Intensify education on waste segregation - Deputy Minister

Mr Henry Quartey, the Deputy Minister of Interior, has called on waste management companies to intensify public education on waste segregation to help bring sanity in the environment.

He said a continuous awareness creation of proper waste separation, especially among children, is a positive way to ensure sustainable adherence to environmental sanitation.

The Deputy Minister made the call in Accra at a campaign dubbed “ Say No to Plastic” to mark World Environment Day organised by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, BlueCrest University College.

He expressed worry over the manner in which seas were being turned into dumping grounds, especially with the disposal of huge volume of plastic wastes and urged the public to observe good practices to save the sea and the environment.

Mr Quartey said the sea is an immense maritime space for creating wealth and socio-economic development, adding that coastal population growth and unregulated human activities had impacted adversely on the productivity of the sea.

He said a clean environment was needed for the progress of the country and call for a holistic approach in addressing sanitation issues.

The Deputy Minister urged the Environmental Protection Agency, to enforce the provision of EPA Act 1994 (Act 490) and Environmental Assessment Regulation 1999, Legislative Instrument 1652.

He said the legislation gave authority to the Agency to prosecute environmental crimes nationwide.

He urged Ghanaians to be conscious of the negative impact of dropping plastic in the environment and admonished all to desist from the practice.

Mr Quartey said the country can reduce the amount of waste by replacing disposable items with reusable items such as shopping bags, food containers, baskets, paper boxes, and water bottles.

Dr Kapil Gupta, the Chairman of BlueCrest College Governing Council, said the campaign was part of the University’s Corporate Social Responsibility to sensitise the public to avoid dumping plastic waste in the environment.

He said waste management has become one of the biggest challenges confronting developing countries, stressing that increased population growth and rapid urbanisation has resulted in increased generation of volumes of waste in the cities.

Dr Gupta said there is the need for the country to recycle plastic waste, urging government to invest in waste management because waste is a resource