A technology-driven waste management company, Wastle, has launched a digital platform to enhance waste collection and make it more efficient.
The app would enable households, businesses and institutions to request waste collection services through their mobile phones, thus eliminating the need to wait for passing tricycles or other waste collectors.
The Managing Partner for Operations at Wastle, Alex Kwame Donyinah, at the launch said the idea emerged from a simple observation in neighbourhoods, where children are often seen standing by the roadside trying to stop tricycle riders to evacuate household waste.
He said what initially appeared to be an ordinary scene highlighted a larger sanitation challenge confronting many communities across the country.
“Our question is simple: why should households, businesses and institutions depend on chance encounters just to dispose of waste in an era of smartphones, GPS technology, digital payments and artificial intelligence?” he asked, and added that the observation inspired the establishment of Wastle to provide technology-driven waste management services, while promoting a circular economy.
Research
He said research by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) estimates that poor sanitation costs Ghana more than GH¢6 billion annually through healthcare expenses, lost productivity and environmental degradation.
He said the company sought to support the government's vision of making Accra one of Africa's cleanest cities by providing reliable, technology-driven waste collection services.
Beyond waste collection, he said, Wastle aimed to promote waste segregation, recycling, environmental sustainability and green job creation.
Mr Donyinah noted that every rider employed by the company represented meaningful employment for young people, while every household served also contributed to cleaner and healthier communities.
Convenience
A Public Relations Representative of Wastle, Sylvanus Bedzrah, said the application was bringing the same convenience to waste disposal that ride-hailing platforms had introduced to transportation.
He said users could request waste collection before their bins became full, while households without bins would be provided with one under flexible payment arrangements.
Mr Bedzrah said the company intended to operate nationwide, beginning with selected constituencies in Accra before expanding to other regions, particularly flood-prone communities.
He added that Wastle would also promote waste segregation by encouraging households to separate plastics, paper and organic waste to facilitate recycling and environmentally responsible disposal.
He announced that the company would participate in the national sanitation exercise to support efforts to keep communities clean and improve environmental health.
Clean constituency
The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, John Setor Dumelo, described the initiative as timely, particularly following recent flooding incidents and the renewed national focus on sanitation.
Mr Dumelo encouraged residents to patronise the service to help make Ayawaso West Wuogon one of the cleanest constituencies in the country.
