Government suspends ban on light plastics

The fight against plastic waste pollution has been put on hold, as government has suspended the ban on light plastics which was expected to start Sunday.

The decision was taken after the Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association petitioned the Environment Ministry to comply with the new directive.

The Ministry in July banned the production of light plastic materials with less than 20 microns, citing an imminent pollution.

According to the Head of Public Affairs at the Environment Ministry, Alhaji Zakchariah Musah, the two bodies have agreed on another roadmap that will ensure that the directive is strictly adhere to.

He said they had received some petitions from the stakeholders in the industry ;”saying that whether it is 19 microns or more at the end of the day when they add the oxo-biodegradable to the production, it will eventually decompose. So in their view why don’t us take a second look at the matter so we told them that we are looking into it and that their petition is receiving technical consideration so that is where we’ve gotten to.”

Recycling companies in the country had kicked against the ban of light plastics, arguing that the industry will be greatly affected by such a move.

They say more efforts should be put into funding their operations in order to effectively manage the plastic waste situation in the country.