Single use plastics are likely to be banned in the coming days, as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, prepares to launch the Global Plastics Action Partnership (GPAP) on October 1, the Special Advisor on Plastics to the Minister of Environment Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Mr Oliver Boachie has announced.
Single use plastics are polythene materials used usually in packaging, including; pure water sachet, black polythene bags and rubber wrappers.
According to him, the anticipated ban on such plastics, however, would be done in a manner that was sustainable to ensure that it did not disrupt the circular economy of plastics in the country.
Addressing journalists at the Wednesday edition of the bi-weekly briefing of the Ministry of Information, Mr Boachie said the ban would form part of a comprehensive programme under the GPAP to deal with the plastic waste menace which was gradually devouring the country.
He explained that the GPAP was a new initiative created by a coalition of influential public and private leaders to fast-track plastic pollution action around the world and hosted at the World Economic Forum.
Mr Boachie said the partnership envisioned a world free of plastic waste and pollution and represented one of the most powerful and concerted efforts working internationally to address the challenge of plastic waste.
He said it aimed at achieving this by bringing together public, private, and civil society leaders to translate commitments into concrete action.
The advisor explained that Ghana was adopted as one of the two countries to pilot the GPAP based on the country’s own National Plastic Management Policy (NPMP) which the ministry was in the process of adopting.
He said when adopted the policy would be leveraged for the comprehensive management of plastics to drive sustainable development, green job creation, and environmental protection.
“The Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership will launch in close coordination with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Waste Recovery Platform, which will promote sustainable waste recovery in Ghana through connecting stakeholders across the waste management chain,” he emphasised.
He noted that the GPAP and the UNDP Waste Recovery Platform would support the existing work being carried out by the government of Ghana as well as successful initiatives being led by entrepreneurs and civil society actors at the local level to accelerate the reduction of plastic waste and pollution.
Mr Boachie said the NPMP aimed to use the comprehensive management of plastics across their life-cycle and value-chain as a vehicle for sustainable development so as to enable a shift towards a plastic circular economy.
He said the policy lays a foundation to enable the creation of entirely new industry for redesigning, recovering and recycling plastics, preventing pollution of the environment and communities thus creating more jobs within the green economy.
“The Implementation of the NPMP starts with a national communication strategy to change our behaviour on how we manage plastics. The next focus will be on mobilising finances and innovation to enable new business models for sustainably managing plastics and supporting communities and companies to coordinate and plan for a circular plastics economy. Lastly, the implementation of the policy establishes robust frameworks for good governance and shared accountability across society, he stressed.
Furthermore, he explained that the WRP would represent one of the newest and most innovative initiatives in the UNDP’s long history of notable work in Ghana.
“This initiative will create a real-time and digital one-stop shop solutions platform to connect stakeholders across the waste management chain with access to open data and innovative technology solutions to promote waste recovery,” he said.
By Cliff Ekuful
