The Achimota Transfer Station, was on Thursday, inaugurated by Zoomlion and AMA to help improve on the collection of municipal solid waste from in and around the environs of Achimota.

Speaking at the commissioning, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyapong, President of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), said the facility can hold at least 1,200 tons of garbage per day, and this will help reduce maintenance cost of vehicles as they will be travelling shorter distances, reduce fuel cost.

‘’We are told by engineers on this project that this transfer station has the capacity to hold at least 1,200 tons of garbage per day; which means that over 100 waste trucks of various sizes can dump at the facility daily. The Achimota Transfer Station we also understand is meant for waste collectors in Achimota and its environs and will therefore complement the 1,300 tons capacity Teshie Transfer Station, which has been provided by Zoompak, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited for waste contractors operating in and around Teshie’’.

A waste transfer station is a light industrial facility or a holding point where municipal solid waste is temporarily held prior to its eventual conveyance to the landfill site.

Mr Agyapong, however, expressed hopefulness that Waste Transfer Station would help reduce the difficulties of waste transport.

He therefore, called on government to be keen on ensuring sanitation regulations are maintained in order to rid Accra of filth.

Here is the statement below:

STATEMENT BY ESPA PRESIDENT AT THE COMMISSIONING OF THE ACHIMOTA TRANSFER STATION

Ministers of State Members of Parliament here present Hon. Mayor of Accra MD, Zoompak ESPA Members Our Media Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

I am indeed delighted to be a part of this important ceremony of commissioning the Achimota Transfer Station today, which marks a turning around in our drive to keep our city clean and its people healthy.

With the commissioning of the Achimota Transfer Station, we now have the full complement of waste management infrastructure for the city of Accra. The existing facilities include the Teshie Transfer Station, the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant, and the Universal Plastic Products and Recycling.

As members of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), our job is to collect municipal solid waste in our assigned concession areas. An effective waste management regime involves the collection, disposal and treatment which requires the provision of landfills or waste treatment facilities and transfer stations.

However, delivering this responsibility has always been hampered by inadequate landfills, waste treatment facilities and transfer stations.

These facilities have been and still remain critical to our city’s municipal solid waste management. However, the sheer distances of these sites from the national capital worsened by heavy vehicular congestion have brought enormous challenges to our members in their bid to effectively and efficiently convey waste from the city Centre to these landfill sites.

The closest landfills have been located far from the city of Accra. The Kpone Engineered Landfill near Tema is for instance sited 90-km turn-around and that of Nsumia at Nsawam is 75-km turn-around.

That is why the commissioning of the Achimota Transfer Station today marks an important milestone for us as environmental service providers.

A waste transfer station is a light industrial facility or a holding point where municipal solid waste is temporarily held prior to its eventual conveyance to the landfill site.

We are told by engineers on this project that this transfer station has the capacity to hold at least 1,200 tons of garbage per day; which means that over 100 waste trucks of various sizes can dump at the facility daily. The Achimota Transfer Station we also understand is meant for waste collectors in Achimota and its environs and will therefore complement the 1,300 tons capacity Teshie Transfer Station, which has been provided by Zoompak, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited for waste contractors operating in and around Teshie.

The Achimota Transfer Station has come at the right time to help our members to improve on their collection of municipal solid waste. Currently, the Accra Metropolis generates about 3,000 tons of waste daily. The Teshie Transfer Station is already absorbing 1,300 tons and that of the Achimota Transfer Station is also built to receive 1,300 tons.

As ESPA members, the plant will improve our turn-around time, reduce maintenance cost of our vehicles as they will be travelling shorter distances, reduce fuel cost and driver fatigue.

It will also ensure speedy collection and haulage of waste from the city, and begin the cleanest city agenda as envisioned by our government.

It is also worth mentioning that the Achimota Transfer Station has made provision for those in the informal sector operating the tricycles (Aboboyaa), and are therefore, required to patronize the facility and not dump at unapproved areas as some are currently doing.

We want to pledge our support to the management of Zoompak in making full use of this facility. I urge all ESPA members to conform to the standards in discharging their services. All tricycle operators operating in and around Achimota are to begin dumping at the Achimota Transfer Station immediately.

Tricycle operators who fail to comply and are caught discharging their waste at unapproved places would be arrested by the ESPA Taskforce and sanctioned.

We also wish to assure the government of our continued resolve to support its efforts in making Accra the cleanest city in Africa. We believe that the vision is achievable and more facilities such as the Achimota Transfer Station would be needed in strategic locations to drive its fulfilment.

I wish to congratulate the management and staff of Zoompak, and urge all ESPA members to patronize the facility in order to keep our city clean and healthy. I thank you all for rapt attention.