The Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO) is targeting a fourfold increase in the volume of organic waste it collects and diverts from landfills monthly, from 50 tonnes to 200 tonnes by the end of 2027, under its Zero Waste Cities Project.
The initiative seeks to expand the collection and processing of organic waste in municipalities to reduce methane emissions and promote sustainable waste management practices.
Speaking at a market sensitisation exercise on good waste management practices at the Bohye Market in Accra last Wednesday, the Project Coordinator of GAYO, Ms Fathia Selasi Charway-Glover, indicated that the exercise was aimed at introducing source separation of organic waste to facilitate its collection and processing into compost and black soldier fly products.
She said the exercise would educate market women on proper waste segregation and equip them with the knowledge and skills to separate organic waste from other materials for effective collection and processing.
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Ms Charway-Glover said GAYO had established a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly, which currently diverted about 50 tonnes of organic waste from landfills every month.
She explained that the organisation was building on that achievement by extending the initiative to other municipalities, including the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly (LaNMMA), to achieve its 2027 target.
The collected organic waste, she said, would be processed into compost for distribution to farmers and to support urban gardening activities within the municipalities.
Ms Charway-Glover said the initiative was intended to demonstrate how organic waste could be converted into valuable agricultural resources instead of being dumped at landfills.
She stressed that GAYO, as a non-profit organisation, was more interested in promoting the environmental and agricultural benefits of the initiative than making profits.
She added that the project was not a one-off intervention but a proven model that the organisation intended to replicate and expand as it extended its operations to more municipalities.
The Head of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of LaNMMA, Mr Daniel Anang Tetteh, said the assembly would intensify sanitation enforcement at markets within its jurisdiction to improve waste management and protect public health.
He explained that the assembly would conduct regular visits to markets to monitor compliance with proper waste disposal practices and ensure that traders adhered to sanitation guidelines.
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Mr Tetteh again stated that the assembly would combine continuous public education with enforcement measures to ensure that the initiative achieved its intended objectives.
He acknowledged concerns raised by traders about the suitability of the proposed waste collection bins, considering the nature and volume of waste generated daily.
He said the assembly was also considering providing additional logistics to improve waste collection and management at the markets.
