President announces ban on ‘takeaway’ use

President John Dramani Mahama has announced a ban on the use of styrofoam, known popularly as “takeaway”, for food packaging material in the country.

He said a policy would be announced very soon to ban the importation and local production of styrofoam, which he described as one of the most harmful pollutants of the environment because of its widespread use in food packaging.

“It is one of the biggest polluters of our environment, and we are going to ban it. I am informing the manufacturers and importers of styrofoam that working through the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), we are going to ban the importation and production of that material in the country,” he stressed.

The President added that when the policy was implemented, the country would move more towards the use of paper and aluminium material for food packaging.

World Environment Day

The President made that declaration when the country marked this year’s World Environment Day (WED) at the Kwabenya Community Senior High School in Accra last Thursday
WED is a global platform for raising awareness and taking action on critical environmental issues. It serves as a reminder of the collective responsibility to protect and preserve the planet.

The day was marked on the theme: “Ending Plastic Pollution”, while, the national theme was: “Repurpose Plastic Use”, with a call to action on the catchphrase “Rethink Plastic Pollution, ‘ACT’ Now.”

Plastic pollution

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental challenges across the world. Every year, over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, with significant portions ending up in the oceans, rivers and forests.

In Ghana, it is estimated that the country generates approximately 840,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year and only 9.5 per cent of that is collected for recycling.

Consequently, the markets, beaches and drains are choked with single-use plastics, threatening biodiversity, public health and sustainable development.

Bold interventions

Against that backdrop, President Mahama said the time had come for the country to take bold decisions and pragmatic steps to tackle the plastic pollution menace head-on to save the planet and the future generation.

He said the theme, “Ending Plastic P0ollution,” resonated in Ghana, where the convenience of plastic had too often yielded mountains of waste, clogged rivers with debris, tainted agricultural  lands with microplastics and  blocked urban streams with discarded sachets and bottles.

He said plastic pollution was symptomatic of a broader disconnect between humanity and the natural world that needed to be addressed as urgently as possible.

The President said barely five months after taking power, the government had placed environmental stewardship at the centre of the national agenda because of the recognition that a healthy environment was a healthy country.

For instance, he said the government had established the Ministry of Climate Change and Sustainability to ensure that every policy — economic, social or infrastructural-advanced the country’s climate goals.

“We enacted the National Plastics Management Policy, mandating that manufacturers and importers register and account for every kilogramme of plastic they put into commerce and contribute to its collection and recycling.

We updated our solid waste management strategy, setting a target to reduce plastic entering our landfills by 60 per cent by 2030 and requiring every major municipality to implement source-separation systems,” he added.

Collaboration

President Mahama called on the private sector to support in financing the construction of recycling plants to improve on the management of plastic in the country.

He also urged private investors to integrate recycled content into their products and help to champion the extended producer responsibility scheme “not as a burden but as a path to circular-economy innovation.”

The President also called on development partners to deepen their technical assistance and concessional financing for green ventures in the country.

“Help us to pilot advanced recycling technologies, support community nurseries with modern irrigation systems, and scale up training through our Circular Economy Centre of Excellence.

By investing in Ghana’s green economy, you invest in a model for the continent, one that balances environmental protection with inclusive growth,” he said.

Action

Dr Murtala described the 2025 WED as a clarion call and a rallying point for collective global action to protect the environment upon which all life depended.

He said the slogan “Rethink plastic pollution, ‘act now” underscored the fact that attitude changed things and encapsulated the need to prioritise the three urgent steps for plastic management — awareness creation, conscious consumption and transformation through innovation, recycling and policy reforms.

The minister said the government was currently implementing the National Plastic Management Policy with the focus on ensuring stronger enforcement mechanisms, providing incentives for innovation and support for green businesses - through the “Circular Economy Framework for the Plastic Sector in Ghana (CEF-PS) Project.

“We are also working with local industries to explore biodegradable alternatives, enhancing extended producer responsibility and create green jobs through plastic recycling and upcycling,” he added.

He added that MEST would, in the coming months, intensify community outreach programmes, especially in schools and markets, to support behaviour change campaigns and empower local solutions to plastic waste.

“To our young people, you are not just the leaders of tomorrow, you are the actors of today.

Your creativity and energy are vital. Let this be your mission, therefore, to plant trees, to reduce plastic use, to innovate and to lead,” he said.

The minister also called on industry players to collaborate with the government to build a sustainable country where green production would be at the core of businesses.