Plastic waste collectors laud oxo biodegradable project

Mr Quaranchie Adama-Tettey, a Director of the Plastic Waste Management Programme, has lauded the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) directive for all plastics produced in Ghana to be made oxo biodegradable.

He explained that “the oxo biodegradable is an additive that causes the plastic to degrade in the presence of oxygen.”

Mr Adama-Tettey who made the commendation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra said; “The only best way forward to get rid of the plastic waste is the usage of oxo biodegradable.”

He said the directive would make the country’s efforts at dealing with the plastic waste menace more realistic.

He noted that the oxo biodegradable is the best material that is suitable to the Ghanaian environment.

He said the procedure adopted by MESTI through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to test whether all plastic materials are conforming to the directive is water-tight.

The Programme Director said the guidelines stipulates that before a product is approved, it has to go through testing at the Ghana Standard Authority to ensure it meets the international standards required for Oxo biodegradable additives and cited “Revert” which had gone through the approval process in the United Kingdom (UK) by Wells Plastics.

He said there are three of such oxo biodegradable additives on the world market.

Mr Adama-Tettey said Ghanaian stakeholders in plastic production have had discussions with Wells Plastic in UK to ensure that there is enough of the additives for patronage by the manufacturers.

He said the introduction of the oxo biodegradable additive into the country is long overdue looking at the harm the plastic waste had caused agriculture and marine life.

“Our fishes are dying in the sea and gutters have been chocked with plastic waste which results in flooding whilst agriculture yields are dropping,” he stressed.

Mr Adama-Tettey expressed the hope that all stakeholders in the plastic sector would work hard to support the introduction of the oxo biodegradable in Ghana since it is the first major attempt to effectively deal with the plastic waste menace.

He observed that if recycling and segregation of waste at the household level is not implemented the waste challenge facing the country cannot be fully dealt with.

“It will be recalled that in July, this year President John Dramani Mahama threatened to ban plastic production if stakeholders do not suggest alternatives at dealing with the plastic waste challenge since the issue had become overwhelming,” he said.

Mr Adama-Tettey said: “MESTI in response organised a stakeholders’ consultation to suggest the way forward, which resulted in the ban of plastic below 20 micron and also to introduce Oxo biodegradable plastics by November 1, 2015.

“Upon further consultation, MESTI decided to hold the partial ban and fully implement the introduction of the Oxo biodegradable plastics,” he explained.