Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on Tuesday said waste management improvement in general should be viewed as a shared responsibility for all and sundry.

He said it was therefore important for all and sundry to work together to solve the sanitation problem in the country and help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Mr. Ofosu Ampofo made the observation at the launch of Zoom Alliance Project by Zoomlion Domestic Waste Service to provide logistical and strategic support for companies participating in the Alliance Agreement.

He said the Alliance would complement other modules such as the Better Ghana Agenda as well as the sanitation improvement package to deal with the waste management menace.

Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo said waste management was an integral part of city planning in every country, and the Sector Ministry had made efforts to initiate policies to regulate and provide solutions to waste management challenges in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembles.

He noted that it had been observed that uncollected waste was dumped indiscriminately in the streets and in drains, obstructing drainage channels and creating ideal environs for the breeding of insects, rodents; which causes diseases.

Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo commended efforts of Zoomlion and entreated other companies to take advantage of the project to enable them improve on the quality of service being rendered to ensure client satisfaction.

He encouraged other waste management companies to sign on to the Zoom Alliance Concept, to procure sufficient bins and equipment to deal with liquid waste generated in their areas of operation.

Mr. Haruna Suleiman, Managing Director of Zoomlion Domestic Service, said environmental sanitation and cleanliness remained a vital prerequisite in building a healthy and wealthy nation.

He noted that, despite tremendous gains made in waste collection, a great amount of waste generated especially in urban areas were left uncollected or disposed off by primitive ways such as burning, or burying in pits, or simply left in public places.

Mr. Suleiman said the project sought to provide a platform for collaboration with waste management contractors to effectively collect and dispose off waste in Ghana, as well as offer practical means of building professional capacity across the industry.

He said it would provide a mutually beneficial financial arrangement that optimizes waste collection, provide practical means for capacity building across the industry and broaden the scope of corporate social responsibility through business initiative.

The project would not only benefit the partners involved but other stakeholders including the government, sector ministry, authorities, community leaders and general households.**