Eliminating EPA Penalties at Tema Industrial Estate

Published October 19, 2025

Commercial & Industrial

Cost Reduction

tonnes

Tonnes Diverted Monthly

EPA Compliance Score

The Challenge

Tema Industrial Estate's factory compound had become a dumping ground for unregulated industrial waste, with open piles of packaging materials, chemical drums, and mixed solid waste accumulating across the site. Ghana EPA issued three formal penalty notices within a single quarter, threatening the estate management's operating licence. Multiple tenants faced their own compliance risk, with no structured waste collection or segregation in place. The informal waste-pickers operating on-site had no agreed access protocol, creating security and liability concerns.

Our Solution

PCM conducted a comprehensive waste audit of the estate, cataloguing waste streams by type, volume, and generation frequency across all 24 tenant units. Based on the audit, four 1,100L commercial containers were positioned at optimised collection points across the estate. A weekly structured collection schedule was implemented, with a dedicated PCM compactor assigned to the route each Monday and Thursday. Waste segregation training was delivered to facility managers across all tenant units. A quarterly reporting pack aligned to EPA Return requirements was included in the service agreement.

The Results

Within six months, the estate achieved full EPA compliance and all three penalty notices were cleared. The structured approach to commercial container placement eliminated ad hoc dumping entirely. The waste audit revealed significant cost savings: by consolidating waste streams and eliminating unauthorised waste disposal contractors, the estate reduced total waste management spend by 35%. The solution was ISO 14001 aligned, supporting two tenant companies in their own environmental certification applications.