By Emmanuel Gamson
Sekondi (W/R), June 18, GNA – Mr Frederick F. Faidoo, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), has cited logistical and financial challenges as major problems confronting the effective management of waste within the metropolis.
According to him, the metropolis generated an average of 168.9 tonnes of solid waste daily, noting that the situation put pressure on the insufficient logistics like vehicles and skip containers resulting in spill overs at certain dumping sites.
Speaking to journalists, at Sekondi, Mr Faidoo said: “When I assumed office, the waste management situation in the Assembly was nothing to write home about. The Assembly did not even have a single truck to lift waste from the metropolis, and what they were doing was to rely on some partners and also rent some equipment for waste management.”
He, however, noted that the Assembly had now been able to acquire two trucks for the lifting of skip containers within the metropolis adding that some tricycles have been bought ease the collection of waste.
Touching on the financial aspect, the MCE stated that the statutory allocation of 10 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for sanitation was inadequate, saying they used part of the money for collecting waste across the metropolis, and for maintaining an engineered landfill site at Sofokrom.
He said: “The 10 per cent of the DACF has been allocated for sanitation for all districts, but what makes our situation different is that in addition to waste collection, we also have an engineered landfill site that we manage at Sofokrom also from the same money.”
Mr Faidoo stated that managing a landfill facility required substantial resources to operate, adding, “Managing the landfill site is a very expensive venture, and the amount allocated for sanitation will not even be enough to manage the landfill site.”
The MCE, therefore, asked the Administrators of the DACF to consider their situation and make adjustments to their allocation for sanitation to help them effectively manage waste in the metropolis.
On plans to improve upon waste management in the area, he said the Assembly would regularise the operations of tricycle waste collectors, setup a special environmental sanitation taskforce, and install CCTV cameras at vantage points to monitor littering and improper waste disposal practices within the metropolis.
Mr Faidoo also encouraged residents to adopt the practice of waste segregation at the household level to help reduce pressure on the landfill site, while creating economic opportunities through recycling.
“Waste management is a collective responsibility, and should start from us the individuals, because in other jurisdictions, what has helped them most is source segregation, so we must also adopt this practice in our households,” he added.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Emmanuel Gamson
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