Installation of public waste bins underway in Accra
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, in collaboration with Royalty Steel Fabrication and Engineering Company Limited, has begun the installation of new steel public waste bins in the Accra metropolis.
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The installation, which is currently being piloted along the Starlets 91 Road, close to the ministries and also along the National Theatre road, comprises steel plates, angle bars, iron rods, flat bars and a bin cover.
Inside the bin is a plastic container that will collect the refuse and also help the waste collectors to easily pick the rubbish.
The dustbins would be planted into the ground to prevent people from stealing and removing them from the vantage points just as was done to the plastic ones.
Proper waste management
At an installation ceremony in Accra yesterday, a Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Isaac Nii Lante Vanderpuije, said the introduction of the bins would support the national campaign to promote good sanitary environment both at home and at public places.
“Not only would the bins serve the sanitary needs of the general public but also support the effort of the government in championing the campaign of proper waste management in the country,” he said.
Additionally, he said it was in response to the numerous calls by chiefs and the general public on the provision of waste bins at vantage points to help curb the indiscriminate dumping of waste in the city centres.
Use the bins
He said once the general public had accepted the new bins and made maximum use of it, the ministry would enter into a full contract with the providers of the bin and replicate it nationwide.
Mr Vanderpuije advised the public as well as food vendors who operated within the city to not use the bins as a refuse dump but rather register with the Environmental Services Providers Association (ESPA) to acquire bins they could use.
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He said the ministry was presently in consultation with ESPA to have them collect the refuse from the waste bins as often as possible to avert the situation where there will be heaps of rubbish in the metropolis, leading to the possible outbreak of cholera.
He, however, urged the general public to help make the public waste bins project a success as it was a sure way of eliminating filth in the country.
On the durability of the waste bins, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royalty Steel Fabrication and Engineering Company Limited, Mr Clement Edem Agbenyo, said the bin could last for more than 10 years and urged Ghanaians to use the bins.
“Every responsible Ghanaian who cares about Ghana should use the bins and also come on board to support the national project of keeping Ghana clean,” he said.
Suggestion
Applauding the initiative, the Circle-Ministries Taxi Union of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) stated that the bins would not only serve the clients that patronise its services but also pedestrians who walk along the road to their various destinations.
The union, however, suggested that some parts of the lower portion of the bin should be made open such that fluids that are dropped into the bins could drain into the soil rather than staying in the bin to cause stench and corrosion.