The Federation of Plastic Manufacturers, Recyclers and Users Ghana have said they disagree with proposals to ban plastics in Ghana.
According to the group’s Director for Policy and Sustainability, Daniel Yaw Tornyigah, behavioural change and recycling are the only cost-effective means to deal with plastic waste.
[contextly_sidebar id=”cmMSpmKoGyxYFmxgTtMqPAdNEwV4aa3y”]Addressing a press conference to launch the maiden TALKPLAST 2019 Conference, Daniel Yaw Tornyigah said that reducing the flow of plastics into the ocean is a more important objective
“The workable plan shall constitute; Education and capacity building. We will create an educational resource book that will be a guide for schools, universities, municipalities, industries and tourist site. It will foster environmental ethics and promote positive behavioural change,”
The plastic waste ban will not solve the problem. If we ban plastics today, the number of companies producing plastic will continue to remain there because there are no mechanisms for degradation. What is needful is to encourage and empower recycling in this circular economy that will boost economy enterprises in the sub-region and Ghana and also benefit from it ”
Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggested the implementation of a take-back system, where companies that supply their products in plastic containers can retrieve the containers from the public after use, could ensure a higher percentage of the country’s waste is recycled.
The EPA has said such a scheme that allows manufacturers to take back their bottles and other packaging materials in order to dispose of them properly, will help boost the recycling rate
Currently, less than two percent of the country’s plastic waste is recycled.
According to the EPA, statistics also show there will be more plastic in the world’s ocean than fish by 2050 if things remain the same.