The European Union (EU) has inaugurated a plastic recycling and lumber plant for the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly in Accra.
The pound 2.5 million project, which is expected to reduce plastic pollution and enrich residents, has an annual production capacity of 2,000 tons and seeks to enhance waste processing and promote effective waste management practices among the 101 communities in the municipality.
Speaking to the media after the commissioning, Mr Massimo Mina, Head of Cooperation, European Union Delegation to Ghana, said the project was part of the EU’s commitment to implementing green transitions, protecting the environment, and addressing climate change.
‘With this project, we’re not only addressing the issue of plastic pollution, but we’re also supporting employment, particularly among women and the youth by offering some opportunities of sustainability to the local community,’ he said.
The intervention comes at a time when Ghana generates over 3,000 metric tonnes (Mt) of plastic waste daily, am
ounting to approximately 1.1 million Mt annually.
The project is being implemented by the EU, ASASE Foundation-a non-profit organization focused on women’s empowerment in the environmental sector-the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, and the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly.
According to the Ghana National Plastic Pollution Action Partnership (NPAP) roadmap, about 86 percent of the annual plastic waste (1.1 million Mt) is mismanaged.
Of this plastic waste, 51 percent remains uncollected, with 26 percent disposed of indiscriminately or littered, 18 percent openly burned, and 23 percent discarded in open dumps.
Additionally, an estimated nine percent of the waste leaks into waterways.
The recycling plant would process raw materials for the lumber facility, produce by-products for furniture such as outdoor chairs, tables, and benches, as well as playground equipment and building materials for roofing, fencing, and window frames.
The initiative aims to tackle the issue of plastic pollution effectively.
Madam Da
na Mosora, Managing Director, ASASE Foundation, said the project would prioritize behavioural change in plastic segregation among community members, including school children, and job creation.
‘We’ve created over 50 direct jobs for community members, and we’re going to grow into running three shifts to create more jobs, and for those who work on the equipment, over 50 per cent are women.
‘Through the education we do, we tell people not to litter the environment but collect and sell the plastic waste and sell it to our network of waste pickers to reach our plant, making the community become cleaner,’ she stated.
Mr Oliver Boachie, Special Adviser to the Minister of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), indicated that although plastics had become essential in human life, their management presented challenges to the environment.
‘The project, apart from helping to clean the environment, also protects the health of our people because when you have plastic and other waste a
t the dumpsite, it generates greenhouse gases, which affects our health through air pollution,’ he said.
Mr Boachie said the government would partner with the private sector to replicate the module across the country, saying, ‘this project is important to us and it’s a module that we really want to push in Ghana.’
Mr Francis Atta-Woode, who spoke on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly, encouraged community member to ‘drop that sachet in the bag, send it to ASASE, and make some cash.’
He noted that only about eight per cent of plastic waste was recycled in major municipalities, while another eight percent ended up in waterways, putting the Weija Dam-a crucial drinking water source for the western part of Accra-at risk of plastic pollution.
Mr. Atta-Woode said Weija was a flood-prone area in Accra, and the processing plant would help collect and process plastics that often clogged drains.
Source: Ghana News Agency