Accra to differentiate waste

Household refuse in Accra is to be differentiated to facilitate its recycling and correct disposal, according to plans drawn up by the ministry of local government and rural development in collaboration with the ministry of environment, science and technology.

The pilot project will be introduced first in the city's ministries and later extended to schools, universities and households.

The colour-coded bins will see organic waste separated from recyclable material such as plastic and glass.

The environment minister Sherry Ayittey appealed to the residents and traders of Accra to adopt a more environmentally-aware attitude, and said Ghana needed a "systematic, pragmatic and complete paradigm shift from our current waste management policies and practices.”

Accra has long been a dumping ground for the west’s cast-off technology and obsolete computers, while the city’s general unsanitary situation has led to outbreaks of cholera in recent years. In 2011 India donated $10 million worth of waste management equipment to Ghanaian authorities to deal with mounting waste and poor sanitary conditions in Accra and other urban areas.