Ghana Introduces Innovative Solutions to Tackle Plastic Waste.

Accra: The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) is piloting several initiatives aimed at reducing plastic waste, including a Water Vending Machine, Edible and Compostable Packaging, and Plastic-Free Schools programmes.According to Ghana News Agency, these initiatives, worth $75,000, are designed to promote better plastic waste management and contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.1, which focuses on reducing marine pollution from all sources.Madam Abena Afriyie Appiah, the Deputy Director of the Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Directorate at MESTI, disclosed this during a stakeholder awareness workshop in Accra. She explained that the initiatives are part of the Basel Convention's Programme of Work, which is being funded by the Norwegian government through the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions. This is the second phase of an earlier programme launched to tackle plastic waste.Elaborating on the initiati ves, Madam Appiah noted that the water vending machines would be installed at strategic locations across the country. People would pay a small fee to access water using reusable bottles. Regarding the Plastic-Free Schools initiative, Madam Appiah explained that students would be educated on separating plastics at the source. They would then be encouraged to send the separated plastics to recycling facilities, where they would be transformed into useful items such as bags, pencil cases, backpacks, and raincoats. The initiative was piloted in phase one with two schools and would be expanded in phase two.Madam Appiah noted that while plastics cannot be banned entirely, the initiatives aimed to significantly reduce such waste in the country. 'We can't ban plastics now, but we can reduce through behavioral change, through the provision of alternatives that can replace the plastics that we are using,' she said. Mr. Richard Yirenkyi Orfei, Programmes Manager of Plastic Punch, a Non-Governmental Organization respon sible for implementing the water vending machines, explained that the project aimed to highlight the potential of these machines as an alternative method of providing affordable and clean drinking water. He noted that the initiative, if successfully implemented, would help reduce the use of single-use plastics, particularly plastic bottles, and sachets.