The Jospong Group of Companies has showcased at the ongoing COP26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom, interventions and potentials in Ghana’s waste management that can contribute to lowering emissions.

Globally the waste management sector alone has the potential to reduce emissions by 15-20 per cent, experts have explained.

The Jospong Group was represented by its subsidiaries in the Environmental and Sanitation sub-sector; namely Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the leading waste management company in Ghana and Africa, and Sewerage Systems Ghana Limited, a subsidiary in liquid waste management, as well as the Africa Environmental Sanitation Consult, (AFESC) a research and policy arm of the Jospong Group, at the side- event held at Ghana’s Pavilion, to outline its interventions.

Mr Israel Boakye Acheampong, Consultant, Engineering, Design and Projects Department, AFESC, said the Group was using the opportunity presented at the COP26 to demonstrate its contributions to the climate change space with innovative ideas to sustainably manage waste in Ghana with positive impact on climate.

He called for strategic partnerships to augment the Group’s skills, during his presentation, which focused on the Groups’ integrated waste management approach that combines innovation, technology and management based on reuse, recycling, recovery and safe disposal of waste since 2006.

Mr Acheampong said the Group was also ready to explore various technical and financial opportunities at the COP26 to accelerate its support for Ghana in mitigating the impact of climate change.

To mitigate the indiscriminate dumping and burning of waste arising from inadequate access to waste collection, he said Zoomlion Ghana Limited had invested in storage facilities with bins and collection systems in the country, which had improved waste collection from homes, from about four per cent in 2006 to about 21 per cent in 2021.

“….Key interventions include the one million bin concept, which aims at distributing one million bins to reduce the over five million households without bins in Ghana,” he said.

Aside that the Company had brought in the first phase of 150 state-of-the-art low emitting refuse collection trucks, while encouraging segregation of waste at the source, and working to recover the organic component of waste and adding value to it to produce compost for fertilizer to support food production.

This is being done through the investment in Integrating Recycling and Composting Plants (IRECOP) in all the 16 regions of Ghana to augment the already existing composting plants in Accra and Kumasi.

“With this considerable waste is diverted from final disposal sites hence reducing emissions and also providing secondary raw materials, which saves the exploitation of virgin materials like plastics,” Mr Acheampong said.

“Universal Plastics Products and Recycling Company limited (UPPR) a subsidiary produces bins and other plastic products from recycled plastics.”

He said Sewerage Systems Ghana Limited was also producing bio-char from sludge generated from treatment of liquid waste as a replacement for charcoal, which was mostly produced from trees, to sustain the vegetation cover.

Through public education and sensitisation in line with best practices, the Group is promoting waste reduction by encouraging people to reduce the waste they generate.

Mr Acheampong said the Jospong Group, therefore joined the call by the International Solid Waste Association and Chartered Institution of Waste Management for countries to include waste management interventions as part of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to attract climate financing from institutions like the Global Climate Fund to support sustainable waste management.

The impacts include creation of green jobs, protection of public health and the environment.

Dr Abena Asomaning Antwi, the Managing Director, AFESC, told the Ghana News Agency that partnerships were critical in helping the company to play its rightful role in climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

She said the Group also sought to look for strategic partnerships in the area of technology, financing, research and learning from best practices to improve on the gains made, so far.

Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), expressed the Agency’s readiness to partner the Jospong Group and any other like-minded institution to keep the environment free from pollution.

He said the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies have the onus to effectively manage waste within their various jurisdictions, hence they must up their game while Ghanaians face the reality of paying a bit more to ensure proper waste management in their communities.

“We must have a concerted effort in dealing with the waste we generate. The consciousness of the nation must be awaken, and all the religious and traditional leaders must join in awakening of this consciousness among Ghanaians,” Dr Kokofu said.