Mrs Florence Larbi, General Manager of Zoomlion has stressed the need to examine efforts of implementing a waste management system, which would integrate waste collection and treatment methods, environmental benefits as well as social acceptability that was practicable and sustainable.
This she said could be done by designing, continuing improving and monitoring the waste system in a manner that was environmentally effective and economically affordable combining a range of treatment options including recycling, composting and bio-gasification.
Mrs Larbi said this at the opening of a five-day waste management course for 70 waste management students in Accra.
It is being organised in collaboration with the Environmental Engineering Department of University of Ontario, Canada who initiated the programme to partner Universities of Ghana, Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and some polytechnics to bridge the gap between industries and academia.
Participants would be taken through topics such as waste characteristics and management waste legislation in Ghana, and challenges in waste management careers.
Mrs Larbi said the course was a landmark in the waste management industry in the country, and would provide a systematic and pragmatic springboard from which Ghana could leap frog to the top of waste management problems.
The course, she said would address the understanding of principles of processes of waste management, treatment and disposal of different types of waste as well as the legislative framework within which they operate.
Mrs Larbi said the course would be institutionalised and equipped with a modern library, visuals aids, state of the art laboratory, pilot demonstration plants for waste recycling and treatment.
She said it would be upgraded to include diploma and degree courses in future because Ghana was committed to establishing a clean, safe and pleasant physical environment.
Mrs Larbi was optimistic the participants would be equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes in modern waste management and make a positive impact on their organizations.
The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh said the Ministry was preparing a policy document on environment to be submitted to Parliament for approval.
The document would define the role of all stakeholders in addressing the waste menace as well as develop a strategy that would be implemented from the national level to the grassroots to make it viable.
He expressed concern about the indiscriminate dumping of electronic waste and hoped the policy document would remedy these worrying trends.
Professor Fredrick Rodrigues, Dean of Faculty of Science, University of Ghana said waste management had become a national issue with the increasing population.
He said though series of attempts had been made to find solution to waste management in Ghana "It has been very difficult to manage and address the menace".
Prof. Rodrigues expressed concern about nuclear waste, an area which was being ignored completely.