DMA converts sand winning base into permanent refuse site

Mr Justice Owusu-Ansah Pobee, Dormaa Municipal Environment Health Officer has said the Assembly would soon relocate its current refuse site from Abogisua to a new permanent site behind the Delany School in Dormaa-Ahenkro of the Brong Ahafo Region.

He explained that a team made up of the Municipal Chief Executive, the Municipal Coordinating Director and himself, have visited the proposed permanent refuse site to inspect the area.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Dormaa Ahenkro, Mr Owusu-Ansah said the move was part of a strategy to effectively and efficiently manage and recycle solid waste in the Municipality for the socio-economic prosperity of the area.

"An excavator would soon move to the old site to clear the garbage deeper and further afield as it's situated at a point off the Kyeremasu road and opposite the project site for the multipurpose Youth Resource Centre.
"The land for the permanent refuse site had been leased to the Assembly by a private developer who wants to reclaim it, so no payment has been made by the Assembly to the private developer to that effect.

He expressed the fear of a river close to the permanent refuse site, which might be polluted in the near future when the site is used.
"We plan to buy a plot of land belonging to that same private developer close to the permanent refuse site as a measure to contain that problem", he added.

He said the measure had become necessary because the old refuse site had outlived its usefulness and there was no much space left to accommodate more garbage.
"The refuse trucks these days, cannot find space to dump the refuse when they get there and this causes nuisance as the stench and garbage generate flies into the community", he said.

He said the Assembly would in future as part of its long term strategy, build a recycling plant that would sort out solid waste and consider exporting them after they have undergone scientific and technological treatment.

In furtherance of this objective, the Municipal Environment Health Officer said the Assembly plans to provide each household with at least three dust bins to enable them sort out plastic, food and bottle waste to be delivered to the waste plant for final processing.

Mr Owusu-Ansah Pobee indicated that a pilot project would first be carried out in a selected community before its final roll out.
"There is the urgent need to ensure the judicious use of land resources and avoid its wastage particularly when they have been made available to the Assembly", he added.