ESPA Seeks Hike In Garbage Fees

Time to unveil the new logo.

Time to unveil the new logo.



Time to unveil the new logo.
Chairman of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has called for institutional support for the Association in order to complement government’s efforts at attaining the Millennium Development Goal 7 on environmental sustainability.

Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, who is also the Executive Chairman of Zoomlion Ghana Ltd, noted that after 13 years of its existence, ESPA has found it necessary to rebrand itself in order to make it more reflective and responsive to the changing landscape in the delivery of sanitation services and the management of waste in Ghana.

He was speaking at the launch of the re-branded ESPA in Accra.

He observed that high investment in the sanitation and waste management sector over the years has not yielded high impact owing to a number of factors.

He cited uncooperative attitude of the public towards good sanitary practices and low revenues for waste collection as some challenges facing the sector.

Dr. Agyepong demanded an upward adjustment in revenues for waste collection, as well as a structured and active involvement of service providers in the implementation of sanitation and waste management policies.

‘Mr. Chairman, it is time for us to bring the environmental service providers into sharp focus in our implementation plans. Otherwise scores of donor support for sanitation and waste management may not yield the desired impact,’ he stressed.

Dr. Agyepong noted that changes in operational costs do not warrant a corresponding increase in collection rates or processing fees, explaining that fees are enacted in the bye-laws of the assemblies and the bye-laws have to be modified or amended before any new fees can be charged.

‘Because environmental service providers use specialized equipment in their operations, it is imperative that we recover cost,’ Dr. Agyepong intimated.

The Minister for local Government and Rural Development, Akwasi Oppong Fosu, reiterated government’s commitment to collaborating and supporting ESPA in their effort to keep the country clean and healthy for all.

He however bemoaned the attitude of Ghanaians towards proper sanitation and called for behavioral change.

The Minister also urged the EPSA to expand distribution and collection of bins and also build the capacity of its members in order to improve its services.

The Mayor of Accra, Dr. Alfred oko Vanderpuije, noted that the cost of waste management is high and advocated private sector participation in waste management so as to reduce the burden of government.

 
 
 

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