The Health-trash Nexus in Challenging Environments: A Spatial Mixed Methods Analysis of Accra, Ghana

Abstract Background: Increasing urbanization in Ghana has led to a waste management crisis with multiple public health consequences. The contextualized mapping of what is dumped, where and why might provide vital on-the-ground support to address the problem itself, as well as the spillover disease impacts. One of the biggest challenges, however, are the required spatial and temporal granular data. Methods: In this paper, we employ a spatial mixed methods approach to investigate the issue of waste management through the lens of health and disparity in Teshie, a suburb of Accra, Ghana. Environmental health risks digitized and mapped from these data sources included trash, plant overgrowth, drains and stagnant water. Results: There was an overlaying relationship between trash and open drains. Open drains encouraged the indiscriminate disposal of trash and also served as a cheaper alternative to paying for waste pick up. Poverty played an intricate role in influencing a trash disposal complex at the sub-neighborhood scale.Conclusion: The trash situation in Teshie is a complex one with varied levels of risks for infectious diseases.