Perceptions of workers on the benefits of institutional source sorting: A case of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Institute of Industrial Research (CSIR-IIR), Accra, Ghana

The management of solid wastes at the workplace in Ghana is characterised by mixed wastes pickup delays, dustbin overflows and leakage of plastic bags into the environment. Benefits from the pilot of source sorting as a mitigation measure at the workplace are unavailable in literature. Hence, the study employed descriptive statistical tools to assess the advantages of a piloted source sorting system at the CSIR-IIR. The sampled size was 100 staff with an 80% questionnaire recovery rate. The analysis of data showed that, the implementation of segregation at source transformed the social approach of workers towards waste management. Most workers (97.7%) preferred sorting their wastes at source irrespective of the location of the generation point. A congenial environment was created by the source separation infra­structure, which made staff worked better, (70% responses). The majority of staff (95.2%) confirmed the savings made by the Institute on the cost of landfilling. The sorting at source improved cleanliness of the compound (97.6% responses) and eliminated open-air burning of wastes (95.1% responses). In all, the source segregation was beneficial to the social, economic and environmental well-being of staff and management of the Institution.

Determinants of an Effective Solid Wastes Collection at the Workplace: the Experience of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana

The inefficient collection of solid wastes is a global phenomenon that has received attention in recent years for the ever-increasing annual waste generation records. However, indicators to the effective application of the amassing routs are missing. Hence, the generally accepted source-sorting model was explored to identify the determinants that will enhance source separation of wastes at the workplace. This paper presents a foremost report on the indicators to an effective operation of solid wastes source segregation. A quantitatively examined data was collected in sixty-six working days during a monitoring and evaluation process of twenty sets of twin-dustbins that were located at the study area. The generated solid wastes were commonly sorted (65%) in comparison with the mixed collection. Most of the wastes were separated on the third month (80%) of education compared to the first (54%) and second months (61%). Wednesday displayed the working day with the utmost sorted wastes (73%) compared to the other days. All dustbins recorded impressive sorting at the different locations in the Institute. A little over one thousand Ghana cedis savings was made in the first year. Tested null hypothesis showed that, duration and timing of continuous education were significant determinants of the efficient source segregation, relative to the dustbin locations. Therefore, the daily education of waste generators on how to separate wastes at source and the economic benefits will enhance source separation irrespective of the location.

A Linear Model for the Collection of Institutional Plastic Wastes in Ghana: A Case of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Industrial Research (CSIR-IIR)

The collection of plastic wastes (p-wastes) in Ghana has received attention in recent years. However, there are persistent disposal of the p-wastes into the environment with associated costs to life on land, sea and in the air. The collection of domestic and industrial p-wastes, con­tributes to the national recycling rates whilst the intuitional p-wastes lags behind with minimal backing and contributions. For this reason, the study sought to explore the structures required to improve plastic wastes collection at the workplace to enhance recycling and greener jobs. In the pilot study, workers at the CSIR-IIR were interviewed to determine a premier model for the efficient collection of the institutional plastic wastes. The methodology included random administration and retrieval of questionnaires, coding and tallying of survey responses, and the processing of generated data. The research questions bordered on the most generated solid and plastic wastes, the preferred mode of collection and the expected gains to the institution. Quali­tatively, plastic wastes were the most generated solid wastes. Purified water sachets formed the bulk of generated p-wastes. Source sorting was favoured over the mixed mode of collecting the solid wastes, which will contribute to income generation and a linear collection model. Keywords: Institutional plastic wastes, linear model, plastic wastes collection, source sorting of plastic wastes, model for plastic wastes collection.

Use of e-journals by the scientists of CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, India

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of electronic journals (e-journals) by the scientists of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) – a center of excellence in the field of genomics and integrative biology situated in Delhi, India. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the results of a well-structured questionnaire administered to all the scientists of the institute for the purpose of data collection. Findings – The main findings are that the scientists are more attracted toward e-journals specially on those provided by CSIR-NISCAIR Consortia, NKRC than those available via direct subscription. From this survey, the investigator has been able to find out that almost all the scientists are consulting e-journals from their campus cabin, not only for research purposes but also to update their own knowledge. The infrastructure to use e-journals are superb and there is no technological problem specially hardware and software support with high bandwidth of Internet speed exists here, as CSIR-IGIB uses largest computing facility (four Tflop/s) in Asia outside Japan (ranked 158th among the World’s Top 500 Super Computers). Respondents also identified that there is dire need for training in using e-resources and retrieving pinpointed information from the databases. Research limitations/implications – The present paper consists only of scientists and the geographical area is restricted to CSIR-IGIB, Delhi. The scope of the paper can be extended to additional CSIR libraries. A comparative study can also be made among some biological research libraries of CSIR Institutes. Originality/value – There are a number of studies on the use of e-journals by CSIR scientists, but this is the first of its kind which covers scientists of IGIB that has the largest computing facility (four Tflop/s) in Asia outside Japan. As such, it should pave the way for research and lead a model role for other CSIR Institutes as well as elsewhere.