Government asked to seek alternative to ban on plastics
A former president of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Tony Oteng-Gyasi has advised the government to invest in research leading to the manufacturing of bio-degradable plastics to save the environment rather than ban the production of plastic materials altogether.
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He said government should challenge the country’s scientists and engineers and give them a maximum timeline of two years to find a solution to the menace instead of the apparent knee-jerk reaction.
Mr Oteng-Gyasi, who is also the Managing Director of Tropical Cable and Conductor Limited, made the recommendation at the maiden International Conference on Engineering, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship hosted by the School of Engineering of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi Thursday.
It was under the theme: ‘Promoting creativity and innovation through engineering, science, technology and entrepreneurship for development.’
Mr Oteng-Gyasi suggested that government could channel the current 20 per cent tax being paid by manufacturers to help in the collection of plastic waste into a research fund to help the researchers in achieving the aim.
But in a rather sharp reaction, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mahama Ayariga, who was the keynote speaker, said government has made headway in that direction and production could start soon.
Indeed, the Minister said the manufacturers had said they had been producing the bio-degradable plastics to neighbouring countries including Cote d’Ivoire and were ready to subject themselves to the innovation.
‘They said (Manufacturers) all they need is some small additives to begin production,’ Mr Ayariga said.
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The minister said he had given them 90 days to clear old stocks so that no one would use that as an excuse for non-compliance of the new directive.