Volta Leaders Confront Mounting Waste Crisis: "End Plastic Pollution and Repurpose Its Use"

• Plastic pollution is damaging the Volta Region’s health, environment, and economy, said leaders on World Environment Day
• EPA boss and Kpando MCE stressed that recycling was no longer enough, calling on Ghanaians to repurpose plastic waste
• Leaders called for stronger bylaws, community involvement, and stricter enforcement to reverse the growing waste crisis

Plastic waste is no longer just a problem; it's a full-blown crisis in Ghana, and the Volta Region is no exception.

From choked gutters to polluted farmlands, the signs are everywhere.

As residents deal with the daily fallout of plastic pollution, local leaders are raising the alarm.

Speaking at a community forum held around the same time as World Environment Day, officials did not mince their words.

Their message was clear: the time for cosmetic clean-ups is over; Ghana must rethink how it uses, disposes of, and repurposes plastic.

The Volta Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ing. Maxwell Zu-Cudjoe, spoke bluntly at the community event.

“Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue. It is a health issue, a livelihood issue, and a development issue. If we don’t change how we consume and dispose of plastic, we are endangering our future," he said.

From dead livestock and poor harvests to polluted water bodies and overflowing landfill sites, the symptoms are hard to ignore.

Ghana's plastic waste crisis: repurposing needed

According to Zu-Cudjoe, while recycling remains essential, it was no longer a sufficient solution. He said that Ghana must embrace creative reuse or the repurposing of plastic materials.

“Recycling is important, but we must go further. Repurposing plastic into usable items - pavement blocks, furniture, even school materials, is where the conversation needs to go,” he added.

He cited examples from other African countries turning plastic into building materials and eco-friendly business ventures, urging entrepreneurs in Ghana to tap into similar opportunities.

“This is not only a waste management issue, it’s an economic opportunity. We need innovation from the ground up,” he stated.

Volta Region pollution: education, enforcement needed

The Municipal Chief Executive of Kpando, Killian Donkor, believes that community education is vital but is also not enough without real consequences.

“People need to know that dropping plastic bags on the ground or burning them in the open is not harmless. We must enforce the laws we already have and educate the next generation to think differently,” he said.

He noted that many residents did not fully understand the long-term risks of improper plastic disposal, especially when it comes to burning waste, which releases toxins that can cause respiratory diseases and pollute the air.

“Our bylaws must be enforced consistently, not just during national clean-up days or donor-funded campaigns,. He urged municipal assemblies across the Volta Region to empower sanitation officers and introduce spot fines for littering in public areas,” Donkor added.

Both Zu-Cudjoe and Donkor echoed a common theme: government cannot solve the problem alone.

“We can’t keep relying on government clean-up programs. The plastic crisis begins with individual behaviour and ends with national policy. We all have a role to play,” Zu-Cudjoe said.

He challenged households to reduce single-use plastics, traditional leaders to push local bans on plastic at community events, and schools to include climate education and sustainable practices in their curriculum.

“Shops, food vendors, and small businesses must find alternatives to plastic packaging, even if it means slightly higher costs. Protecting the environment is protecting our livelihoods,” Donkor also appealed to the private sector.

Ghana’s plastic war needs more than hashtags

While World Environment Day has shone a light on environmental issues globally, Volta Region’s leaders said slogans and photo ops would not solve Ghana’s plastic addiction.

They want lasting policies, real investment in recycling and repurposing infrastructure, and a nationwide cultural shift that sees plastic waste as a resource to be managed and reused.

The consequences of inaction on the pollution crisis are already visible: flooding in cities, contaminated food sources, and an overwhelmed waste disposal system.

“If we wait another 10 years to act, our beaches, markets, and rivers will be plastic graveyards,” Zu-Cudjoe warned.

Volta’s beachfront economy under threat

Earlier, YEN.com.gh also reported that tidal waves had devastated Volta Region, destroying coastal resorts, cultural landmarks, and roads, effectively crippling the local tourism economy.

With the Keta-Aflao tourism corridor buried under sand, tourism advocates warn that without urgent intervention, the region could lose its status as a premier travel destination in Ghana.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh