Landfill externalities and property values dilemma – emerging insights from three Ghanaian cities

ABSTRACT

Though debates about the negative impact landfill exerts on land and property values are by no means historically new, research into the case of developing countries has only recently begun. This article attempts to synthesise existing literature on the subject through the analysis of three case studies to enhance our understanding, especially the contextual conditions surrounding the relationship. Applying this theoretical framework to the disposal practices occurring in three cities in Ghana, this article offers insight into the culpability of landfills in negatively impacting property values. In an illuminating analysis, we argue that most engineered landfills in the country serve as a catalyst in correcting the ills of uncontrolled urbanisation (governance, attitudinal and financial constraints, etc.). We opine that landfills’ relationship with host communities must be understood in relation to our overall underdevelopment, coupled with the increasing economic and technical challenges shaping much of the country’s history.

KEYWORDS:

• Disamenity
• landfill
• property values
• urbanisation
• waste disposal

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to the research assistants who took time off to join us in the field. The paper has no financial obligation to any institution or agency but has benefited greatly from the constructive comments of the anonymous referees and the editors of the journal.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Martin Oteng-Ababio is an Assosciate Professor and Coordinator of the Urban Disaster Risk Reduction Programme in the Department of Geography and Resource Management, University of Ghana. He researches on urban and regional development, urban environmental management and urban disaster risk reduction.

Ebenezer Owusu-Sekyere is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Development Studies, University for Development Studies. His current research includes solid waste management and landfill externalities in Ghana.

Samuel Twumasi Amoah is a Lecturer in the Department of Environment and Resource Studies, University for Development Studies. His teaching and research focuses on urban and regional development issues.

Notes

1 Fatal flaws are areas that prohibit the development of environmentally or publicly acceptable disposal sites.

2 The LULU/NIMBY syndrome (an acronym for ‘locally and unwanted land-uses/not in my backyard’) has become one of waste’s controversial issues. How to break through the predicaments of the syndrome in the siting process becomes one of the most difficult tasks for site designers and urban planners.

3 Most local authorities have defied the EPA’s directive for buffer zones, with some houses situated virtually in the landfills.

4 An assembly member is a person from a local government electoral area within a district elected by universal adult suffrage.