Stakeholder dialogue on Ghana plastic trash problem: The University of Northampton, UK.
Ghana plastic trash problem: The University of Northampton in the UK has undertaken conversations with its partners about how to address problems caused by plastic trash in Ghana.
The discussion took place against the backdrop of the widespread use of plastic and items related to it in modern culture.
Ghana plastic trash problem: With the start of industrial manufacturing in the 1950s, however, plastic has grown to be a dominant element in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems as a result of decades of excessive production and insufficient waste disposal methods.
By a data from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), since the 1950s, more than 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced worldwide.
Additionally, 6% of the world’s oil is used to make plastic and microplastics, which are made from fossil fuels.
Moreover, plastic waste compromises the ability of the global community to combat climate change and meet emission targets for greenhouse gases.
The Fresh Produce Impact Hub-FRESHPPACT project’s current phase will test methods to reduce plastic pollution, thus a conference was convened to explore those solutions.
To reduce plastic pollution in Ghana’s agri-food sector, FRESHPPACT has adopted a public-private cross-industry strategy.
Stakeholder dialogue on Ghana plastic trash problem: The University of Northampton, UK.
Blue Skies Ltd, HPW Fresh & Dry Ltd, Primafruit, Fruveg Farms Ghana, Waitrose Ltd and Partners are a few of the consortium’s major participants.
The University of Northampton’s Centre for Sustainable Business Practices (CSBP) serves as the Coordinating Research and Project Management Partner (CRPM) for FRESHPPACT with these consortium members.
According to Dr Seyi Omoloso, Lecturer in Sustainable Business, University of Northampton, “our visit to Ghana will familiarise the researchers with the Ghanaian terrain, gain a deeper understanding of the fresh produce manufacturing industry in Ghana, identify key players, increase community awareness, and develop full project plans to facilitate the commercialization of the solutions for the next phase of the project.
Blue Skies, which received a UKAid grant to start the centre, is putting Freshppact into practice. The Sustainable Manufacturing and Pollution Programme is where UKAid made the funding (SMEP).
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides funding for the SMEP initiative, which is run in collaboration with the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The project involves using food waste to produce substitute materials, such as coconut coir for use as mulch on farms (Greenshopper); specially designed equipment to speed up the collection of mulch (Data Solutions Hub); biodegradable workwear (Multiwrap); plant-based packaging materials (Kelpi); and paper-based packaging materials.
Dr Ebenezer Laryea, an associate professor of international sustainable development law at the University of Northampton, mentioned Ghana’s annual production of 82 billion sachets of water during his presentation at the forum.
“When you realise that Ghana produces 82 billion water sachets annually, you can appreciate the magnitude of the impact of plastic trash. The situation gets pretty ominous if you compound this by a year, he said.
He claims that the repercussions of plastic garbage creation are varied.
You may discuss the effects of plastic trash on society, the economy, the oceans, and other environmental factors, he added.
He had faith that the FRESHPACT project’s proposed remedies would help lessen the negative consequences of plastic trash on the nation.
Mr Alistair Djimatey, Foundation and Corporate Affairs Manager at Blue Skies Products Ghana, said his company was eager to participate in the initiative because it will take concrete steps to solve the problem of plastic waste.
“We’ve had enough conversations on this issue. Action is what FRESHPACT offers, so follow that lead. We are pleased to be involved in this significant endeavour, he stated.
By Anilove/myhealthink.com/Ghana
