Zoomlion Ghana, foremost waste management firm, has secured a land in the Bosomtwi District of Ashanti to begin construction of a second sorting and composting facility to serve the northern sector of Ghana.

The company’s waste-to-compost plant in Accra is Ghana’s first registered Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country.

Ashanti Regional Manager of Zoomlion, Stephen Gyekye-Darko, says the second plant should be up and running by end of 2013.

Kumasi generates an average 1,500 tons of solid waste daily. Haulage and management of these waste materials at landfill sites have been a challenge to the metropolitan assembly.

The waste-to-compost plant, according to Mr. Gyekye-Darko, will convert organic waste into organic fertilizer for agriculture production, add value to the environment and generate employment.

“The organic matter in the rufuse will be used as raw material for the plant; this will go a long way to stop problems of getting land [for disposal] because very small waste will be left that will be sent to the landfill site and it will prolong the lifespan of the landfill”, he stated.

Gyekye-Darko spoke to Luv News at the launch of a waste sorting and organic composting project at Ayuom near Kumasi.

The integrated household waste management project seeks to sort source waste into plastics, food and organic waste, with the view to enhancing their re-use, recycling, treatment and final disposal of various components.

It is a under the British Council’s African Knowledge Transfer Partnership (AKTP) programme, in partnership with the KNUST’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Zoomlion Ghana.

AKTP Associate, Israel Acheampong explained the objective is to solve waste management problem in the country with the local community as a case study.

Project Coordinator, Dr. Moses Mensah said the ultimate goal is to examine the potential for the implementation of an integrated waste management system across the country.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh