Kweku Anno, a local entrepreneur, has challenged Ghanaian architects and real estate developers to consider developing new efficient ways of controlling sanitation and waste in their designs.

Mr Anno who is the inventor of the Biofil Digester, a unique waste treatment system, said that, current trends in the building industry call for new thinking when it comes to the design of buildings and communities.

He said while issues such as limited land, soil conditions and poor drainage systems affect design of housing developments in the country, sanitation and waste management must be equally given serious consideration in the current situation.

“Our population is increasing, especially in the urban areas, and even those who practice proper sanitation are not spared the effects of the generally poor waste management in the country,” Mr Anno said in a presentation to architects and real estate developers.

“The frequent cholera epidemics, the prevalence of intestinal diseases, foul smells and a general eyesore across the country are all evidence of this,” he added.

Real estate developers are leaning towards smaller-sized housing units than before, and the limited amount of land is also driving more upward development in the form of apartment blocks and flats.

Mr Anno said such developments might require a central sewage system to provide necessary sanitation for residents, which his company could offer the best solution.

Anno’s invention, the Biofil Digester uses a unique filtration technology that has been researched and standardized by his company Biological Filters and composters Limited over the past 15 years.

The system, which is inspired by nature ensures that waste is broken down rapidly and effectively within days, leaving a nutrient rich filtered water that can be reused for landscaping or other purposes.

Mr Anno said unlike the septic system, the Biofil system did not require the ground to be dug, and can easily be integrated into the building design, hidden away in the back yard, or customized for tight spaces.

He said more than 2,000 Biofil Digesters had been installed in homes, office blocks and other commercial facilities in Ghana, Mali, South Africa and Liberia.

Also installed are Digesters to manage existing septic systems, which have problems such as overflowing.

The trickling filters are designed to treat the water and sludge generated in the septic tank and completely eliminates the need for contents to be pumped out by waste trucks.

Apart from toilet waste management, Mr Anno said the company had also been treating organic waste from the kitchen and household by dumping these materials into a customized Biofil Digester.

He said the application of the technology had cut by half the amount of rubbish generated in these households, while making it easier for waste to be sorted and recycled.

“The solutions to our sanitation problems lie right here with us. It is up to us to make use of the technology, and within the next five years, Ghana would be able to achieve 100 percent coverage of sanitation,” Mr Anno said.**