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18.04.2019 General News

If We Don't Act Fast, Our Future Will Be Jeopardised By Plastic Waste--- First Lady

If We Don't Act Fast, Our Future Will Be Jeopardised By Plastic Waste--- First Lady
18.04.2019 LISTEN

The First lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has called for a concerted effort towards the reduction and recycling of plastic waste in the country.

According to her, the advent of sachet water is a contributing factor to the enormous waste generated in the country.

Speaking at the ceremony to rebrand the Food and Drugs Authority, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo said the menace if not tackled would have dire consequence on the environment.

“Another area in which the FDA has made new strives and continue to do so is in bottle and sachet water production, the unhealthy practices where a single cup is used to several people is a thing of the past. Currently, there are several registered brands of hygienically packaged drinking water certified by the FDA. This has increased the availability of clean drinking water where it is needed most. Let me state though, that the advent of sachet water has increased plastic waste which pollutes the environment. If we don't act now to stop this pollution, the future of our planet would be jeopardized. We must make every effort to reduce, recycle and reuse plastic and plastic materials,” she said.

According to the EPA, statistics also show there will be more plastic in the world's ocean than fish by 2050 if things remain the same.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also suggested that implementing of a take-back system, where companies that supply their products in plastic containers can retrieve the packaging from the public after use, could ensure a higher percentage of the country's waste is recycled.

The EPA has said such a scheme that allows manufacturers to take back their bottles and other packaging materials in order to dispose of them properly, will help boost the recycling rate.

In 2016 Voltic Ghana Limited, one of the largest producers of bottled water in the country launched the second phase of its PET plastic recycling project to help reduce the amount of scattered plastic waste in the environment.

The first phase of the project, which was launched in October last year, was to measure the feasibility of a large-scale community PET recycling project.

The project as of January 2016, had collected and recycled over 400 kilograms of PET waste and reached over 200 households.

---citinewsroom

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