The government has given Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) 30 days to identify and submit suitable sites for the construction of waste transfer stations as part of a planned overhaul of Ghana’s waste management system.

Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Mahama Ayariga said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and other assemblies had been directed to identify at least one-acre sites for the facilities, which will form part of an integrated system covering waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling.

Mr Ayariga announced the directive on Saturday, October 3, during the National Sanitation Day exercise at Rawlings Park in Accra to mark World Cleanup Day 2026.

He said the initiative was being implemented in line with President John Dramani Mahama’s directive to improve waste management from the household level.

Under the proposed system, households will be provided with two waste bins to separate organic waste from other solid waste at source.

The Minister said the government was also planning to replace open-bucket tricycles, popularly known as Aboboyaa, with self-loading and self-tipping waste vehicles to improve the transportation of refuse, particularly for young people engaged in waste collection.

Mr Ayariga said the new approach was intended to address gaps across the entire waste management chain, noting that residents often resort to improper disposal when appropriate waste facilities are unavailable or located too far from their homes and workplaces.

Metropolitan Chief Executives in Greater Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and other regional capitals have therefore been tasked with identifying suitable locations for transfer stations, while assemblies in major urban areas are expected to identify land for properly engineered landfill facilities.

He said the programme would require significant government investment but argued that improved sanitation could deliver wider economic and public health benefits through cleaner communities, reduced healthcare costs and a more attractive environment for visitors.

The Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, urged traders and residents to make cleanliness an everyday responsibility rather than limiting it to National Sanitation Day activities.

A representative of the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, similarly called for sustained responsibility from residents and traders after organised clean-up exercises.