Two institutions collaborate to address sanitation challenges

The Universal Plastic Products Recycling (UPPR), a plastic waste management firm and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have formed an alliance to address the current challenges bedeviling sanitation in Ghana.

Speaking at the conference of waste collectors in Accra, the senior officer of (UPPR) Mr Lartey Benjamin and the Chief Programme Officer of the (EPA) Mr Godson Voada, reaffirmed their commitment to combating sanitation problems in the 10 regions.   

The conference was aimed at training and equipping waste collectors in Accra with modern mechanisms of managing waste.

Participants were taken through the various phases of segregating waste at the collection point.

The event also created a platform for the waste collectors to share their challenges with officials from the EPA, UPPR and the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA).

It is estimated that for every tonne of solid waste collected in Ghana, there was more than 100 kilograms of plastic waste that could be recycled or utilised in one form or the other.

Explaining the operations of UPPR, Mr Lartey said the company used decentralised systems and state-of-the-art technology to recover recyclable plastics from the waste stream, while mobilising source recovery.

“Our strategic processes initially mobilise plastic materials from the highly complex waste products at source and point of disposal,” he said.

Mr Lartey said UPPR had installed laboratory equipment to undertake adequate analysis of “our feedstock and products to meet the required standards.”

On the role of EPA, Mr Voado said his outfit was ready to engage in regular activities with the waste management companies.

He said over the past years, EPA had worked with the waste management companies to improve on the sanitation situation in all the districts of Ghana.

“We intend to continue with this collaboration because we believe that without coming together, the country cannot properly address the waste problem,” Mr Voado said.