According to him, elsewhere waste segregation enticed the private sector to engage in the process to make profitable use of waste, but in Ghana, it was a big challenge.
He pointed out the majority of the waste generated was used for landfill instead of resources to create jobs.
He indicated that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) initiative on waste segregation, in collaboration with Jekora Ventures Limited is making a significant impact.
It is under a Public-Private Partnership, which started in 2012, to enable Jekora Ventures to offer solid waste source segregation programme to its clients along with recycling services.
It aims at advancing optimum environmental sanitation and public health while promoting a sustainable environment.
Through vigorous public education on waste segregation, best practices and management, Jekora had won many clients hooked onto the initiative in the Accra practising the separation effectively at subsidized costs.
Also, many basic schools in Accra supplied with free segregation bins are practising the segregation, which were collected by Jekora Ventures for free.
Mr Martey-Tokoli made this known to the stakeholders and practitioners in the waste management sector when he was speaking at Conference on Sustainable Cities organised by Embassy of France, Institut Français, Accra Metropolitan Assembly
Themed: "Challenges and opportunities for waste management and urban mobility in Accra," the conference discussed the issues focus on urban mobility and waste segregation and management.
The goal is to better understand the context of waste management and urban mobility in Ghana (and mostly in Accra), the stakes and challenges.
It was aimed at sharing experiences through the interventions of different experts (Ghanaians, French, etc.) and to gather all stakeholders like academics, civil society, local authorities, private sector, to name a few) to exchange on those issues and have a participatory dialogue.
He said waste management remained a big challenge confronting the nation, with huge amounts invested mainly into the collection and disposal and appealed to residents to pay their bills for effective household collections.
He stated that Waste management had gone beyond just collection and disposal, he said, and that recycling was the best and effective option to ensure better services to the public.
He noted that the company has to deliver operationally efficient, cost-effective and affordable services and products, through the application of appropriate technology and innovation, to clients while promoting a sustainable environment,'' he said.
The company is constructing a new recycling plant at Yilo Krobo Municipality to produce organic and compost faecal sludge to boost its performance in dealing with waste products.
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of AMA, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah called on the practitioners in the waste management sector to bring their technical experiences to bare to support President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo to achieve his vision of making the Accra the cleanest city.
The mayor of Accra noted that he is extremely excited that Ghana long-standing relationship with the city of Paris through the France Embassy in Accra is leading to practical support through technical capacity building and other services.
According to him, the city of Accra had grown for about 60 per cent for the past twenty years, nothing that Accra has the residents of the population of about 1.8 million as at 2010 population and housing census using the growth rate of about 3.1 percent.
"So looking at an estimate of about 2.3 million, today residents population, however, because Accra is the city that people trooping and to do business and also housing of about 2 million transit population daily so during the day we are talking about 4 million-plus people that works in the city of Accra," he said.
He stated that these phenomenons have put a lot of pressure on the Accra city nfrastructure and social services for the case at which the city is not being matched by its infrastructure and social services.
"It is important also to say that having recognised these, there is a need for us to plan properly about our city at least to mitigate the effects that we have seen whenever it rose.
He noted that "It is through these words that the proper plan for the city that had led us to have the relationship through the France Embassy with the Institute of Francis. We have the relationship with France Embassy to build and plan our city very well especially by the challenges of issues of waste management in the urban mobility.
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