The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has announced plans to formalise the operations of tricycle waste collectors and integrate them into Ghana’s long-term sanitation framework.

The move is part of government’s efforts to improve waste collection and management, particularly in densely populated communities where conventional refuse trucks have limited access.

Speaking during a working visit to Zoomlion’s Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP), which currently serves as a waste transfer station at Jamestown, on Monday, August 3, sector Minister Ahmed Ibrahim said five of the six designated waste transfer stations in Greater Accra are now fully operational.

He said the intervention had helped address the recent accumulation of solid waste in parts of the capital following nationwide sanitation exercises, including the National Sanitation Day campaign.

“The intervention was necessary to avert a potential public health crisis following the sanitation exercises, which generated unusually high volumes of waste across the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies,” he said.

The Minister, however, noted that the Malam transfer station remains inactive due to the absence of an accessible road network.

He disclosed that National Security, together with the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, has been tasked to complete the access road to allow the facility to commence operations.

Mr Ibrahim revealed that the Jamestown facility alone receives waste from about 800 of the estimated 4,000 waste-collecting tricycles operating daily within Greater Accra.

He described the situation as a major challenge due to the facility’s location close to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

“We cannot allow congestion at the transfer station to affect emergency services, especially access for ambulances at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital,” he said.

To address the challenge, the government has introduced a 24-hour operational system at the facility.

Under the arrangement, tricycle operators will discharge waste during the day, while articulated trucks will transport compacted waste at night to engineered landfill and recycling facilities in the Eastern Region.

Mr Ibrahim also defended the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for sanitation management, arguing that modern waste management requires substantial investment.

“Waste management requires infrastructure, heavy-duty equipment, fuel, logistics and technical expertise. This is why partnerships remain important in ensuring an efficient sanitation system,” he said.

The Minister further announced government’s intention to formally integrate informal tricycle waste collectors into the country’s official waste management structure.

He acknowledged their contribution, particularly in communities where traditional waste trucks cannot easily operate.

“Those who are operating the tricycles are providing an essential service. We must find a way to regularise their operations and bring them into the national sanitation framework,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim said the Ministry, together with its Chief Director, is developing a sustainable business model that will improve regulation, service delivery and the working conditions of tricycle operators.

He added that government will engage the Council of State’s Sub-committee on Sanitation, submit a Cabinet memorandum for policy approval and collaborate with the Ministry of Finance to secure funding for engineered landfill sites and modern waste processing infrastructure.

The Minister urged citizens, local authorities and sanitation stakeholders to sustain the momentum of the national clean-up campaign and support efforts to improve sanitation across the country.