Ghana is taking significant steps to combat plastic pollution by introducing legislation that will compel plastic packaging producers to manage the waste generated by their operations. The West African nation, estimated to produce approximately 840,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, is striving to mitigate environmental pollution.
The Ministry of the Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) in Ghana is spearheading this initiative. The forthcoming law will replace the existing voluntary system and make Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) a mandatory practice in the country. Under EPR, any company that generates waste must assume responsibility for its proper disposal and recycling.
In Ghana, this responsibility will require the establishment of collection and recycling centers for used plastics. The ultimate goal is to significantly increase collection rates and promote recycling to eliminate plastic litter from the streets entirely. Lydia Essuah, MESTI’s Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, expressed the importance of legal support in achieving this objective. She noted, “Currently in Ghana, some 120 companies manufacture more than 52,000 tonnes of plastics a year.”
Beyond pollution reduction, the implementation of this new legal framework, obliging companies using plastic packaging to take part in the collection and recycling of plastic waste, is poised to enhance Ghana’s recycling sector. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), out of the nearly 840,000 tonnes of plastic waste generated annually in Ghana, only a meager 9.5% is currently collected for recycling.