GAYO trains waste workers in clean air, methane gas management
The Green African Youth Organisation (GAYO), a youth-led environment and climate change advocacy group, has held a capacity-building workshop for waste workers on clean air and methane gas management.
The one-day workshop held at the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA) in Accra last Thursday (March 20, 2025) aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and improving the livelihoods of waste collectors and sorters, compost facility workers, informal waste workers and waste pickers.
It equipped participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage waste effectively, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean air. It also took participants through clean air principles and methane gas dynamics and empowered participants to recognise contributing factors, implement mitigation strategies and become environmental stewards in their communities.
The workshop, held in collaboration with LadMA and funded by the Clean Air Fund (CAF) and Global Methane Hub (GMH), brought together over 100 waste workers from the LaDMA and Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly (LeKMA) in the Greater Accra Region.
Rationale
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Project Coordinator for GAYO in the Greater Accra Region, Mabel Naa Amorkor Laryea, said the workshop is a step towards addressing the gap that exists in the waste management practices and value chain.
She emphasised that through this holistic approach to capacity building, waste workers can transform from being vulnerable to environmental hazards to becoming champions of environmental solutions, demonstrating that effective climate action and clean air initiatives must include those closest to the challenges.
Ms Laryea underscored that waste workers are essential environmental agents whose daily decisions and practices have significant impacts on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.
Gratitude
One of the participants, Patience Doh, a waste worker from LaDMA, expressed gratitude for the training, saying, "This workshop has been an eye-opener for me. I never knew that the way we handle waste could have such a significant impact on the environment”.
She expressed commitment to sharing what she learnt with her colleagues and neighbours to implement the practices in their daily work to help improve the sanitation conditions in their communities."
Ms Doh encouraged GAYO to initiate broader efforts to promote environmental sustainability and improve the livelihoods of waste workers, urging them to replicate this training programme in other regions, targeting thousands of waste workers across the country.
