Power from Rubbish

The 2,000 tonnes waste generated daily in Accra is to be processed into energy to augment the country’s energy supply.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive, Alfred Vanderpuiye, disclosing this to the Times in Accra on Monday, said the AMA had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private firm EWS Ghana Pty, to set up a plant at Teshie-Accra by August for the processing of the waste generated in Accra.

He said under the MoU, the company would, within the next four to five months, provide about 140 waste vehicles and refuse containers for the city’s nine sub-metros for waste collection.

This, Mr Vanderpuiye, said would, besides ensuring regular refuse supply to the company also enhance efficient and effective waste collection. The project will, besides bringing a huge financial relief to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), which spends a huge chunk of its revenue on waste management, will also address problems associated with waste management which often ignites conflicts and legal tussle between the AMA and communities in which waste in dumped.

On the criteria for selecting the company, the Accra Mayor said although companies made proposals to the AMA for the establishment of the plant. “EWS Ghana Pty was selected because it was the only company whose proposal was without any financial obligation on the AMA. In fact, the company’s only requirement was AMA to provide land for the project.”

Consequently, Mr Vanderpuiye said, the AMA had entered into agreement with the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly to use the site for the Teshie-Nungua Compost Plant for the project.

The project, according to him would generate about 45 megawatts power, which would be fed into the national grid.

Earlier in a TV3 programme on Sunday, Mr Vanderpuiye argued that the country had not done well in her waste management, saying that it was time it discarded that system. “In this century, we cannot continue with the tradition way of dealing with waste,” he said, noting that the waste treatment plant was to address that.

“Waste is gold and the nation can raise a substantial amount of money for her development if it invests in it,” Mr Vanderpuiye said and noted that developed economies were processing their waste into energy, and that had helped to address the problem of environmental pollution in those countries.

To deal with the waste menace he said AMA would enforce its by-laws and also intensify the “samasaman” or “tankas” system (sanitation guards) who go round to ensure that the citizens keep their homes clean.

Source: The Ghanaian Times /Ghana