Environmental researchers and industry players are calling on the government to spearhead a massive behavioural change drive to help reduce the use of plastics and their related pollution of the environment.
Globally, 367 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced every year to pollute the environment with Ghana producing 1.1 million tonnes of plastic waste annually.
Out of this, only 5 percent is recycled, a situation researchers have described as alarming. They have warned that if this is not checked, it can lead to a possible environmental disaster.
In an interview with Citi News on the sidelines of the launch of Freshppac, an initiative by Blue Skies Limited and the University of Northampton to find circular economic solutions to plastics, Dr. Ebenezer Laryea, a researcher and a senior lecturer at the University of Northampton, said food security is under threat if plastic pollution in Ghana is not checked immediately.
“The global situation when it comes to plastics is alarming. At the moment, we produce 367 tonnes of plastics annually, and the scale of plastic pollution is of course a problem. Obviously, during the recent COP 26 Conference, it was made very clear. Ghana produces about 1.1 million tonnes of plastics on average every year and out of all of that, only 5 percent is recycled, and the 95 percent mostly find their way either in the oceans or to landfills, and some recycling centers export them overseas for other uses which is quite minimal. And so if this problem is unchecked, if we don’t do enough, we will end up with an environmental disaster which is going to be on an enormous scale, and so the urgency is high for us to tackle this problem and do it together.”
“There are a number of things that we need to do as a country, and one is to drive behavioral change which creates the situation where people are able to use alternatives to plastics, and also creates a situation where people are able to reduce the use of plastics. We also need government policies as one of the elements; government actions are not the only solution, but we need to be comprehensive with a policy in this area that makes alternatives to plastics accessible and affordable so that people can choose those alternatives.”
“Having traveled throughout the country all throughout the week, I am certain of one thing which is that the people of this country are very much aware of the problem of plastics, and they want to be part of the solution, but we need the right mix of tools to allow and help people to do it.”
Even though Ghana adopted the National Plastics Management Policy in March 2020 to tackle plastic pollution its impact is not being felt.
Madame Louisa Karboba, the Project Manager of Ghana Recycling Initiatives by Private Enterprises wants the government to act fast.
“Plastic waste is a huge challenge. To say that is one of the environmental challenges being faced in our time will be an understatement. It is actually something that is worrying, we get huge volumes up to 80 million tonnes entering our ocean every day, and it is causing havoc to biodiversity, and it’s causing havoc to the fish we eat and to our health because we know the end consumers are humans, so this is the right time to take action on plastics.”
“We have the National Plastics Management Policy which was adopted in March 2020, and this policy brings together expertise in the plastic value chain to come up with focus areas to tackle plastic pollution in Ghana which is looking at the behavioral change which sits high on the policy. It also looks at collaborations because the plastic waste problem is very complex, and it needs all on board. It also looks at innovative ways to tackle this challenge, and it is in the early stages. Currently, we have strategies we are trying to use to tackle the challenges.”
She lamented that, “Now fishermen are complaining of low catch, they go fishing and return with huge parks of plastics as a catch, so it’s a huge challenge and this is the right time to tackle this, and if we do not do something about it in our small corner, then we as a country looking at transitioning into a circular economy will be a huge challenge. The government has put a policy in place, but it is up to all of us and the government to ensure that the policies are implemented.”