The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has reiterated the urgent need to phase out single-use plastics as part of efforts to safeguard the environment and promote a circular economy.
According to the Authority, plastic, which was once considered a convenient solution to public health concerns, had now become a major environmental nuisance, particularly in the form of problematic, non-recyclable and single-use materials.
Speaking at the “Pathways Towards Ending Plastic Pollution: Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable On Single-use Plastics in Ghana” held on Thursday in Accra, Acting Director of Human Settlement at the EPA, Hope Smith-Lomote, said the national effort to phase down single-use plastics formed part of a broader strategy to ensure only recyclable plastics remain in circulation, while non-recyclable ones were completely eliminated from the economy.
The roundtable, organised by the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement (GYEM), brought together government ministries, plastic manufacturers, civil society groups, academia, development partners and the media to explore practical strategies for reducing Ghana’s dependence on plastics.
Its objective was to create a collaborative platform for shaping a national pathway towards a future with reduced plastic pollution.
Mr Smith-Lomote explained that under the circular economy framework, the goal was to ensure plastics that could be recycled were produced, used, and reused, rather than ending up in drains, gutters and other parts of the environment where they cause flooding during rainfall.
He appealed to vendors and market women, who are among the highest users of single-use plastics, to adopt alternative packaging materials such as biodegradable options or non-plastic substitutes.
Though initially more costly, he noted, these alternatives would in the long run improve their businesses by enhancing product branding, as has already been demonstrated by supermarkets, hotels and other major establishments.
The Acting Director further encouraged households, churches and institutions to adopt proper waste segregation practices to help reduce the plastic menace.
He cited examples of hotels and banking institutions that have already transitioned to reusable materials such as glass bottles, noting that smaller market and street vendors could gradually adopt similar practices.
Mr Smith-Lomote stressed that while the transition might appear difficult at the beginning, the prices of alternatives would eventually become cheaper than plastics currently in use.
The Campaigns Manager of GYEM, Samuel Wood, said plastics such as polythene bags, bottled water containers and Styrofoam takeaway packs make up a significant portion of Ghana’s unmanaged waste, clogging drains, polluting beaches and threatening marine life.
“Beaches are supposed to be tourist sites, but who will visit a beach littered with heaps of plastic?” he asked.
He explained that while countries such as Rwanda and Kenya have banned single-use plastics, Ghana lacked a clear national stance despite various announcements from government agencies.
He stressed the need for legislation, behavioural change and better waste segregation to cut plastic use.
He added that piloting plastic-free markets could reduce plastic dependence and set a model for other markets across the country.
“If we cut down on new plastic production, it will go a long way to managing the challenge,” he said.
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