General Manager of waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Florence Larbi, has stressed the need to examine plans to implement a waste management system, which would integrate waste collection and treatment methods, environmental benefits as well as social acceptability in a practicable and sustainable manner.

Mrs Larbi said the proposed objective could be achieved by designing, continual improvement and monitoring of the waste system in a manner that is environmentally effective and economically affordable after combining a range of treatment options including recycling, composting and bio-gasification.

She said this at the second day of a five-day waste management training course organized by Zoomlion in Accra for stakeholders from the academia, consultancy, the public service and field officers.   

Participants would be taken through topics such as waste characteristics and management, waste legislation in Ghana, and principles of solid waste management planning. 

The certificate course which commenced on Monday, 16th September 2019 would end on Friday 20th September 2019.

The course, she said, would not be a mere talk shop, but enlighten stakeholders on the principles of waste management processes to enhance the sector.

On her part, Consultant and Environmental Chemist, Madam Simonetta Tunesi who also lectures in some of the courses at the programme said participants would be taken through well-structured planning methods to solve the challenges bedeviling the sector.

''By the end of this course, the participants would also be able to comprehensively analyse the country's waste management flow, compare alternatives in terms of environmental and social impacts. 

She gave the assurance that the programme will also help improve financial analysis to enable government to seek funds to tackle the challenges in the sector. 

  

Madam Tunesi forecasted that considering the experience in some developed countries, it would take possibly 60 years for Ghana to address it solid waste management challenges.   

She also disclosed that 'acquiring expensive technologies alone is not the answer' to the prevailing waste problems in the country, but an absolute understanding of managing waste and changing the public's psyche on responsible ways of disposing of waste.  

Director of Monitoring and Service Quality of Zoomlion Mr. Ernest Kusi, said the essence of the course was to educate participants on the best practices that existed in advanced countries for them to emulate same to ensure waste is managed well in the country.