The ‘One Million-Free-Waste Bin’ project being rolled out by the waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL), takes off in five metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region.

The MMDAs include Ablekuma North, Ablekuma South, Ablekuma Central, Okaikoi South and Krowor—all in the Greater Accra Region.

Already, Zoomlion workers have been dispatched to the five MMDAs to register households within the targeted MMDAs for free distribution of the waste bins.

Residents in these municipalities greeted the exercise with lots of excitement, especially when many of them had no receptacles for their refuse.

With this, Zoomlion is looking at distributing one million waste bins to households and businesses in all cities and communities across the country.

However, briefing the media, the Greater Accra Zoomlion General Manager, Ernest Morgan Acquah, indicated that the number of waste bins would increase if they exceed their target.

He explained that the decision to embark on the free bin project was as a result of a research carried out by Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, which findings identified the lack of bins in homes as one major factor fuelling filth in the country.

“So it was based on this research finding that Jospong and Zoomlion partnered some waste management companies to produce waste bins and distribute them free to homes to prevent our streets and environs from being engulfed with filth,” the Accra Zoomlion GM said.

Although Mr Morgan said the bins were free, he was quick to add that households would pay what he said was a ‘commitment fee’ of GHC20 for the registration.

The fee, he said, would demonstrate households’ commitment to the project, and also be used in producing more bins for the country.

According to him, the good thing about the waste bins was that they were fitted with Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) tags.

That, he explained, would allow the waste management companies the space to closely monitor and track the clearing of waste by its workers.

“What is means, therefore, is that the waste management companies will be able to track how often waste bins get full and how regularly they are emptied,” he said.

The RFID system, he continued, would also avoid the situation where waste bins overflow and pollute the environment with its attendant health implications.

Furthermore, Mr Morgan indicated that a digital payment platform had also been installed to ensure easy payment and collection of waste.

Ecobank Ghana Limited is the financier of the $10 million project, with Universal Plastic Products and Recycling (UPPR) Ghana Limited and the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) as the collaborators.