By Edmund Smith-Asante
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| Clean source separated water sachet bags |
The plastics industry in Ghana has
lately come under attack and faces extinction because of the massive pollution
of the environment by its products.
One of the policies that have
emanated from the intense debate on whether or not to continue using plastics
as a nation is the insistence on the use of Oxo-biodegradable material in the
manufacture of plastic used as carrier bags.
The catch here is that if that
fails to effectively deal with the menace, then government would have no other
option than to go the way of Rwanda - ban the use of plastics.
But plastics are beneficial because
they are handy, durable, waterproof, convenient and very cheap. In Ghana, many
companies use plastics to manufacture an incredible number of products we use
every day, such as waste bins, plastic bowls, cups and utensils, ‘takeaway’ packs,
trash bags, children's toys, pet bottles and many others.
It is the management of the waste
from their use that has become a hydra. Plastic pollution adversely affects
humans, wildlife, river bodies and causes floods when it rains. Aquatic life is
also threatened by plastic waste in the sea, streams, lakes, lagoons and rivers
and scientists have predicted that very soon there will be more plastics in the
sea than fishes.
Landfills have also been engulfed
with huge plastic waste and district assemblies are running out of landfill
sites. The burning of plastic waste is not an option, since that creates toxic
fumes in the atmosphere which is dangerous when inhaled.
The problem has been compounded by
indiscriminate littering, defaecation in black polythene bags and the lack of
separation of organic waste from inorganic ones at source.
Recycling project
It is to exhibit its commitment to
managing plastic waste and promoting recycling that the Zoomlion Foundation
under the leadership of its National Coordinator, Mrs Sarah Kyei, has initiated
a “School Recycling Project”.
The project motivates school kids to
source separate plastic waste in schools and sell it to recycling companies.
The initiative is intended to prevent indiscriminate littering of plastic waste
on school compounds, protect the environment, save space in landfill sites and
recycle plastic products into new products.
The simple model for the “School
Recycling Project”, which involves the use of inexpensive transparent plastic
sacks, was developed by a Programme Officer at the Zoomlion Foundation, Mr
Thomas N. Korley, and was piloted in seven basic schools in the Western Region
in January 2015.
The initial pilot programme recovered 271kg of clean
source-separated sachet water bags between January and April 2015.
Programme expansion
The programme was extended to 12
more schools and is still expanding in the region. The second pilot was
conducted in the Upper West Region by the Head of Environmental Sanitation at
Zoomlion, Mr Peter Claver Dery, in September 2015.
Mrs Kyei said the Zoomkids clubs in
the Upper West Region, numbering 800 from 20 schools, had also been sensitised
to the need to separate sachet water plastics from other waste.
“So far, the Zoomlion Foundation has
supported 15 schools in the Western Region and 20 schools in the Upper West
Region to source-separate their plastic waste. This involves some 1,400
Zoomkids club members and 70 Zoomkids patrons.”
Cost of project
Mrs Kyei said by the end of December
2015, the foundation had spent GH¢50,000 to support the project, working
through a team of 10 Regional Coordinators comprising Regional Heads of
Environmental Sanitation (HoES) and Regional Environmental Sanitation
Supervisors (RESS).
The foundation also supported the
purchase of storage sacks, the creation of storage facilities for plastic
sachets, transportation of waste to recycling companies as well as the cost of
monitoring and evaluation of the “School Recycling Project”.
Cash rewards
“So far, more than five tonnes of
plastic waste have been recovered from schools in the Western and Upper West
regions. The project has also assisted children avoid to engaging in littering
and also earn some cash for sanitation improvement in their schools. School
pupils have largely stopped littering on school compound thus keeping their
environment clean.
“The excitement generated by the
project among school kids is enormous, since there is competition among the
schoolchildren as to who would be able to bring substantial amount of sachet
water bags for source separation in order to generate more income.”
Benefits of source separation
She also indicated that the source
separation programme was promoting productive learning and a healthy
environment in Ghanaian schools. “Before this programme was initiated, it was
observed that the major environmental challenge in schools in the country was
indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste on the school compounds.”
“Also, most of the schools do not
have adequate waste disposal facilities. The schools use part of the
school compound as refuse dump where they periodically burn their solid waste.
In the cause of burning, the smoke enters the classrooms and distracts teaching
and learning,” Mrs Kyei noted.
This
story was first published by the Daily Graphic on April 25, 2016
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