Environmental Justice Foundation cleans Cape Coast beaches

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), an NGO, has organised a five-hour beach cleaning exercise in Cape Coast to mark International Coastal Clean-up Day.

Consequently, EJF has called on the government to promote reuse of plastics before considering recycling.

The International Coastal Cleanup Day engages people to remove trash from the world's beaches and waterways, identify the sources of debris and change the behaviors that cause marine debris in the first place.

The cleanup exercise, which forms part of EJF’s “Far Dwuma Nkodo” project brought together several other organisations, including the Fisheries Commission, ATL FM, and the Dennis Foundation to undertake the exercise.

The “Far Dwuma Nkodo” project is funded by the European Union.

Dozens of people, including children, who joined the exercise collected debris from the beach from Bakaano to Ola into wheel barrows and into a waiting waste truck.

The Country Coordinator of the EJF, Mr Antione Rougier, used the opportunity to ask government to first promote the re-use of plastic materials before considering their recycling.

He said the government could also ban plastic use as part of its efforts to win the fight against plastic pollution.

He noted that the menace of plastic pollution was adversely affecting the sea and its resources, hence the need to intensify education on the negative effects of plastics on the environment and the sea in particular.
More Plastic, Few Fish

Mr Rougier said reports from researchers indicated that by 2050, there would be more plastics in the ocean than fish, adding that people need to keep that in mind “because nobody can eat plastics.”

District Assemblies Support

Mr Charles Smith of the EJF said it was important that the district assemblies bring in volunteers to keep watch at the beaches.

He observed that the beaches served as important factors that promote tourism in the country, hence the need to keep them clean.

The exercise was also supported by Rush Bar and Restaurant with drinks and water.