As renewed efforts to keep Accra clean gain momentum
By John Elliot HAGAN &Tom BANNON, Accra
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) will soon extend its waste segregation programme to the Accra business district and other parts of the capital to expand its inculcation of waste management culture in the citizenry.
The AMA is currently piloting the programme in some senior high schools (SHSs) in the capital, in which it has distributed over 1,000 bins.
To this end, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, hinted that his outfit intends to extend the programme to parts of the populated Accra business districts and parts of the ministries.
He explained that the AMA in the past carried out that campaign but lost interest in the venture when it realised that people were either stealing or dumping their household trash in the bins.
“We have done some public campaign and now revisiting that venture through the initiative of the ‘OneGhana Movement’ with a strategy to see to it to it that people don’t steal the bins and don’t litter household trashes in it. It is only meant for handy refuses,” he stressed.
According to him, placing bins at vantage location is an important aspect of keeping the city clean.
He was speaking to The Finder on the sidelines of the launch of a campaign, dubbed ‘Adopt a Bin’, by Rightway Initiative, under the OneGhana Movement, which began its mission of distributing bins in public places across the city.
Public-spirited organisations and individuals alike are encouraged to adopt a bin to be deployed to public spaces in Accra.
This will mean paying for the cost of the public bin, its servicing, and maintenance.
One-time cost
The one-time cost for purchasing, branding and deployment of public waste bin is GH₵221.38.
Monthly servicing & maintenance cost
Jekora Ventures, which is the refuse collection service provider, has agreed to give a discount of 50% on the rate of waste collection.
50% discount on monthly servicing & maintenance cost
Even though the approved AMA public bin collection rate is GH₵150 per bin per month, Jekora Ventures is charging GH₵80 a month.
OneGhana Movement charges GH₵15 a month as administrative cost for weekly supervision and the monitoring and evaluation of the RightWay Bin Project.
GH₵95 monthly servicing & maintenance cost
This means that aside the GH₵221.38 one-time cost for purchasing, branding and deployment of public waste bin, the public-spirited organisations and individuals will pay GH₵95 monthly servicing & maintenance cost.
Sowah called on all the corporate companies along the corridors of the Independence Avenue to make a contribution to the campaign.
He stressed the importance of active participation in the initiative, indicating that, “It is my responsibility to provide the bins, but I expect citizens to be responsible when using the bins”.
The campaign was launched yesterday at the Independence Avenue of Accra, the first area in which 40 bins will be placed.
Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Michael Gyato reiterated the MCE’s concerns, drawing particular attention to the public’s attitude towards sanitation.
“Littering constitutes one of the major environment nuisances practiced by the majority of the general public. There is no doubt that the poor attitude of the people towards sanitation is one of the biggest challenges we have as a country.”
Gyato stated that this attitude is responsible for a significant number of health issues across Accra, leading to the spending of money on diseases that could easily be prevented.
The Deputy Minister also stressed the economic incentive in supporting campaigns like ‘Adopt a Bin’, saying that it would work to attract opportunities in tourism.
He said the waste collected could also serve as a source of raw materials, creating more employment opportunities in agricultural and manufacturing industries for “our teeming unemployed youth”.
In her welcome address, chairman of the OneGhana Movement, Dr Joyce Aryee thanked the government for its support for the campaign.
She emphasised that the campaign would contribute to eliminating filth in the country.
OneGhana Movement, a thought leadership and social action non-governmental organisation (NGO), that seeks to promote citizen responsibility.
Citizen responsibility campaign
OneGhana Movement, in partnership with Citi FM, The Finder newspaper and The GIMPA Law School, launched a citizen responsibility campaign, dubbed ‘The Right Way Initiative’, on Tuesday, February 27, 2018.
The absence of public waste bins along the streets and irresponsible citizen behaviour have accounted for the growing sanitation challenges faced in Accra.
In an effort to address this challenge, the OneGhana Movement, in conjunction with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, is undertaking the Rightway Initiative – Adopt a Bin Campaign.
Public waste bins will be deployed and put out on the streets of Accra for citizens to dispose handy refuse properly.
Other partners of Adopt a Bin Campaign are Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, waste management company Jekora Ventures, and IMANI Africa.