Ghana's Association of Industries claim ban of plastics will collapse businesses

Ghanaians in recent times have been calling on the government to ban plastics since plastic waste is poorly managed in the country.

However, Mr Twum Akwaboah said Ghanaians have forgotten that plastic producers in Ghana help reduce the unemployment rate in Ghana amongst others.

“Apart from the usual contributions of the sector to employment and revenue generation, part of the reason why our electricity cost is even high today is because we have excess capacity, and we must pay capacity charge,” he said.

He added that there was the need to discuss the challenges in the industry bearing in mind that manufacturing was an important aspect of the economy and must be protected.

“Companies are concerned about the issues in the environment and when we see our streets littered with plastics and our gutters choked, we are concerned. That is why we have come together as the Ghana Recycling Initiative by Private Enterprises (GRIPE) to find the solution to the plastic issue to keep our businesses, and we can generate more revenue and create employment,” he said.

GRIPE is an industry-led coalition formed under the auspices of the AGI with a stake in the plastics sector to integrate sustainable waste management solutions, particularly around plastics. It was founded in November 2017 by eight multinational companies and operates.

A total of 4.8 million tonnes of solid waste is generated annually in Ghana, out of which 14 percent is believed to be plastics.

In terms of waste collection, experts say only 50 percent of waste generated daily is accounted for by formal systems (trucks that pick at a fee).

In other areas, it’s openly burned.