The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) is introducing a new waste management strategy that will require residents to separate household waste at the source as part of efforts to tackle the municipality’s growing sanitation challenges.
The move comes as Ashaiman grapples with the daily generation of about 150 metric tonnes of refuse, with plastic waste identified as the single largest contributor to clogged drains, choked gutters and widespread indiscriminate dumping.
The new direction was announced during a major sanitation stakeholders’ engagement attended by traditional authorities, religious leaders, environmental health officers, youth groups and sanitation volunteers.
Addressing participants, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Freeman Tsekpor, said the Assembly was shifting its focus from waste disposal to waste recovery, with an emphasis on recycling and job creation.
Under the proposed policy, residents will be encouraged to separate bio-digestible waste from recyclable materials such as plastics, metals and glass bottles before collection.
Mr Tsekpor said the Assembly was partnering with local recycling companies, including Smart Plastic, to create value from plastic waste, reduce pressure on landfill sites and generate employment opportunities within the municipality.
To encourage community participation, the Assembly is considering the introduction of a dedicated “Plastic Collection Day,” during which residents would gather plastic waste for direct transfer to recycling facilities.
He said the initiative would help reduce the volume of plastic entering drainage systems and improve overall environmental sanitation.
Beyond recycling, the Assembly announced plans to strengthen enforcement against indiscriminate dumping through a joint taskforce made up of environmental health officers, security personnel and local youth groups.
The taskforce will intensify patrols along principal roads, commercial centres and market areas, while additional patrol vehicles are expected to be deployed to curb illegal dumping during late-night and early-morning hours.
The Assembly also unveiled plans to introduce a comprehensive zoning system to improve waste collection services, strengthen supervision of service providers and ensure equitable waste management coverage across the municipality.
Standard waste bins will be installed at strategic locations, including markets, transport terminals and major roads, with residents and community leaders urged to protect the infrastructure from theft and vandalism.
Speaking during the engagement, Mr Vincent Tekper, Leader and Coordinator of App Town Cleaners, welcomed the Assembly’s initiatives but called for greater investment in sanitation infrastructure.
He argued that volunteer groups could not effectively address severe drainage blockages using only basic tools such as shovels and wheelbarrows.
Mr Tekper said his organisation spent more than GH¢75,000 in personal and volunteer resources last year on desilting drains and conducting sanitation education campaigns.
“Sanitation cannot be achieved by the assembly alone,” he said. “It requires money, heavy machinery, continuous education, and a complete mindset shift where every citizen sees cleanliness as a shared responsibility.”
The Assembly assured stakeholders that the recommendations from the engagement would be implemented and pledged to sustain enforcement measures as part of a broader effort to transform Ashaiman into a cleaner and healthier municipality.
