US Embassy laments Ghana’s inability to recycle plastic waste
- Ghana generates over 3,000 tonnes of waste plastics daily
- According to the US Embassy, about 23% of these plastics generated annually end up in the ocean
The United States (U.S.) Embassy in Ghana says Ghana produces over 3,000 tonnes of plastic waste on a daily basis which are mostly unrecycled.
In a post on its Facebook page, the Embassy said only 2% of the plastic waste generated in the country is recycled.
According to the Embassy, more than 250,000 tonnes of all plastic waste generated in Ghana is dumped into the sea.
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This, the Embassy warned, could mean more plastic wastes in the sea than fishes by the next three decades.
“Did you know that over 3,000 tonnes of waste plastics are generated in Ghana every day – less than 2% is recycled?” the post reads.
“More than 250,000 tonnes, or 23%, of all plastic waste generated in a year in Ghana are expected to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight.”
The US Embassy was, however, quick to add that it is not too late for Ghana to recover and recycle its plastic waste products.
It said the country could actually make GHc2 billion per year, should plastic waste be recycled into value-added products.
The Embassy added that such an action could also boost the Ghanaian economy by creating five million jobs.
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“Yet, 82% of Ghana’s plastics waste could be recovered and recycled with existing technologies into value-added products valued at 2 billion GHC per year, creating 5 million jobs across the economy,” the post added.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
