Plastic Waste wahala

I once boarded a commercial vehicle to a village some miles away from the nation's capital Accra. It was a Sunday and there was this man neatly dressed sitting by me in the vehicle. Apparently he was thirsty and bought a sachet of water along the road.
After gulping down the liquid content, the gentleman told a lady sitting by the window to open it wide enough to enable him throw the empty sachet away, but the lady resisted saying that the authorities have warned that we should not litter the environment.
Apparently, the gentleman did not see the logic in what the lady said, and stated that, ‘as for me I will stop littering the road only when it has been tarred’.
I felt so worried as to what the future holds for our dear motherland where waste management is concerned.
The only thing I could tell the man was that, by the time the road is tarred, you would have died of a disease like malaria or diarhoea, because of the filth.
Certainly, he may not be the only one walking about with this mentality. Many are the people who feel that keeping our environment free of waste is not their business.
The whole country is gradually being swallowed up by waste.
Plastic waste particularly has become a social problem Ghana is trying to deal with. They range from polythene bags, ice cream and biscuit wrappers, and sachet water bags, which is the most visible.
Almost all the major gutters in the country are currently choked with plastic waste. This has resulted in Ghana recording high rate of malaria even in the 21st century.
Woe betide any one who does not watch out and step on a plastic bag because they have become chamber pots for people to ease themselves and throw them in the gutters.
Statistics released by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, (AMA) Waste Management Department and other waste management bodies indicate that about 9000 tonnes of waste goes into the system daily, out of which 315 tonnes plastic is related, while about 100 tonnes of this is light plastic which constitute 1.1%.
The issue of plastic waste disposal, which is getting out of hand in Accra, has in recent times generated all kinds of discussion. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Alan Kyeremanten has been moved to invite all people involved in plastic manufacturing, sachet water producers and plastic waste recyclers to discuss various environmental issues in relation to indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste with particular reference to sachet water bags.
From these discussions emerged the Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association. The AMA has also held several discussions with players in the plastic sector to devise means to solve the canker.
The AMA last year even threatened to ban the production of sachet water bags, when the producers failed to honour their obligation to pay a ¢450 million a month, to help manage the waste.
The government is currently proposing the introduction of heavy tax or levy of ¢11,000 per kilogramme on plastics.
But the Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association, (GPMA), holds the opinion that there should be 0.1% sanitation levy on all imports at the point of entry into the country, and a surcharge of 0.75% on all plastic products at the point of first sale, while exports should be exempted.
The association suggests that the VAT Service could be empowered to regulate the collection. According to the President of the GPMA, Mr. Ebo Botwe, their estimates indicates this will generate at least ¢1.25 billion per month.
‘We appreciate the problem of plastic waste, essentially, water sachet that litters the streets and the environment. However, penalizing the plastics manufacturing industry in this way is not the solution. The issue of litter on the streets is not restricted only to Accra. It is a national issue, which occurs in every city, town and village. Litter is seen as a problem caused by specific materials rather than aberrant consumer behaviour. Litter results from irresponsible social attitudes. Solution must be geared towards the consumer. This is a major problem and must be seen on a national level’, Mr. Botwe emphasized.
At a press briefing in Accra, the association has also suggested that 50% of the funds to be collected should be spent on; public education through advertisements in the media on the importance of keeping the environment clean, create awareness of the existing law on keeping a clean environment and maintaining waste disposal containers at vantage points to collect refuse.
The GPMA has also recommended a review of its proposed charges after three years. The association believes that if the government should persue the implementation of the proposed levy, its members and non-members will be forced to shut down operations, which could lead to loss of employment, loss of revenue and lead to inflation.
To the GPMA, the closure or collapse of the plastic manufacturing industry in Ghana will not solve the plastic waste disposal problem, because consumers have developed a taste for them and would switch onto import substitutes.
The association says the answer to finding a lasting solution to the problem of plastic waste is by engaging in discussions with all players involved, in order to evolve a practical programme to alleviate the problem.
It is common knowledge that the stakes for our country in plastic industry are very high. It currently provides direct employment to an estimated total of 14,200 Ghanaians with over 25,000 dependants and feeds over 2,000 allied industries with its products as raw materials for packaging.
The attempt therefore to clean up ones segment should not result in throwing the baby out of the window with the bath water.