The Accra Metropolitan Assembly,(AMA) has issued an ultimatum to solid waste contractors to provide litter bins to residents by the end of August, this year. The move, according to the Metropolitan Chief Executive of the AMA, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, has become necessary to reduce the incidence of indiscriminate dumping of refuse and consequently improve on sanitary conditions in the national capital. Currently, the litter bins, according to some of the waste contractors, are in high demand but the high cost is delaying the distribution in certain areas, especially densely populated areas where households are cluttered in a single compound. Mr Vanderpuije gave the ultimatum in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra. The AMA according to him was in the process of securing more than 5,000 litter bins to support the solid waste companies. In June this year, the AMA began its Fee and Performance-Based Solid Waste Collection Services which now obliges residents to pay the contractors for services rendered to them. In all, the AMA engaged 11 contractors for the work and they are Yafuru, Almanuel and Catrol, Aryeetey Brothers Company Limited, Asadu Royal Waste Limited, Dabeng Cleansing Limited and J. Stanley Owusu and Company Limited. The rest are Jakora Ventures, Lib Waste Limited, Meskworld and Zoomlion Ghana Limited. Each of these waste management companies as part of the agreement are expected to provide litter bins to every household in the area of their jurisdiction. Some two months into the new programme, some contractors have not been able to fulfil this part of the agreement, hence, the AMA's deadline. Mr Vanderpuije maintained that the new programme would be reviewed after three months and non-performing contractors would be kicked out. The Domestic Waste Manager of Zoomlion, Mr Robert Coleman, told the Daily Graphic that his company had so far registered nearly all the households in its three operational areas at Ayawaso West and Central and Ablekuma Central sub-metros. "We have also provided more than 8,241 litter bins to our c1ients”, he stated. Almanuel Company Limited had also registered about 1,500 residents and was in the process of securing litter bins for distribution. Almanuel works within the Okaikoi North sub-metro which has areas including Abeka, Lapaz, Fadama and Tesano. “Providing litter bins is capital intensive. One litter bin costs about GH150.” The Manager of Almanuel, Mrs Vera Yankah said in an interview. An official of J. Stanley Owusu also in an interview stated that the company have purchased 400 litter bins at GH¢150 each for distribution to its clients within the Okaikoi South sub-metro. According to him, the company had so far registered about 4,000 residents out of an estimated 7,000 residents. "What we hope to do is to begin work in the areas where we can recoup our investments. There are some areas within our jurisdiction that we cannot recover our cost", the official stated. Source: Daily Graphic