Waste management disaster could hit Accra

May 22, 2014 0 By Erin Kilgore

Waste Management Problems

A compost plant has shut down in Ghana’s capital city.

Due to not receiving necessary operational funds the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant was forced to shut down and there is serious concern that the closure of this facility will lead to a massive waste management crisis in the city.

The government is accused of delaying payment to the people who operate the plant.

Without the funds to run the facility, it simply cannot operate. Michael Padi Tuwor, Accra Compost Plant’s Business Development Manager, confirmed the plant has closed indefinitely. He said that as of Monday morning (May 19) “we’ve directed all the contractors that supply us the waste not to bring in the waste.”

According to Padi Tuwor, the compost plant has run for more than two years on the company’s own fund. He went on to say that the company has requested more than 100 of its staff to remain home until the government pays the money that is owed to them. Padi Tuwor said that “If the situation doesn’t improve any better the next 100 will also have to join.”

He said the compost plant cannot run on a business loan any longer and there was no other alternative but to shut it down. The business has run on a loan and other sources of high-cost funding since 2012. He also noted that the company is owed 23 million Ghana Cedis from the government. So far, the government has yet to respond to the demands that have been made.

Waste management companies are left without options.

Zoomlion Communication Director, Robert Coleman said that the present situation in Accra is unfortunate. He said that garbage disposal companies have no choice but to dump the waste at the Kpone dump site. He stated that approximately 45 of the company’s trucks are not able to dump the waste and “what it means is that we cannot collect the refuse as we must do.” Coleman said that waste from the city must be sent to surrounding areas.

The compost plant is responsible for treating and recycling waste that is produced in Accra. Without it, waste management could be a serious and very real problem for the city.

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