Ghanaians have been urged to adapt best practices in plastic waste management to protect the environment and their health.
The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) said, that was the only way to beat plastic pollution and provide solutions to plastic pollution.
"For us as individuals, institutions, communities, MMDAs, MDAs and a nation, we are therefore called upon to unite in playing effective roles towards managing plastic wastes to protect our environment and achieve greener and better lifestyles," a statement signed and issued in Accra by the Minister, MESTI, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, stated.
The statement was in observance of this year's World Environment Day hosted by Cote D'Ivoire in partnership with the Netherlands.
The United Nations has since 1975 declared June 5 of every year as the World Environment Day. This year's event marks the 50th Anniversary of the celebration.
The objective of the celebration is to create regular public awareness and education on emerging environmental issues, serve as a powerful platform to accelerate, amplify and engage people, communities and governments around the world, and stimulate action on critical environmental challenges facing the planet.
The theme for this year's celebration is "Solutions to Plastic Pollution", while Ghana adopted the slogan, "Beat Plastic Pollution."
To appreciate this year's theme, the statement said there was the need for collaboration between governments, private sector organisations and individuals to effectively provide long-lasting solutions to combat the threats posed by plastic pollution on both human health and the environment.
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It said the major problem confronting Ghana was the collection of single-use plastics or the under 20 microns plastics termed as the Orphan Plastics, and the improper disposal of such plastics.
In observing the day, the statement said the Ministry in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other key stakeholders would undertake projects for edible and compostable packaging as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics, and engage and assign public and private collectors to collect and store plastic wastes.
Additionally, it said the Ministry would focus on promoting domestic recycling, educating the public on proper waste disposal and segregation practices and called on all Ghanaians to undertake clean-up exercises and adopt measures to reduce, reuse, recycle and recover their waste.
"Let's therefore use this day as a catalyst for social change; to collectively beat plastics pollution in Ghana by rejecting single-use or orphaned plastics and chart a path to a cleaner, healthier and sustainable environment for both ourselves and for posterity," the statement noted.
The celebration, it explained, was the largest global platform for environmental outreaches and promotes public awareness and actions on environmental issues.
