A $3 million state-of-the-art solid waste transfer station has been commissioned at Achimota, a suburb of Accra.
The station, located in the Okaikoi North Constituency, was commissioned by ZoomPak in collaboration with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
The commissioning of the Achimota waste transfer station brings to three the total number of waste transfer stations that have been constructed by Zoomlion Ghana Limited since 2014.
The facility has three compaction trailers of which one can receive an average of 2,000 tonnes of waste – which means that each trailer can absorb about ten waste compaction trucks, making about 100 waste trucks dumping at the facility in a day.
It is said to have a weighing bridge with an automated system to calculate the weight of waste dumped by each truck and the odor from the plant is mitigated by the air tight and leakage proof nature of the transfer trailers.
Speaking at the commissioning of the facility on Thursday in Accra under the theme, “Enhancing Effective and Efficient Collection of Waste in Communities,” the president of the Environmental Services Providers Association (ESPA), Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyapong, said the setting up of the Achimota station is a laudable initiative and that it would, to a great extent, help reduce the burden of waste collectors in the city.
He explained that major interventions had been put in place through a public-private partnership to improve waste management in the metropolis.
Dr. Agyapong, who doubles as the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, said with the numerous facilities, realizing President Akufo-Addo’s vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa is possible.
He encouraged members of ESPA to patronize the Achimota Waste Transfer Station and appealed to managers of the station to endeavour to control the stench to be generated in the area.
Currently, the Accra Metropolis generates about 3,000 tonnes of waste daily. The Teshie Transfer Station is already absorbing 1,300 tonnes and that of the Achimota Transfer Station is also built to receive 1,300 tonnes.”
Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, in a statement, explained that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is constantly looking for new ways of making Accra the cleanest city on the continent in line with the president’s vision.
He pointed out that waste management had been a major challenge in the city over the years and that a significant proportion of the assembly’s budget is devoted to sanitation annually.
He disclosed that AMA was considering the possibility of building a similar transfer station for the western part of Accra to further improve the sanitation situation.
Member of Parliament for Okaikoi North, Fuseini Issah, commended managers of the new transfer station, pointing out that its commissioning was timely and that it would help to improve waste collection and management in the locality.
In attendance at the ceremony were former mayor of Accra, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, deputy ministers of the Greater Accra Region and Environment, Science and Technology, Elizabeth Sackey and Patricia Appiagyei respectively.
BY Melvin Tarlue
