Former Accra Mayor Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah has called for innovative ways to create economic value from plastic waste as Ghana grapples with persistent waste management challenges.
His comments come amid the ongoing transfer of tonnes of waste from the Agbogbloshie enclave to the Adipa landfill site in the Eastern Region.
The development has sparked opposition from residents of the Adipa/Asiaw Electoral Area, who have issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government to stop the transportation of waste to the facility and engage them over their concerns.
Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV, Adjei Sowah attributed part of Ghana’s waste management difficulties to the absence of sufficient economic incentives for the collection and recycling of plastic waste.
He noted that metal waste is often collected because it has a clear economic value, whereas plastic waste does not currently offer similar financial motivation to those involved in its collection.
“We failed to find an economic value for the plastic waste. And that’s why we have been struggling,” he said.
According to him, efforts must be made to ensure that people who collect, sort and transport plastic waste can earn meaningful income from the activity.
“We need to find a way also of creating an economic value for it,” he said.
Nii Sowah also pointed to organic waste as an example of how discarded materials could be converted into useful resources.
He explained that food waste and leftovers from markets are already being collected and used by livestock farmers as feed for animals such as pigs, cattle and goats.
“Another form of waste that you can hardly see is organic waste,” he said.
He said such practices demonstrated the potential to turn waste into valuable resources instead of simply transporting it to landfill sites.
“We need to find a way of making good use of the waste. So it becomes organic manure for us,” Nii Sowah said.
He, however, identified plastic waste as one of the most pressing areas requiring attention in Ghana’s waste management efforts.
“The major problem that we are finding is the plastic waste,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents of the Adipa/Asiaw Electoral Area have threatened to block roads leading to the landfill if the government fails to address their concerns within the seven-day ultimatum.
The residents have raised concerns over the accumulation of garbage, offensive odours and the potential contamination of groundwater, particularly during periods of rainfall.
The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has meanwhile apologised to residents of Adipa and neighbouring communities over disruptions associated with the ongoing transportation of waste from Agbogbloshie.
Mr Ayariga acknowledged that the movement of large numbers of waste trucks, especially during the night, had caused traffic congestion and noise-related inconvenience for residents living along routes leading to the landfill.
