Ghana to adopt concept of "zero waste" mgmt - JAK

Accra, March 17, GNA- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday said the Government was considering the adoption of the concept of zero waste as an appropriate method for the country to manage and control the ever-rising hazards from traditional ways of waste management.
The concept, developed in the United States and used in many countries, proposes consumption and elimination of waste at the source of generation and minimization of the need for land filled sites.
He said this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, at the 35th Annual General Conference of the Ghana Institution of Engineers in Accra. The three-day conference is on the theme: "Sanitation and Waste Management in Ghana- the Way Forward".
President Kufuor said Government, would further adopt aggressive approach in seeking solutions, because sound economic policy was linked to sound environment policy adding; "environmental waste equals economic waste". He noted that one way to achieve this objective was by a simplified sewerage system for poor areas with high population.
He said a way of addressing the country's sanitation and waste management problems, the districts have been provided with funds for refuse collection and purchase of waste management machinery.
"Government is committed to provision of an enabling environment to promote government and private partnership to find alternative waste management systems that are cost effective and efficient' he added. The President mentioned that government gave a clear indication about its commitment to "Sanitation and Waste Management in Ghana by providing a special incentive package to support the private sector in waste management.
Quoting paragraph 756 of the budget, he said " it is proposed that companies processing waste including recycling of plastic and polythene material will pay no tax for the first 7 years of operations irrespective of location".
He said government would consider the introduction of appropriate and enabling legislation for the establishment of engineering and allied professional bodies to facilitate the practice and maintenance of quality, efficient and cost-effective engineering standards.
This he said would help find solutions to the many technical challenges facing the nation.
The President was not happy about waste disposal in the country, saying "Ghanaians dump trash in waters, open places and backyards. Companies still dump waste in oceans, streams and rivers even though all these are against the law. Large areas are littered with plastic bags and other non-biodegradable items.
"Individuals, businesses and industries would have to accept that all of us bear responsibility for the state of our environment and therefore have a duty to live and carry out our business in an environmentally sustainable manner" he said
President Kufuor noted that government supported and appreciated the role of the private sector participation in national development, and was collaborating with state institution towards privatisation of waste management in the country.
He called on the engineers to address various facets of waste generation and management issues facing the country, and propose practical means for their management, adding that government is awaiting the conference proceedings and recommendations.
Mr Ato Wright, President of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, proposed the infusion of engineers into the National Development Commission and Government Economic Planning team in order to create an integrated development plan for the country.
He also called for the passage of the Engineering Council Bill to enable the Institution to legitimise the bad engineering practices.
The engineering profession, he said, had not been accorded the recognition it deserved as the most important tool for national development leaving the country in an unenviable state of development. Mr Wright was, however, hopeful that the 35th Conference would use the engineering approach of "thinking globally, acting locally" to produce recommendations that could be put into timely interventions to alleviate the scourge of filth and diseases threatening lives in the 21st century. Professor Albert Wright, a renowned engineer who chaired the function, said the state of sanitation in the country was an indicator of the level of development.
He said the cost of sanitation should be a shared responsibility between government, private sector and the citizenry.
"Nature abhors the accumulation of waste which makes sanitation everybody's business", he said, and urged all and sundry to get involved to rid the country of filth.