Ghana must create economic value for plastic waste – Adjei Sowah

Former Accra Mayor Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah has called for the creation of economic value for plastic waste as part of efforts to address Ghana's growing waste management challenges.

His comments follow the transfer of tonnes of waste from the Agbogbloshie enclave to the Adipa landfill site in the Eastern Region.

The move has angered residents of the Adipa/Asiaw Electoral Area, who have given the government a seven-day ultimatum to halt the transfer of waste to the facility and engage them over their concerns.

Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV's Face to Face, Nii Sowah said the failure to create economic value for plastic waste was contributing to the country's waste management challenges.

He said unlike metal waste, which is often collected because it has economic value, plastic waste does not currently provide sufficient financial incentive for people to collect and recycle it.

“We failed to find an economic value for the plastic waste. And that's why we have been struggling,” he said.

Nii Sowah said there was a need to make plastic waste collection financially attractive to people who spend their time gathering and transporting it.

“We need to find a way also of creating an economic value for it,” he said.

He also noted that some forms of organic waste were already being put to economic use, particularly by livestock farmers and traders.

“Another form of waste that you can hardly see is organic waste,” he said, explaining that food waste and leftovers from markets were often used as feed for pigs, cattle and goats.

He said the practice showed that waste could be converted into useful resources rather than simply being transported to landfill sites.

“We need to find a way of making good use of the waste. So it becomes organic manure for us,” Nii Sowah said.

He identified plastic waste as one of the major challenges requiring greater attention.

“The major problem that we are finding is the plastic waste,” he said.

Residents of the Adipa/Asiaw Electoral Area have threatened to block roads leading to the landfill if the government fails to respond to their concerns within the seven-day ultimatum.

They have cited heaps of garbage, offensive odours and concerns about possible groundwater contamination, particularly during periods of rainfall, as some of the challenges facing the community.

The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has apologised to residents of Adipa and surrounding communities over the disruption caused by the ongoing transfer of waste from Agbogbloshie.

Mr Ayariga acknowledged that the movement of large numbers of waste trucks, particularly at night, had created traffic and noise-related inconvenience for residents along routes leading to the landfill.

— CitiNewsRoom