In order to manage the nation's plastic waste, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI).
The EPR is a strategic policy intervention in which the market price of a product, particularly in the waste management industry, is increased to reflect the expected environmental costs associated with that product throughout its life cycle.
The government is now drafting a bill that would require the EPR of all national makers and marketers of plastic goods.
The decision, according to Lydia Essuah, Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation at MESTI, who revealed this to the Daily Graphic last Wednesday (June 21), was made to reduce plastic pollution in the nation.
"We want to make sure that once a plastic product is out on the market, you are legally required to collect it.
To this end, you must ensure that, as part of your marketing strategy, you set up a collection system so that everyone purchasing your product is aware of where to dispose of the trash after using it, according to her.
Mrs. Essuah announced this at a stakeholders' workshop in Accra that was hosted for important players in the waste management industry.
The session covered the lessons discovered during the execution of a project known as:
"Marine Litter and Microplastics: Promoting Environmentally Sound Plastic Waste Management and Achieving the Prevention and Minimization of Plastic Waste Generation in Ghana"
MESTI carried out the project in coordination with its associates, including the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (UNEA).
The project examined the transnational flow of plastics, the prevention of plastic trash from entering the ocean, and the development of law enforcement capabilities.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)'s Customs Division employees were instructed by MESTI as part of the project on the transboundary flow of plastics and how to take action.
"The officers are to make sure that we know what to look out for, what to admit in, and what not to admit at the point of entry when plastics are coming in and going out," Mrs. Essuah added.
Additional interventions
The director of policy for MESTI noted that initiatives were being taken to reduce plastic usage in dining establishments and food packaging businesses.
"We are working with the restaurant operators and encouraging them to come up with takeaways that are made from seaweed instead of plastic," the spokeswoman added.
She reiterated that MESTI has finished the procedures for launching a plastic-free school campaign in senior high schools and higher education facilities.
According to Mrs. Essuah, MESTI established eco-friendly committees in certain schools as part of the drive to support the establishment of plastic waste segregation.
"Once the plastic waste has been gathered, we have arranged for off-takers to come and collect it from these schools.
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