Tano South MCE hands over skip containers to Assembly Members

The Tano South Municipal Assembly has distributed skip containers to selected communities as part of efforts to improve environmental sanitation and reduce indiscriminate waste disposal across the municipality.

The brief handing over ceremony was attended by the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Emmanuel Kwame Frimpong, the Coordinating Director, Mr. Abdul Rahman Salam, the Municipal Environmental Officer, Mr. James Oware, heads of departments, Assembly members, traditional leaders, and residents.

Addressing the gathering, Hon. Frimpong said the initiative aligns with President John Dramani Mahama's commitment to improving sanitation nationwide. He noted that the President has directed all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to make sanitation a key priority in their administration.

He stressed that maintaining a clean environment is a collective responsibility that contributes to good health and called on residents, Assembly members, and other stakeholders to work together instead of relying solely on enforcement measures.

Hon. Frimpong disclosed that the Assembly intends to provide four skip containers every year to strengthen waste management across the municipality. Although the distribution was initially scheduled for 2025, he said the Assembly expedited the process, resulting in the allocation of containers to the Adum, Maakrom, Zongo, and Atekyem electoral areas in Bechem. He added that another batch of skip containers is expected in 2026 under the Assembly's sanitation improvement programme.

He appealed to residents to use the containers responsibly and ensure they are well maintained to help reduce indiscriminate dumping and keep communities clean.

The Municipal Environmental Officer, Mr. James Oware, explained that the distribution was necessitated by the municipality's growing population and the corresponding increase in waste generation. He said the new containers would supplement existing facilities in expanding communities while replacing old and damaged ones.

Mr. Oware further disclosed that the Assembly plans to extend waste collection services to newly developed communities, including the rapidly expanding Techimantia Township. He encouraged Assembly members to educate residents on the proper use of the containers and advised them to provide ladders or similar structures to enable residents to dispose of waste safely without littering the surrounding areas.

He also urged residents to keep the surroundings of the containers clean, adding that although achieving full waste management coverage remains a challenge, the Assembly remains committed to expanding sanitation services and improving waste collection throughout the municipality.

Hon. Frank Fosu Darkwa, Assembly Member for Ahenbronoso, commended Hon. Frimpong and the Municipal Assembly for their commitment to making Tano South one of the cleanest municipalities in the region. He said the additional skip containers would significantly improve sanitation in the beneficiary communities.

He further appealed to Assembly members and residents to take good care of the containers and called on Zoomlion, the Assembly's waste management contractor, to ensure regular evacuation of waste to prevent the containers from overflowing.