Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has called for a national re-thinking on the use and management of plastic waste.

She said the nation required a paradigm shift “on how Ghana addresses plastic pollution,” saying “we should shift our perspective and view plastics not merely as waste, but as a valuable resource”.

Prof Klutse said: “Because when properly managed, plastic can significantly contribute to sustainable development,” when speaking at a forum on World Environment Day organized by the Department of Environmental Management of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), at Fiapre near Sunyani on the theme “Repurpose Plastic Use”.

Prof Klutse who addressed the forum virtually indicated that “Ghana generates over one billion tons of municipal waste annually, with only 58 percent properly managed, 42 percent incinerated, buried or irresponsibly discarded” and thereby impacting biodiversity, public health, and livelihoods reliant on natural resources.

She said: “These unmanaged plastics present serious environmental and health hazards, ranging from microplastic pollution to the contamination of our water bodies,” and called for the need for the nation to adopt the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and more importantly, Refuse.

Prof Klutse said the EPA remained committed to driving the transformation agenda through enhanced regulatory measures, supporting innovative recycling businesses, and strengthening public-private partnerships.

She outlined a three-pillar strategy of policy-driven transformation, enforcement of the National Plastic Management Policy, and establishment of standardized extended producer responsibility.

Prof Klutse said the launch of Ghana’s Circular Plastic Innovation Hub, aimed at advancing biodegradable alternatives and waste-to-value initiatives including projects converting plastic waste into recycled construction materials.

She said plans were also advanced to expand the ‘Repurpose Ghana’ campaign, and urged households, educational institutions, and businesses to endeavour to segregate waste and adopt reusable packaging and support local recycling markets as well.

Dr Mary Antwi, the Head of Department of the Environmental Management of UENR stressed the need to change the narratives around plastics, saying that the “mismanagement of plastics, not the material itself, is the problem”.

She encouraged stakeholders to re-think “their relationship with plastics” and urged innovative solutions in “reusing plastic waste and reducing single-use plastics,” saying “these efforts are crucial in reducing plastic pollution in landfills and oceans”.

Dr Antwi said: “UENR is looking forward to collaborating with the EPA under a World Bank project, to establish a Center for E-waste Management and Environmental Sustainability to promote responsible environmental practices”.