KMA meets tricycle waste collectors over solutions to their problems

The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Osei Assibey Antwi, has met with tricycle riders involved in waste collection and disposal in the Kumasi metropolis with the view to finding solutions for some of the problems associated with their work and also how the KMA could facilitate their work. 

In his remarks, Mr. Assibey Antwi described the contribution of the tricycle riders in waste management in the metropolis as very important, considering the fact that they are able to collect and dispose off refuse from areas where the waste collection companies either refuse to go, or cannot send their bigger trucks. 

Previously, the major problem of heaps of refuse not collected for days, which was posing health problems for the residents has substantially reduced. 

The Kumasi Metro Chief Executive however, expressed serious concern about the behaviour of some of the tricycle riders for failing to cover their goods, for which, leads to littering on the main roads. 

According to Mr. Assibey Antwi, the worst aspect of the situation is that some of the tricycle riders also fail to send their goods to the landfill site at Oti, the properly designated refuse disposal site in Kumasi and rather disposing the waste anywhere, on their way to the landfill site. 

The situation, Mr. Assibey Antwi warned, is unacceptable and can no longer be tolerated. 

The Chairman of the Tricycle Riders Association, Salim Mohammed, noted that the Association has about 300 members who are making very significant contribution to waste management in Kumasi. 

He admitted to the issues enumerated by the Kumasi Mayor, but blamed some of those problems on riders who are not members of the Association. 

Mr. Mohammed agreed also with the KMA to provide easy identification for riders and cycles that are legally recognized, with KMA embossed Stickers. 

He however, appealed to the KMA to also help the riders solve their major operational challenges such as delays and high cost involved in the registration of the tricycles. This situation, according to Mr. Mohammed, is contributing to the high number of unregistered tricycles in the system.

GBC