parents at the dumpsite. Scavengers between ages 15 and 30
formed 55.6% of the population interviewed. About 43% of the
scavengers were between ages 41e50 while 1.4% of the scaven-
gers were made up of elderly people 50e60 years of age. These
findings about scavengers in Accra differ from scavengers in
Ilorin, Nigeria where all scavengers were less than 30 years of age
(Adeyemi, Olorunfemi, & Adewoye, 2001). Scavengers inter-
viewed at a landfill in Botswana were reported to be between
ages 16 and 39 with 64% of them being 16e24 years of age
(Rankokwane & Gwebu, 2006). Afon (2012) found that, 86.7% of
scavengers surveyed at a landfill in Lagos, Nigeria were 19e30
years of age. The findings from this study and the others cited
suggest that younger people below the age of 30 are more likely
to resort to scavenging as a means of livelihood than older
people.