EPA To Introduce Incentive-Based Return System For Used Plastics

Ghanaians will soon be required to return used plastic bottles and other single-use plastics in exchange for money and other incentives as part of measures to tackle plastic pollution in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, who disclosed this, said the initiative forms part of a comprehensive plan being rolled out by the Authority to manage single-use plastics.

According to her, the plan includes a gradual shift from the use of polythene bags to paper and other sustainable packaging materials.

She explained that PET bottles and sachets used for bottled and sachet water, popularly known as "pure water," will be managed through a return scheme where consumers return the used plastics to receive a refund or qualify to purchase new ones.

Prof. Klutse made the disclosure at a multi-stakeholder dialogue held under the theme _"From Partnership to Action for Clean Oceans,"_ which brought together government, development partners, academia and civil society organizations to discuss ocean pollution and waste management.

She noted that the single-use plastics policy, which could include a ban on some plastic products, is still undergoing stakeholder engagements to incorporate feedback before a final comprehensive plan is adopted.

"We want to implement the single-use plastics policy. We know the polythene bags, the black, the white, the different colours that we use, we are shifting from that to paper packaging or other materials other than plastics. The PET, the water bottles, the sachet water will be managed going forward," Prof. Klutse stated.

She admitted that implementing such policies will be challenging, but said it is necessary because it borders on public health and environmental protection, and called on all Ghanaians to support the initiative.

On her part, the Deputy Ambassador of the German Embassy, Leonie Reeves, emphasized the need for extensive public engagement in developing and implementing such policies.

Sharing Germany’s experience, she said the country operates a deposit refund system where consumers pay a small additional fee when purchasing drinks in plastic bottles, which is refunded when the bottles are returned - a system that adds value to the packaging and encourages recycling.

She added that Germany, through its partnership project with Ghana, seeks to create open forums for all stakeholders to discuss challenges facing waste management and why some past interventions have not worked.