Tricycle operators engaged in waste collection across the Ashanti Region are protesting the introduction of an additional toll by the Asokwa Municipal Assembly.
The protest follows the assembly’s decision to erect a toll booth at the entrance of the Oti landfill site in Kumasi to charge waste collectors GH¢5 per visit.
The amount adds to an existing GH¢30 daily waste management fee already paid to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.
The aggrieved ‘Aboboyaa’ group described the new levy as “unfair and unjustifiable,” arguing that they already pay the approved daily fee to dispose of waste at the landfill.
They contend that the new toll compounds the financial burden on their operations, which already run on lean profit margins.
According to the riders, the decision was taken without prior consultation, despite their role as key stakeholders in the waste management value chain.
They warn that the additional toll could force some operators out of business, leading to disruptions in household waste collection and potential public health risks across the region.
In a petition to the Ashanti Regional Minister, the operators appealed for urgent intervention to halt the implementation of the new fee.
They further called for a stakeholder meeting involving the Regional Coordinating Council, the Asokwa Municipal Assembly, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, and waste management companies to agree on a more sustainable solution.
The tricycle riders also stressed that beyond their routine house-to-house waste collection duties, they voluntarily assist local assemblies during sanitation and other clean-up exercises, using their own fuel and resources to complement efforts to keep Kumasi clean.
They warned that if the matter is not immediately resolved, they would be compelled to boycott their support for communal clean-up exercises, increase waste collection charges, or suspend house-to-house waste collection altogether.
“This move could worsen sanitation conditions in the Ashanti Region,” cautioned Salim Mohammed, Chairman of the Sanitation Tricycle Riders Association.
