People are sabotaging our litter bin project- Minister of sanitation

According to the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, some persons have sabotaged the ministry’s litter-bin project by dumping household waste into litter bins which were meant for road users in an attempt to curb public littering.

The ministry in a bid to improve the sanitation condition in the country, provided litter bins in Accra and some parts of the country to help tackle the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the streets.

However, the minister of sanitation has disclosed that the initiative has been fraught with challenges because some persons have resorted to dumping rubbish generated in their homes and businesses into the litter bins.

“People are trying to sabotage that (litter bin project) by bringing garbage from their homes to put in (bins), and that is very wrong. I humbly appeal to all of us, when we see people doing that, let us apprehend them and ensure that the right thing is done.”

The provision of the litter bins according to the minister was a pilot project introduced by the ministry. In the ministers’ report, a total of 5,100 litter bins were handed over to the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to be placed along selected streets and public places in some selected regional capitals of Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Ho, Dambai and Cape Coast to address public littering.

Ghana is currently facing a huge waste management problem. Most parts of Ghana’s cities are engulfed in filth, piles of rubbish can be found along major streets. Drains are usually choked with plastic waste which is poorly handled. Plastic waste management remains a problem to the country. The World Bank in 2012, estimated that Ghana loses 450 million cedis annually in tackling poor sanitation.

Madam Cecilia Dapaah stated that the “One-household, one-bin” and “One-business, one-bin” policy initiative within the Municipalities will improve waste management across the country. She also mentioned that efforts were being made to ensure that the waste bins are regularly emptied.

In response to a question raised by GhanaWeb’s reporter with regards to the segregation of the waste bins provided by her ministry, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah explained that lack of funding has been a major challenge in ensuring the segregation of the litter bins.

“As and when our frontiers are enlarged through funding, we will go into that (waste segregation). This was a pilot project that we introduced,” she answered.

“Government alone cannot through the yearly budget allocations provide the needed amenities at the required pace… we will continue to enhance the enabling environment to allow the private sector and other development partners to assist government bridge the yawning funding gab.”

With regards to improving recycling in the country, the minister commended the efforts of some private companies including Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP) by Zoomlion Ghana Limited which has the capacity to handle 800 tons of solid waste on a sixteen (16) hour shift.

The Minister, however, advised recycling companies to desist from discharging their waste water into water-bodies. The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources held a Press Briefing at the Ministry of Information on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, to share information and outline the ministry’s effort in improving water, sanitation and hygiene challenges in the country.