The upsurge of private tricycle waste collectors in Accra has created a stiff competition between these uncertified individuals and certified waste collectors endorsed by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to collect waste on behalf of the city managers.
Information gathered by Business Day indicates that, price differentials is gradually pushing the certified waste collectors out of business since their main competitors, ‘borla taxi’, charge lesser prices for the same weight of waste collected.
The development has caused some anxiety among major waste management companies contracted to keep the city clean.
Speaking to Business Day, the Chief Environmental Health Technologist of the AMA Waste Management Services, Mr. Samuel K. Kpodo disclosed that the development has caused the assembly huge revenue losses.
The phenomenon, according to him started when Zoomlion contracted tricycle operators to collect waste in communities which had no roads and good road layouts since their big trucks could not access such places.
“These ‘borla taxis’ who have no contract with any of these companies, have taken over the job and are even going to places where the trucks can access”, he lamented.
He stated that plans by the Environmental Waste Collectors Association of Ghana to bring them under their umbrella as Micro Enterprises have proved futile.
Mr. Kpodo explained that the assembly has no contract with private tricycle waste collectors as some people are speculating.
According to him, AMA as at the moment has contracts with only nine waste management companies, namely; Zoomlion Ghana Ltd, J. Stanley Owusu & Co. Ltd, Jekora Ventures, Yafuru Enterprise, Meskworld Com Ltd, A.B.C. Co Ltd, Liberty Waste Ltd as well as Asadu Royal Waste Ltd and as such has no association of any nature with these individuals.
Statistics from AMA indicate that between 1500 to 1800 tons of waste is generated every day in Accra, with government spending as high as GHC 420 million every year to curb this issue.
Information reaching Business Day further indicates that these borla taxis have turned the Mallam market into a dumpsite; a place that has not been approved by the AMA. It is now very common to see these individuals dumping waste there; a situation that has created a huge stench in the market.
Initially, most of these tricycles were engaged in the sachet water business; conveying sachet waters from the factories to shops and homes. Today, most have diverted into collection of waste because they claim that it is more profitable than the sachet water business.
They argue that, it is their source of income and they will do anything to keep their business going. “We are not taking anyone’s job from them, this is business and business involves competition, and that is exactly what we are doing”, Nuhu, one of the ‘borla taxi’ drivers said.
Patrons of their services who spoke to Business Day also asserted that the “borla taxis” were punctual and cheaper compared to the big companies.
“The big companies charge us too much for collecting our refuse; every year they change their prices and this doesn’t help some of us”, Auntie Akorfa, a resident of Nungua complained. “Moreover they are almost never on time, sometimes the bin is so full that it spills over and the stench can be unbearable. The bola taxis on the other hand are always on time and their services are cheaper as well”.
Kukua, a hair stylist said, “I live alone and as such I don’t make a lot of waste so I will prefer giving it to the bola taxi at GH2 than to pay as high as GH20 to the big trucks for that small waste”
The AMA approved fees for refuse collection as at 2014 are; first class areas…GH₵ 100, second class areas...GH₵ 60, third and fourth class areas -- GH₵20, industrial entities -GH₵ 200 and commercial areas - GH₵ 150’’. As defined by AMA, the first class areas are the residential areas, the third class, the slums, with the second class areas falling between the two.
The tricycles on the other hand charge between GH1 to GHC5, depending on the quantity of waste. For them, this is a great initiative that has provided employment for a lot of young people who otherwise would have been on the streets engaging in social vices.
Patrons of these private tricycles say until these big companies change their rates and make them affordable, they will continue to patronize the services of these “borla taxis”.
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