Tarkwa: Madam Sophia Ama Otabir, the Tarkwa Regional Director of Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), has urged the youth to transform plastics into valuable products that would benefit society. She stated that more creative solutions from the youth would help curb plastic pollution and its harmful effects on the environment.

According to Ghana News Agency, Madam Otabir made these remarks during the World Environment Day in Huni-Valley, an event organized by the Abosso Goldfields Limited (AGL) and the EPA’s Tarkwa Regional office. She highlighted an innovative example of using plastics to create desks as a solution to the challenges of supplying desks to schools, given that plastics don’t decompose easily. The World Environment Day was celebrated under the national theme: ‘Reuse, Rethink, Plastics,’ with a focus on ending plastic pollution.

Mr. Frank Denkyi Agyei, Acting Operations Manager at AGL, shared that Ghana generates approximately one million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with only 5 percent being recycled. He noted that plastics clog drains, cause floods, and contaminate water bodies, and emphasized the infiltration of microplastics into food, water, and air, posing serious health risks.

He further explained that in local mining communities, unmanaged plastic waste presents significant challenges. AGL is committed to addressing this issue by implementing a site-wide policy to reduce single-use plastics, promoting effective segregation of plastic waste, and partnering with local recycling firms to repurpose collected plastics.

Mr. Desmond Asare, Acting Unit Manager of the Environmental Department, pointed out that AGL had diverted approximately 871 tonnes of recyclable plastic from landfill over the past five years, contributing to greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Mine also donated four plastic waste containers to two basic schools in Huni Valley.