Accra, April 1, GNA - Mr Hoite Spijkstra, a member of the Third Chamber, a Netherlands-based organization that advocates strengthened political support for international cooperation and sustainable development, on Saturday described as unsound, the current waste disposal systems in Ghana and called for improvement through recycling. He noted that too many second-hand goods were being brought into Ghana from the developed world that ended up as waste, which should be disposed of in a sustainable way.
Mr Spijkstra shared his observation with the GNA after a two weeks visit to the country to research on the possibilities of implementing a project aimed at giving out small loans without collateral to Ghanaians dealing with second-hand goods to facilitate a sustainable environmental project.
Mr Spijkstra and a colleague Ms Isabelle Amorim will present their findings to the Netherlands Government, to enable it to solicit special funding for micro-credits in terms of environmental protection in developing countries.
"We hope to finish our report by the end of April and present it to the Dutch Parliament and Government."
The project is also part of the commitment by members to present proposals to the Netherlands Government on how to improve development cooperation aid to developing countries.
The Third Chamber, an initiative by the National Commission for Sustainable Development Cooperation (NCDO), makes public support for international development visible to relevant politicians in addition to making the voice of developing countries heard in the political and public debates in the Netherlands.
Mr Spijkstra visited a rubbish dump site at Obologo and interacted with people who dealt with second hand goods as well as customs officials about the waste caused by the importation of second-hand goods and the need to maintain the environment despite such waste. He said: "We like to look for the possibilities to start small enterprises, with small loans without collateral." Should it not be possible to invest in Africa with the money of the "removal contribution in a good garbage collection system and sustainable recycling in Africa" he asked.
The "removable contribution" is an amount of money Dutch consumers pay when they buy new equipment.
The two are advocating such monies should go along with the products that are sold as second-hand goods to the developing countries. Mr Spijkstra also expressed worry about the littering of the beaches and expressed the hope that the government would find a way to deal with the problem. 1 April 07
