The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, has warned that continuous exposure to plastic pollution poses health risks.
He spoke at the national launch of the Plastic Waste Management Campaign at Abetifi in the Eastern Region.
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie pointed out that chemical substances from plastic leach into the internal organs of the body to alter the functions of some internal organs in both men and women.
“The binding substance sometimes leaches into our body and destroys the internal functions. As a doctor, I know that. If you are a female, the plastic chemical composite shape is the same structure as part of your hormones and it can disrupt your menstrual cycle and cause problems,” he said.
“If you are a male, it can also enter the system and interfere with Spermatogenesis. Because it is chronic in nature, it happens small, small, so you might not appreciate it.
He said research has indicated that every month microplastic chips equivalent to the Ghana card inject into the body.
Several plastic waste and pollution continuously pose a threat to the environment, he said, adding that the inability to recycle a larger chunk or reuse makes it more worrying for local authorities.
Dr. Afriyie urged the MMDAs to take action against local Kenkey sellers who wrap Kenkey in plastic before boiling and advised consumers to stop buying hot food in plastic.
“Pass laws to prevent Kenkey users from using plastic to wrap Kenkey before boiling. Stop buying if hot food is in plastic.
“All the women wrapping plastic over corn dough before cooking put a stop to it.”
The plastic management project was launched on the theme ‘Plastic is a Resource, Not a Waste: Pushing the Agenda of a Circular Economy’ to encourage recycling and safer reuse of plastic while providing jobs.
“Plastic recycling reduces trash in the ocean, it creates new jobs, especially for the informal sector, provides income, and prevents global warming,” the Environment Minister noted.
The Kwahu East Municipal Chief Executive, Isaac Agyapong, pledged commitment on behalf of partner assemblies on the project.
“We are leveraging on the Easter festivities and beyond to launch the plastic waste campaign focused on effectively mobilizing plastic waste generated during the Kwahu festival, creating awareness, intensifying buying back plastic, and promoting the collection, segregation, and recycling of all kinds of plastic towards a circular economy.”
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