Plastic waste bins from every
part of the community would be sent there for sorting out of recyclable portions to produce
products like slippers, shoes, chairs, bowls, etc

The products could be sold hence, job/ business opportunities are created for the
youth of the community.

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 This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

ADVANTAGES OF CONCEPT TWO

• Reliable
• More effective
• Lucrative

DISADVANTAGES
• High cost of affording a recycling machine
• Not all plastic are recyclable.

CONCEPT THREE: RE-PURPOSING OF PLASTIC

Repurposing of plastic implies realizing the other potential uses of plastic other than the
intended one. So, the borders of their uses could be broken and extended to serve other
purposes as well. To be able to achieve this project of re-purposing of the plastic waste of

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KUBEKROM NO.2, a committee must be formulated to first mobilize some funds from
community members to provide bins for collecting plastic waste at vantage points of the
community. The committee would then be responsible for going for all these bins with
disposed plastic such as bottles, polythene, wrappers and pure water sachets. The committee
would be charged with the task of re-purposing them into useable and sellable products.
Based on my research about this, plastic bottles could be gathered and re-purposed to thrash
bins and also used on farms as water sprinklers when connected to water systems(tap).

Another research revealed how polythene, wrappers and pure water sachets could be made
into plastic threads(strands) which could be woven traditionally into market bags, etc. The re-
purposed plastic products could be sold out to generate income.

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ADVANTAGES OF CONCEPT THREE

• Cheaper
• Effective
• Reliable
• Creates job opportunities (i.e very lucrative)

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DISADVANTAGES
• Plastic is still produced

RESULT FROM EVALUATION

From the evaluation table, concept 3 is cheaper to undertake, more reliable, effective and
lucrative as compared to concepts 1 and 2. As such, the chosen solution to the problem of
“increased plastic waste in KUBEKROM NO. 2” is concept 3 and it was chosen on the basis
of cost, reliability, effectiveness and how lucrative it could be.

CONCLUSION
The problem of increased plastic waste is no new problem of which our community is first to
face. And it’s as a result of the indispensability of plastic in our world today. However, re-
purposing our plastic waste will rather put them into the state of becoming useful to us again
through relatively cheaper means.


RECOMMENDATION

All community members should dispose plastic waste into bins at various vantage points. We
must ourselves exhibit good environmental ethics by making use of bins at vantage points to
gently dispose our unneeded plastic. Community members should avail themselves to
forming committees that would embark on the project and together, the increased plastic
waste in the community would successfully be managed.

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REFERENCES
Google maps

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/257127459967546449/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/13370130135873539/

https://cleanstreets.westminster.gov.uk/plastic-waste-complete-guide/#6

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/668714244684119030/

https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-industrial-
engineering

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-plastic-
pollution.php

https://images.app.goo.gl/s8Wd728TTyPk5uP

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 APPENDIX
Sample Questionnaire

A SURVEY ON THE PROBLEM OF INCREASED PLASTIC WASTE IN

KUBEKROM NO.2
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. The following questions are jeered
towards finding how increased plastic waste is an issue of concern.

• How long have you lived in KUBEKROM NO.2?

 1-12 months
 1-2 years
 above 2 years

• Gender
 male
 Female

 Is flood really prevalent

 Yes

 No

 What form of waste is produced in high quantity

 Plastic

 Liquid waste

 Others

 Are waste bins available for plastic disposal

 Yes

 No

 Is the problem of plastic waste an urgent problem in the community

 Yes

 No

INTRODUCTION LETTER

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