GAYO engages media on anti-incineration and plastic pollution campaign

Plastic waste is a menace in Ghana’s environmental management. The generation, collection, composition, and disposal of plastic waste pose high environmental risk.

 

After being discarded, they form colossal mounds of waste that enter the terrestrial and marine ecosystems; and as they break down, they degrade into micro-plastics that contaminate food sources, with potential deleterious effects on human health.

 

The rapid growth in Ghana’s urban population calls for urgent attention in innovative solutions and resource mobilization to reduce, reuse, recycle, or recover as much waste as possible before burning it – and recovering the energy – or otherwise disposing of it.

 

But the harmful effects of incineration, proposed as the best way to manage waste, have emerged as a critical environmental issue.

 

The Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) has launched an anti-incineration and plastic pollution campaign to motivate collective action towards sustainable solutions for a more sustainable way to manage waste.

 

“While incineration could mitigate the sheer quantity of plastic waste burnt, it fails to wrestle with the underlying cause of the problem,” said the Organization.

 

As part of its effort to raise awareness as major stakeholders to induce conversation, GAYO, in partnership with the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) organized a media conference in Accra on the detrimental impacts of incineration and plastic pollution on the environment, human health, and marine life.

 

“This workshop is exploring different forms of environmental impact through reporting across media platforms while allowing journalists to improve their knowledge to report effectively on ecological and climate change issues,” said Mabel Laryea, GAYO Assistant Project Coordinator.

 

The conference urged media representatives to be actively involved in campaigns for policy modifications, promoting sustainable alternatives, and rallying public support for reducing plastic waste and abolishing incineration practices.

 

National Plastics Management Policy

 

An estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into the ocean every year, and Ghana generates approximately 1.1 million tonnes of plastics per year.

 

The country seeks for the eradication of plastic pollution in the marine environment and other water bodies by 2040.

 

The purpose of the National Plastics Management Policy is to bring renewed focus and cohesion to the many existing policies and programmes within the public and private sectors to address the rapidly growing plastics pollution crisis in Ghana.

 

President of Informal Waste Ghana, Lydia Bamfo, emphasized the need for collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors in efficient plastic waste management to drive an environmentally-productive economy.

 

Innovative social enterprises have set out to rescue some of the millions of plastic trash and other waste materials from Ghana’s waste stream by turning such waste into high fashion goods, while creating employment opportunities, restoring dignity and financial independence for the youth.

 

Some train and employ street youth from disadvantaged communities to clear their streets of such waste and applying creative talents to transform them into handmade designer products.

 

Research and academia are also involved – some are turning plastics into fuel, while others have produced bitumen addictive from plastic waste to build roads that can withstand climate extremes.

 

Micro recycling businesses are also recycling plastics into chamber pots, pavement blocks, artifacts, and hospital equipment.

 

Madam Lydia expects the government to lead the charge by providing the environment for private manufacturers to add value to plastic waste.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Ghana has an opportunity to begin to look at “greener” ways of mining – CeSIS

Ghana is currently witnessing the unprecedented destruction of her natural resources like never before in its history.

In key mining districts, illegal miners – popularly known as galamseyers – are destroying forest and land resources in a way that raises questions about their ability to be good stewards of the resources bequeathed to the people.

These illegal miners, mostly young people, destroy these resources with careless abandon, ignoring sustainability concerns.

“Over the years the contribution of the youth to our development has been downplayed. This is partly as a result of the country’s own inability to meet the needs of the youth, especially in the areas of employment, inclusive development and access to socio-economic opportunities,” said a statement signed by Robert Tanti Ali, Executive Director of Centre for Social Impact Studies (CeSIS).

CeSIS is a research and advocacy non-governmental organisation committed to supporting communities impacted by the operations of mining,

In commemoration of International Youth Day (IYD), CeSIS calls on the government of Ghana to take steps to push for green mining in order to save the environment.

The day recognizes the key contributions of the youth in national development and this year’s theme is: “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World”.

In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, it is essential to equip young people with the green knowledge and skills they need to solve environmental issues.

Initiatives spearheaded by young people are essential for accelerating progress toward a greener society.

According to CeSIS, this year’s theme for IYD gives Ghana an opportunity to begin to look at “greener” ways of mining, which remain the backbone of the economy.

“The rate at which the country is losing its forest resources leaves no one in doubt that in the next decade, Ghana will not have a single forest reserve unscathed from the menace of galamsey. When this happens, we end up imperiling the flora and fauna that sustain human life. There is therefore an urgent need for the state to take bold, realistic and decisive action to save our future. And this will mean supporting the youth with requisite knowledge, skills and technology to make a life for themselves,” said a statement. 

Mining ‘green’ for sustainability

CeSIS believes that the state should take every step necessary to empower the youth who have a passion for small-scale mining to do so in a greener and more sustainable way in order to preserve the environment for the next generation, while raking in economic benefits.

The organization has called on the government to look at four critical areas:

1. Ban the use of harmful chemicals like mercury and cyanide in the mining industry as a whole, and in particular in small-scale mining. There are already some mercury-free machines like the “gold katcha”, introduced by Commodity Monitor that can be popularized by the regulatory agencies.

2. Introduce innovative ways of mining to small-scale miners. Innovation will ensure that miners are able to recover more of the gold, and further reduce negative environmental footprints as a result of mining. Miners who breach this ban should be punished according to law.

3. Update geological information and make this available to interested miners. This step is particularly necessary to prevent the “trial and error” method of mining where miners keep digging up land till they hit ore bodies, by which time they might have caused significant destruction

4. Promote land reclamation among small-scale miners. There are currently innovative ways of ensuring land reclamation, and that includes undertaking massive afforestation initiatives in mined out areas.