Ghana’s government plans to provide waste bins to households nationwide and replace open waste-carrying tricycles with self-loading and self-sealing trucks, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has announced.
The measures are intended to make waste disposal easier and improve the way rubbish is collected, transported and processed.
Speaking at the World Sanitation Day celebration at Rawlings Park in Accra on October 3, Mr Ayariga said residents should not be required to travel long distances to dispose of household waste.
He said the inconvenience particularly affected women and children, and that providing bins closer to homes would encourage households to take greater responsibility for waste management.
The minister said the planned trucks would replace the open tricycles currently used to carry waste. The proposed system would enable organic and solid waste to be separated from the point of collection through to its arrival at the landfill site.
Recyclable materials would then be recovered, while waste that could not be recycled would be disposed of properly, he said.
Mr Ayariga also revealed that the government was considering working with corporate organisations to maintain and improve streets named after notable individuals and institutions.
Under the proposed partnership, companies with strong financial capacity could be given responsibility for selected streets. Their duties could include cleaning, providing and maintaining street lighting, landscaping and looking after pavements.
The minister said the arrangement would allow companies to support urban development while helping to ensure that streets were cleaner and better maintained.
He added that the programme could generate employment for thousands of young people, who would work on street maintenance under the supervision of the relevant authorities.
The proposed initiatives form part of wider efforts to improve sanitation and waste management in communities across Ghana.
Speaking at the same event, the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, assured market women that President John Dramani Mahama remained committed to improving sanitation in the Greater Accra Region.
Mr Allotey said the President was determined to tackle the difficulties facing traders and improve conditions in markets throughout the region.
He made the commitment during an engagement with traders at Rawlings Park, held as part of activities marking World Sanitation Day.
Mr Allotey also reaffirmed the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s commitment to working with stakeholders to create market environments that are clean, safe and healthy.
