GRIPE engages stakeholders in the sustainable management of plastics



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As part of its ambition to improve plastic waste management practices in Ghana, the Ghana Private Enterprises Recycling Initiative (GRIPE) mobilized stakeholders during a joint venture. workshop one day.

The workshop focused on the sustainable management of plastic waste resources.

At the workshop organized by the Private Sector Coalition under the auspices of the Business Sector Challenge Fund (BUSAC) with the support of the Ghana Industries Association (AGI), the coalition called on all stakeholders to rethink plastics as mere waste. to consider it as a resource that can generate enormous economic value for Ghana.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Seth Twum-Akwaboah, President and CEO of the AGI, emphasized the private sector's commitment to the management of plastic waste in the country, its leadership with the formation of the GRIPE and its investment in solutions to fight against -the waste of consumption of the life cycle of plastic.

"Our member companies are very concerned about the waste problem because we live and operate in communities; This is one of the reasons we created GRIPE to manage the environmental impact of plastics. GRIPE started very small, but we are growing and progressing progressively toward our goals of increasing recycling rates and improving plastic waste management practices in Ghana, "he added.

He added that the process of making plastics a valuable resource for Ghanaians, rather than banning them, will involve all stakeholders in their role in creating the environment. circular which the country so badly needs.

Naa Ayeleysa Quaynor-Mettle, member of the GRIPE working group and head of the Pick-It project for FanMilk, said the benefits of plastics for health, hygiene and quality of life have been shown to be important enormous exponential growth of their use. Unfortunately, the sustainable management of post-consumer plastic remains a national challenge, as only 2% of the estimated annual production of more than one million tonnes is recycled.

"The problem Ghana is facing is not a plastic problem, but a waste problem. The goal of GRIPE is to stimulate a global solution to support the development of a strong circular economy and to promote recycling and second life plastics here in Ghana, "she added.

Essuman, a lecturer in the Department of Food Process Engineering at the University of Ghana, told participants that Ghana needed a three-pronged solution to effectively tackle the plastic threat to which he is currently facing.

"As a country, to deal effectively with the threat of plastic waste, we must have technical and technical solutions, a plastic waste management system and a change in behavior and attitude of each of us . I believe this is what the GRIPE has started and I hope that, with the necessary support of all stakeholders, we will be able to

The workshop which took place in the auditorium of the Bank of Ghana, at the University of Ghana, brought together the main players in the plastic value chain, including decision-makers, civil society organizations, the media, academia, industry and development partners.

Among other things, he highlighted the current regulatory requirement for the use of oxo-biodegradable additives, the benefits of plastics for food safety and the various second-life solutions that claim that post-consumer plastics consumption are a beneficial resource that the county can exploit.

Participants were also introduced to the various interventions introduced by GRIPE, including collection systems and the modified concrete project, which is currently being tested by GRIPE. This pilot research project uses post-consumer plastic waste in the manufacture of concrete blocks. The scientific data generated by this project is expected to influence policy formulation, further research and / or replication in other parts of the country.

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