Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly launches plastic waste segregation service

GHANA – The Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) has launched a plastic waste segregation and collection service at Apremdo Market, deploying 10 specially designated tricycles to support National Sanitation Day activities and strengthen the municipality’s environmental sustainability drive.

Under the initiative, traders and residents can now dispose of plastic waste separately at no cost, a move aimed at reducing the volume of mixed waste sent to disposal sites and improving recycling outcomes.

Mr Abdul Majeed Dokurgu, Chief Executive of EKMA said plastics continue to make up a significant share of collected waste, contributing to rising monthly collection and landfill costs, making source segregation an urgent priority.

Speaking during a community engagement event at the market, Mr. Dokurgu said the program is designed to encourage households and businesses to separate recyclable plastics from general solid waste at source.

“If plastics are removed early from the waste stream, it reduces pressure on disposal facilities and creates value for recycling,” he noted.

The rollout combines public sensitization with new investments in collection infrastructure. Alongside the tricycles, EKMA has intensified community education campaigns targeting households and markets, with a particular focus on women, who play a central role in household waste management.

The municipality believe empowering women with practical training on segregation will accelerate adoption at the household level and drive wider behavioural change across communities.

The municipality plans to extend the sensitization program to churches and schools to embed waste segregation practices early and broaden participation.

With the festive season typically linked to higher consumption and waste generation, residents have been urged to adopt segregation practices to help maintain a clean and healthy environment.

The initiative reflects a broader shift across Ghana and the continent toward integrated plastic waste management.

Cities are increasingly investing in source segregation, decentralized collection systems and partnerships with recyclers as they grapple with rapid urbanization, changing consumption patterns and escalating waste management costs.

Industry analysts estimate that effective segregation at source can cut collection and landfill costs by up to 30%, while improving the quality and market value of recyclable materials.

At the policy level, several African countries, including Ghana, are strengthening extended producer responsibility (EPR) frameworks for packaging, requiring manufacturers and importers to finance the collection and recycling of plastic waste.

These reforms are creating more predictable feedstock for recyclers and encouraging municipalities to align local systems with private-sector recycling value chains.

EKMA Chief said the Apremdo Market rollout will be closely monitored, with lessons used to inform a wider municipal scale-up.

Beyond environmental gains, the program is positioned as a cost-saving and public health measure, supporting cleaner neighbourhoods while laying the groundwork for a more sustainable, circular urban waste management system.

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