The Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) has attributed the growing piles of uncollected refuse in parts of Greater Accra to a severe shortage of landfill sites, describing the situation as a major challenge for waste management service providers.

This follows traders and residents around the Kaneshie Market, raising concerns over an overflowing refuse container at the market complex, warning that the situation poses serious health risks and is affecting business activities.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews' Midday News on Wednesday, June 24, the Executive Secretary of ESPA, Ama Ofori Antwi, said the association is aware of concerns about unattended refuse in several communities and has been engaging both formal and informal waste collectors on the issue.

According to her, rapid urbanisation and population growth have significantly increased the volume of waste generated daily, while the infrastructure needed to manage and dispose of the waste has not kept pace.

"Currently, as we speak, we are challenged with final disposal sites. That is one of the key issues. Infrastructure for dumping waste is a challenge for both the formal and informal operators," she explained.

Ms Ofori Antwi noted that the shortage of landfill sites has increased the turnaround time for waste collection vehicles, making it difficult for contractors to promptly return to communities to collect more refuse after disposal.

She revealed that the only operational landfill sites currently available to waste contractors are located at Adepa and Tema, leaving service providers with limited options for waste disposal.

"The landfills currently working are the ones at Adepa and Tema. If we take the whole of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, there are no landfill sites within GAMA for dumping waste," she said.

As a result, waste collection companies are compelled to travel long distances, sometimes up to 90 kilometres, to dispose of waste before returning to their service areas. This, she says is affecting operations significantly.

The ESPA Executive Secretary further indicated that the ongoing rainy season has compounded the challenge, as poor road conditions leading to some disposal sites slow down the movement of waste trucks and affect accessibility.

"Now that we are in the rainy season, accessibility is also a problem because the roads are not in the best condition," she noted.

She called for urgent investment in waste management infrastructure, particularly the establishment of additional engineered landfill sites within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, to improve efficiency in waste collection and help address the growing refuse situation.