Gov't To Construct New Landfill Sites In Greater Accra, Eastern Region - Ayariga

The government will construct new landfill sites in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions to manage the increasing volume of waste, Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga has disclosed.

According to him, the expansion has become necessary due to pressure on existing facilities.

Mr. Ayariga said the Kpone landfill site is full and government is in the process of decommissioning it.

"We have plans to construct new landfill sites across the Greater Accra area and Eastern Region to accommodate the waste that is being generated," he stated.

"The Kpone landfill site, as you can see, is full. So we're in the process of planning its decommissioning," he added.

He explained that the unavailability of engineered landfill sites in some areas forced the decision to transport waste from Agbogbloshie to another site.

The Minister also revealed that government is considering alternative waste management methods including incineration and waste-to-energy technology.

"I agree with him that there are new ideas about how to manage waste such as incineration and the conversion of waste to energy through burning it and then using the heat to generate energy," he said.

He said engagements have already started on adopting such technologies as part of Ghana's long-term strategy.

"I have had those; even this morning I was in a meeting discussing how we should do that as a country," Mr. Ayariga noted.

He stressed that government's new approach will focus on putting waste to productive use rather than depending solely on landfill disposal.