By Ghana Media Newsroom
Ghana’s persistent flooding has once again sparked national debate over plastic pollution, with environmental experts insisting that the country’s greatest challenge is not plastics themselves but how plastic waste is managed after use.
As the world observed International Plastic Bag Free Day, stakeholders across Ghana renewed calls for stronger recycling systems, improved sanitation enforcement and responsible waste disposal instead of an outright ban on plastics.
Plastic remains one of the most widely used materials globally because of its affordability, durability and versatility. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world now produces more than 430 million tonnes of plastic every year. However, only around nine per cent is recycled, while nearly half ends up in landfills and millions of tonnes pollute rivers, lakes and oceans.
Africa alone generates an estimated 17 million tonnes of plastic waste annually.
In Ghana, estimates from the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and development partners indicate that the country produces between 1.1 and 1.3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year—more than 3,000 tonnes every day. Yet only 10–15 per cent is collected for recycling.
Recent Floods Expose Ghana’s Waste Challenge
The devastating floods experienced in parts of Accra have renewed public calls for action against plastic pollution.
According to James Deku, Corporate Affairs Officer of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, plastics themselves are not the problem.
Instead, he believes indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste into drains, streams and open spaces creates environmental disasters by blocking drainage systems.
“When plastics clog drains, they prevent the free flow of stormwater, causing floods that destroy homes, businesses and sometimes claim lives,” he explained.
Mr. Deku advocates stronger enforcement of sanitation by-laws, continuous public education and practical recycling policies rather than banning plastics entirely.
He also supports reviving traditional biodegradable packaging options, including the use of leaves for selected products, while gradually reducing unnecessary single-use plastics.
Recycling Instead of Prohibition
Production Planner at Universal Plastic Products and Recycling (UPPR) Ghana Limited, Gabriel Kudiabor, believes plastics should be viewed as valuable industrial raw materials instead of waste.
According to him, Ghana’s plastic problem stems largely from poor waste management and public behaviour rather than the material itself.
He recommends:
- Increased investment in recycling infrastructure.
- Nationwide public education on waste segregation.
- Stronger collection systems.
- A nationwide deposit-return scheme for plastic beverage bottles.
Countries operating deposit-return programmes have significantly improved recycling rates while creating reliable supplies of recyclable materials for industry.
Giving Plastic a Second Life
At UPPR’s recycling facility, thousands of discarded PET bottles are collected, sorted, washed and converted into high-quality PET flakes every day.
These recycled materials are used in producing:
- Polyester fibre
- Yarn
- Textiles
- Reflective safety clothing
- Industrial packaging materials
Beyond PET, the company is also expanding recycling operations to include Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene (PE) plastics commonly used in detergent bottles, buckets, food containers, crates and household packaging.
“What many people consider rubbish is increasingly becoming an important industrial raw material,” Mr. Kudiabor said.
Building Ghana’s Circular Economy
Experts argue that recycling plastics instead of discarding them can simultaneously:
- Reduce environmental pollution.
- Prevent drainage blockages.
- Minimise urban flooding.
- Create thousands of green jobs.
- Strengthen local manufacturing.
- Reduce dependence on imported raw materials.
- Increase export opportunities.
Representatives from the Ghana National Action on Plastics (GNPAPS) agree that government alone cannot solve the country’s plastic waste challenge.
Success, they say, requires collaboration between government, private companies, manufacturers and every Ghanaian household.
Until affordable and durable alternatives become widely available, plastics will remain part of everyday life. The long-term solution lies not in eliminating plastics altogether but in ensuring every plastic item is collected, recycled and transformed into new products instead of ending up in drains and waterways.
For more environment and sustainability stories, visit GhanaNews.org
.
