Local Government Minister Urges Zoomlion to Keep Achimota Waste Transfer Station Open for Tricycle Operators

 

The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ibrahim Ahmed, has urged Zoomlion Ghana Limited to keep its  waste transfer stations operational to support tricycle waste operators until a permanent solution to the area's sanitation challenges is implemented.

Speaking during a visit to the Achimota Waste Transfer Station, the Minister said the six facilities have become a critical component of the government's efforts to improve waste collection and transportation within the metropolis.

He explained that the transfer stations receive refuse collected by tricycle operators, where it is sorted, compacted and transferred through an underground system before being transported to designated final disposal sites.

According to the Minister, the temporary arrangement was necessitated by the increasing volume of waste generated in the metropolis after the June 29th floods, which has placed considerable pressure on existing waste management infrastructure.

To ensure uninterrupted waste collection services, Ahmed appealed to Zoomlion Ghana Limited to continue operating the facilities until the ongoing sanitation challenges are fully addressed.

Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, assured the Minister and the tricycle operators that the company would keep the transfer station open. He further assured the operators that the facility would remain accessible throughout the interim period.

This place will remain open until we finish managing the current waste situation. We are not closing it today, and the operators can continue bringing their waste here," he stated.

The Minister also appealed to tricycle waste operators to continue supporting the assembly's sanitation efforts by using the facilities responsibly and complying with operational guidelines.

He further called on the media to educate the public on the importance of modern waste transfer stations, saying increased public awareness could encourage other metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to adopt similar facilities to strengthen waste management across the country.

Zoomlion operates about six transfer stations and two recycling plants within the Greater Accra region and about 40 waste treatment and recycling plants across the country.