The Achimota Zoompak Waste Transfer Station is experiencing severe congestion as hundreds of refuse-laden tricycles queue daily to dispose of waste, nearly two weeks after the facility was brought into operation to ease Accra’s sanitation challenges.
The facility became operational following the recent waste disposal crisis in the capital. However, the growing volume of waste arriving at the station has placed immense pressure on its operations, with both waste transport operators and management calling for urgent government support.
Long queues of tricycles now stretch outside the facility, forcing operators to spend hours waiting for their turn to offload refuse, largely because several transfer stations across the city remain closed.
Speaking to Citi News, a waste transport operator, Michael Jackson, described the situation as frustrating.
“We’ve been here since morning. Over 700 tricycles have lined up. We are appealing for government support. Zoomlion is doing its part, but it cannot single-handedly manage waste in the capital. The government must come in,” he said.
The Head of Operations and Engineering at Zoompak, Engineer Derrick Mintah, said the facility is struggling to cope with the increasing demand, warning that its operations may become unsustainable without financial assistance from the government.
According to him, operating a waste transfer station comes with high costs despite serving as an intermediate point where refuse is collected before being transported to final disposal sites or the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant.
“Operating a transfer station is very expensive. Without the support of the government, it will be very difficult for this facility to operate. You can see many tricycles lined up.
“They only pay a token of GH₵50, which is not even enough. We are pleading with the government to come and support us so we will be able to expand our capacity to accommodate more tricycles,” he said.
Read Also:
Mahama: Prayer without hard work cannot transform Ghana’s economy
