Accra: Decongestion exercise reduces waste by 30%

The ongoing efforts by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to decongest the city and prevent trading activities on principal streets and pedestrian walkways of Accra has reduced waste collection from the Central Business District by 30 percent.

The exercise, according to the Mr. Gilbert Ankrah, Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, has reduced the cost of collection.

He added that pedestrians can now move without wrestling through hawkers and traders to get to their destination.

AMA on Monday, 19th February 2018 presented 300 Waste bins to 15 public Senior High School in the metropolis to kick start waste segregation programme for Senior High Schools (SHS).

In an interview with journalists after the presentation, AMA PRO, Mr. Gilbert Ankrah mentioned that the assembly currently collects less than a third of the waste collect before the exercise began in January 2018.

He said the assembly as part of efforts to actualize the clean city agenda, and make the Presidents vison of making Accra the cleanest a reality had adopted a four-pronged approach, which focuses on education, enforcement, provision of infrastructure and equipment, and operational strategy.

”Since the decongestion exercise began, the volume of waste we collect in the central business district has reduced by 30%. This is because previously we use three compaction trucks with a capacity of 8.2 tons each to lift the waste from the Tudu traffic light to Kwasia Dzwasu, but now only one truck is used for the same stretch,” he said.

“We were using two compaction trucks for the King Tackie Tawiah statue area through 31st December to the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD), and the Railways area to the Rawlings park area but now only one truck is used, on the same stretch… This means that Waste generated on that stretch has also reduced by half," he added.

He said the volumes collected around the Adjaben area from Farisco to NIB, has also reduced by five tonnes compared to the initial volume of ten tonnes on the same stretch adding that traders who sell along the pavements contribute largely to the waste generated in the city.

"The intense trading activities on the city streets lead to congestion and consequently waste generation that create filth…If we have over three thousand people selling on the streets illegally, with each of them generating about 0.74kg  of waste , you can imagine the quantity of waste to be generated daily," he stressed.

He indicated that the AMA has outsourced waste management and waste collection to private companies and urged all residents to look out for these companies and register with them.

"Jekora Ventures and Asadu Royal Waste Company Limited have been assigned to Osu Klottey and Ablekuma North, respectively whiles Liberty Waste is responsible for the waste in Dansoman.

“The Okaikoi South area, Ayawaso West, and the Abossey Okai enclave have all been assigned to J Owusu and Zoom Domestic Services Limited," he said adding that   Alliance  Waste is expected to  collect waste around the  Nima and Abeka areas.

He announced that the assembly would soon roll out a programme to streamline and regulate the activities of motorized tricycles in the collection of waste in the city.

"We want them to be law-abiding citizens and stop dumping waste at unauthorised areas in the capital," he said, adding that because they are unable to transport the waste to longer distances they resort to dumping anywhere. We are currently introducing waste collections points and waste mobile transfer stations for easy dumping of waste in the city," he said.

He called on all traders and the general public to support efforts by the assembly to rid the city of filth to ensure that the President's dream of making Accra the cleanest city becomes a reality.

Ghana | atinkaonline.com

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