A total of 115 persons have been prosecuted by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for failing to comply with its 2017 Sanitation bye-laws between January and March 2022.

Their offences include dumping of waste into drains, burning of refuse in residential areas, insanitary drains in front of their premises, non-registration with accredited waste collectors, overgrowth of weeds in their surroundings, lack of household toilets and open defecation.

The rest were lack of suitability, health and safety certificates, preparing and selling food under unhygienic conditions, and lack of food handlers’ certificate.

The AMA Boss who disclosed this in Accra on Friday said that during the first quarter, 345 summons were obtained from the court and out of which 304 were successfully served on offenders.

Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey noted that 12 cases were adjourned with 9 bench warrants yet to be effected; adding that 168 of the cases were still pending.

The Chief Executive said the prosecutions form part of ongoing measures by the AMA to enforce its bye-laws to ensure a clean city pointing out that it was an offence under the bye-laws if a person fails to keep the drains around his premises clean, provide a standard container for refuse storage, or use the services of an unregistered solid or liquid waste contractor.

Again, a person could be prosecuted for operating a public or commercial toilet without a valid permit, or defecate in the open drains, or indiscriminately dumps solid and liquid waste in open spaces, drains, gutters, behind walls, or burns solid waste in one's compound.

Madam Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey reiterated the Assembly's commitment to enforcing its bye-laws to deter would-be offenders and urged all residents to be responsible towards the environment; adding that the Public Health Department would be visiting household premises for routine checks.