Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly intensifies education on waste separation
The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Ayawaso North Municipality Mr. Aminu Mohammed Zakari has advised the citizenry to cultivate the habit of separating waste after the usage of plastic consumables and other solid household items.
He said plastic waste such as bottles and food packs have become a menace in our surrounding therefore it must not be indiscriminately thrown away but rather be separated along with other solid waste for easy collection.
Participants at the stakeholders’ meeting
He added that plastic waste can be sold to companies for recycling for the manufacture of plastic related items and however explained that it will also lead to the reduction of solid waste in our respective environments.
Mr. Aminu Mohammed Zakari made the call at a day’s stakeholder meeting organised by the Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) of the Assembly in Accra.
The meeting brought together stakeholders and created a platform for discussions and deliberations on issues on waste separation, segregation, littering, waste management, environmental cleanliness, disposal of refuse, among others.
Participants include representatives from Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Queen Mothers Association, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Heads of Educational Institutions, Market Women, Unit Committee members, Departments and Agencies, Chiefs, Imams, Opinion leaders, among others.
The MCE urged community members to cultivate the habit of environmental cleanliness saying the gesture contributes to a healthy living and was quick to remind that the bylaws of the Assembly is operational hence people must refrain from littering their environment.
The Municipal Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Ayawaso North Municipality, Mrs Eunice Nkrumah, advised the public to segregate waste and explained that it reduces the volume of waste generated in our various households.
She used the occasion to educate the public on waste management and said waste can create jobs and generate wealth when properly managed and separated for companies to purchase and recycle for the production of plastic materials and other commercial purposes.
Mrs. Nkrumah called for the separation of waste food items and urged the public take advantage of the benefits of organic method of transforming them by agricultural companies into fertilizer for farming inputs.
She therefore urged heads of educational institutions to sensitize students on the need to segregate waste, adding that “there are financial and economic gains associated with it.
For his part, the Assistant Environmental Health Analyst, Mr. Jacob Emmanuel Tetteh said as part of the effort to keep the environment clean people must engage in waste separation and called for attitudinal change in the disposal of household refuse at unauthorized places.
“When waste is adequately separated it takes a longer time for the waste bins to get full thereby saving cost in the payment of sanitation levy”, he said, adding further that the pressure of transporting refuse to their destination is also minimized.
Mr. Tetteh urged the Assembly to fix more waste bins at vantage points within its jurisdiction to enable people drop in waste materials.
Source:Ben LARYEA
