Zoomlion opens another waste transfer station at Achimota

Waste management companies, tricycle owners, as well as others in the sector, who hitherto had to travel long distances to dispose off sold waste, would now heave a sigh of relieve, following the completion and commissioning of another waste transfer station at Achimota.

The facility inaugurated yesterday, is located just behind the New Achimota Lorry station, with capacity to hold at least 1,200 tons of garbage and dumping of over 100 waste trucks of various sizes daily.

It comes two years, after a similar facility costing the company $7million, was inaugurated at Teshie, a suburb of Accra.

Since its inception 10 years ago, Zoomlion Ghana, the leading waste management company, has established the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant at Adjin Kotoku, Universal Plastic Products and Recycling, Sewerage Systems Ghana Limited, Zoomlion Domestic and Zoompak to provide an integrated waste management solution, where waste collected are recycled into compost, waste bins, bin liners and other useful products.

A waste transfer station is a light industrial facility or a holding point, where municipal solid waste is temporarily held, prior to its eventual conveyance to the landfill site or compost plant for onward processing or recycling.

The facility managed by Zoompak, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies, is a partnership between government and Zoompak.

Speaking at the commissioning at the premises of the facility, the Executive Director of Jospong Group of Companies, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyapong, said the facility could not have come at a better time but at a period where the president, Nana Akufo Addo, has declared his intention to make the national capital Accra, the cleanest city in Africa.

According to him, the commissioning of the station, means the city has the full complement of waste management infrastructure.

He said, it would also serve a great purpose for members of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) the cost of fuel and maintenance cost of their vehicles as the distance to dump waste now is going to be reduced henceforth.

Dr. Siaw Agyapong, who doubles as the president of ESPA said, “As ESPA members, the plant will improve our turn-around time, reduce maintenance cost our vehicles as they will be travelling shorter distances, reduce fuel cost and driver fatigue.

It will also ensure speedy collection and haulage of waste from the city, and begin the cleanest city agenda as envisioned by our government”.

According to Dr. Siaw Agyapong, the facility, has made provision for tricycle (Aboboyaa), and so urged them to patronize it and refrain from dumping waste indiscriminately.

“We want to pledge our support to the management of Zoompak in making full use of this facility. I urge all ESPA members to conform to the standards in discharging their services”. Dr. Siaw Agyapong said.

He pledged his organization’s resolve to partner government, especially the Ministry of Sanitation Water Resources, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, to make Accra and Ghana free from filth.

“We also wish to assure the government of our continued resolve to support its efforts in making Accra the cleanest city in Africa. We believe that, the vision is achievable and more facilities such as the Achimota Transfer Station, would be needed in strategic location to drive its fulfilment”, he said.

The facility has three compaction trailers of which one can receive an average of 2,000 tons of waste, which means that, each trailer can absorb about ten waste compaction trucks making about 100 waste trucks dumping at our facility in a day.

It has a weighing bridge with an automated system to calculate the weight of waste dumped by each truck. Odour from the plant is mitigated by the air tight and leakage proof nature of the transfer trailers.

Managing Director (MD) of Zoompak, Yuksil Unal, said the two transfer stations, are the first and only waste transfer station on the continent of Africa constructed with European standard to ensure effective usage of the facilities.

Mayor of Accra, Adjei Sowah, while commending management for the facility, said the construction of waste transfer stations, are very crucial in the quest to make Accra clean, as there are many benefits, especially to truck drivers who would have to spend less time and funds to transport waste to outcast of the capital.

He said, with the opening of the station, waste collectors would have no business to leave or dump waste on pavement, warning anyone who would be caught, will be dealt as the law stipulates.

According to Mr. Sowah, though the construction of these stations is capital intensive, they are worth the investment, adding the new facility, will help AMA’s quest to realize the president’s dream to make the national capital cleanest in Africa.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Okai Koi North, Fuseini Issah, applauded Zoompak and asked for further engagement at keeping the Constituency and the capital clean.