The government is preparing to introduce a strict household waste separation system that could see residents penalised for mixing different types of waste.
Minister for Local Government, Mahama Ayariga, said the proposed system would require households to separate organic waste from other solid waste before collection.
Speaking during an interview today, September 10, the minister said each household could be provided with at least two waste bins for the different categories.
Under the proposed arrangement, one bin would be used for organic waste, while the other would contain solid waste that can be sorted and recycled.
Mahama Ayariga explained that the separation would not end at the household level. Waste collection trucks would also be assigned to transport the different types of waste separately.
He said transfer stations and three landfill sites would equally have separate facilities to receive and process the waste.
According to the minister, organic waste would be processed into compost, while solid waste would be sorted to recover materials that can be recycled and reused.
The government believes the system will help reduce the amount of mixed waste sent to landfill sites while improving recycling and the recovery of valuable materials.
He also indicated that residents would be expected to comply with the new arrangement once it is introduced.
He said waste collectors, including operators of tricycles commonly known as “Aboboyaa”, could report households that fail to properly separate their waste.
Such households could then face penalties for violating the waste separation rules.
“So, our plan is to make available in each home at least two waste bins. One is red, one is green. The red is organic waste; the green is solid waste. And if the Aboboyaa comes to your house and you have mixed the waste, he will report, and then there’ll be a penalty,” he said.
