Accra’s waste problem worsened after transfer stations were closed, says ex-Mayor Vanderpuije

Accra's waste management challenges have intensified following the closure of the city's waste transfer stations, former Accra Mayor Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije revealed. During his tenure, a structured system was in place where waste collectors, known as "aboboyaa" operators, brought refuse to designated transfer stations. From there, registered waste management companies collected and transported it to final disposal sites.

Vanderpuije expressed concern that this system collapsed, leading some "aboboyaa" operators to dump waste indiscriminately. He noted that local assemblies have failed to enforce sanitation regulations, despite his administration's strict instructions to use only approved transfer stations. The former mayor also highlighted a broader waste and drainage improvement plan, the "Conti Project," which included constructing waste management centers and dredging major drains like the Odaw. He believes its full implementation would have created a more effective system.

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We developed the transfer stations so that aboboyaa operators would collect refuse and bring it there, and the waste management companies would take it to the final destination.

The former mayor attributed the current crisis partly to a lack of policy continuity after his term ended. He argued that governments have not adopted a comprehensive approach, failing to address drainage, refuse collection, waste disposal, and road infrastructure together. Vanderpuije also raised concerns about the fragmented administrative structure of Accra, now divided into multiple assemblies, stressing the need for stronger coordination to develop a unified waste management strategy for the capital.

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We have not done a comprehensive approach.