Officials of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA), in collaboration with community leaders and residents, have cleared large volumes of filth from the Ashaiman main market and surrounding public spaces.
The exercise, organised as part of the monthly National Sanitation Day, aimed at improving environmental sanitation and public health in the municipality.
The clean-up was led by Mr Freeman Tsekpo, the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive (MCE); Mr Ernest Henry Norgbey, the Member of Parliament for Ashaiman; and officials from the national sanitation department.
Residents, traders, assembly members, and voluntary groups cleaned streets, markets, and public spaces, collecting refuse and debris to promote a clean and healthy environment.
Mr Tsekpo told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that participation in the exercise was impressive, attributing the success to strong collaboration among the assembly, traders, voluntary groups, and residents.
He explained that traders from communities such as Ada, Madina, Dawhenya, and Prampram frequently patronise the Ashaiman market, contributing to the high volume of refuse generated weekly, which often exceeds the capacity of available refuse containers.
The MCE said the assembly was enforcing a bylaw dubbed “Operation Clean Your Frontage”, under which designated sites would be created for refuse containers, while staff would be reoriented to ensure effective implementation of the bylaw.
He added that Zoomlion Ghana Limited was working with the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to establish a transfer station and construct a new landfill site, as the Kpone landfill site was currently under pressure.
The MCE urged residents to dispose of refuse only at designated dump sites, noting that 10 skip containers procured last year were helping to manage the increasing waste volume.
He said the container sites were managed by Zoomlion Ghana Limited under a Sanitation Improvement Package (SIP) agreement, which mandates the company to lift the containers regularly.
Mr Tsekpo further encouraged traders to embrace the government’s 24-hour economy policy, stressing that it would not disrupt trading activities but rather enhance municipal development while improving hygiene and safety standards at the market.