The New Juaben South Municipal Assembly in the Eastern Region has fined a taxi driver GH¢100 for improperly disposing of waste by throwing rubbish from his moving vehicle onto the roadside.
The driver, identified as Godfred Nartey, was spotted discarding the rubbish near Bakita along the Kenkey Factory Road in Koforidua Monday afternoon.
The incident was witnessed by the New Juaben South Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Tetteh,who immediately stopped the vehicle and directed the driver to retrieve the discarded waste.
Despite searching the area, the driver was unable to locate the rubbish.
He was subsequently escorted to the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly, where he was sanctioned for violating environmental sanitation regulations.
Assembly authorities gave him the option of paying a GH¢100 fine or undertaking community service by weeding and collecting refuse in the area where the offence was committed.
The driver chose to pay the fine.
The New Juaben South Municipal Environmental Officer, Emmanuel Tetteh, has expressed concern over the growing practice of commuters throwing waste from moving vehicles, describing it as a dangerous habit that is degrading the environment and endangering lives.
According to him, many people eat while travelling and carelessly dispose of plastic wrappers, bottles and other waste through vehicle windows instead of keeping the rubbish until they reach their destination.
He explained that beyond polluting the environment, such actions could cause road crashes, especially when motorcyclists or other road users attempt to avoid the litter thrown onto the road.
Mr. Tetteh appealed to commuters to keep their waste inside vehicles and dispose of it properly at designated refuse points after alighting.
He noted that the Assembly has continuously sensitised commercial drivers and transport unions to ensure passengers leave their waste in vehicles so it can be collected and disposed of appropriately at lorry stations.
He urged residents to stop treating bushes and open spaces as dumping grounds, stressing that public spaces must be kept clean for the benefit of everyone.
The Environmental Officer further disclosed that the Assembly has deployed sanitation task forces across the municipality to enforce sanitation by-laws.
He warned that offenders caught littering would either be made to clean up the waste they dumped or pay the prescribed fines in accordance with the Assembly’s sanitation regulations.
Mr. Tetteh therefore called on all residents and commuters to adopt responsible waste disposal practices and work together to keep the municipality clean.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
