Zoomlion Ghana Limited is a giant in the waste management as well as environmental sanitation business in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
Waste dump in Accra, Ghana
The company which was formed in 2006 as Zoomlion Ghana Limited with a few numbers of staff has now grown over the past seven years. It now has a total core staff of 3,000 and manages over 85,000 workers under various forms of Public Private Partnerships (PPP). Zoomlion Ghana Limited seeks first and foremost to satisfy clients and customers by continuously improving upon operations to make them cost-effective.
Internship Experience at Zoomlion Ghana Limited
This summer I worked with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management company in Accra, the capital of Ghana. I was fortunate to learn about the full process of waste treatment, from touring recycling and compost plants, to learning about initiatives in waste water treatment and anaerobic digestion.
Most of my work was with the solid waste collection team, which does door-to-door trash collection for private citizens and companies. I engaged in the process of negotiating concessions, registering clients, resolving complaints, and collecting payments. My main project involved a comparative analysis of trends in client complaints and missed service payments.
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One of the most valuable lessons I took away from this internship is how essential data-driven decisions are. My supervisors and I had several hypotheses about why there were persistent issues with collecting payments for waste collection services. Using data to directly compare trends allowed me to come to an informed conclusion rather than simply taking my best guess.
There were so many data gaps that we had to work around, not just within the company’s records, but also information that should be available through the government. However, it took me a while to realize that not all of this knowledge was entirely lost. The lack of formal records meant that individuals often had expertise in these areas and would be able to provide statistics from memory.
I appreciated the application of waste treatment that I’ve learned through Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE 6) and Pollution Control in Aquatic Ecosystems (ESE 163). I also was able to apply the basic programming skills that I learned in Introduction to Computer Science (CS 50). My time with Zoomlion offered an amazing exposure to the application of topics that I’ve learned about in the classroom. Understanding the constraints and messiness of analyzing real-world data was eye-opening.
Impact on International Development
Innovative Solutions for Ghana's Waste Problem | Technology's Role in Environmental Management
This internship has continued to fan my passion for international development. It was incredible to witness the strength of a local Ghanaian company and I was blown away by the dedication and thoughtfulness of my coworkers. It reinforced my belief that the most powerful development initiatives come from within countries, as companies are filled with passionate people who understand the local context.
Public infrastructure has the potential to do tremendous good, especially where there are opportunities to build from the ground up in ways that make life better for both natural and human communities. My internship is sponsored through a collaboration between the Center for African Studies (CAS) and the Jospong Group (Zoomlion’s parent company).
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Collaboration with Watershed Geo and ClosureTurf Technology
The projects are currently under a design-build construction contract with Zoomlion and an international team of Watershed and Geosyntec Consultants working together.
“Watershed has made inroads with installation in Europe of its revetment and hard armoring product, HydroTurf®, but these projects represent the first international use of of ClosureTurf. “ClosureTurf is a unique technology that strategically fits Zoomlion’s mission”, says Ayers.
ClosureTurf is a final closure system that uses engineered synthetic turf and specified infill on top of a structured geomembrane layer to stabilize soils and keeps slopes in place. This composite system that makes up ClosureTurf eliminates borrow soil, reduces construction time, and provides many geotechnical and environmental benefits that make sense for the maintenance of the post closure life that an owner is responsible for.
ClosureTurf Landfill Final Cover System
The positive environmental impacts of ClosureTurf include reducing overall gas emissions and odor issues. Because soil loss from water runoff is virtually eliminated with ClosureTurf®, the result is very low turbidity and overall water quality improvement.
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Watershed Geo is an environmental and civil solutions company offering a broad range of products for landfill management and erosion control. Through best-in-class materials and extreme engineering, Watershed Geo products deliver improved performance and reduced environmental impact while limiting the long-term costs associated with landfill management and revetment projects. The company is headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga.
Dr. “We now have over 2,500 acres installed in North America and we have worked diligently to take our patented technology global,” says Mike Ayers, CEO of Watershed Geo.
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Soil Stabilization | Engineered synthetic turf and infill stabilize soils and keep slopes in place. |
| Eliminates Borrow Soil | Reduces the need for borrow soil. |
| Reduces Construction Time | Speeds up the construction process. |
| Geotechnical Benefits | Provides stability and support. |
| Environmental Benefits | Reduces gas emissions, odor issues, and soil loss. |
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