Accra: Germany is ready to share its experience and best practices with Ghana to help transform waste into economic value, Madam Leonie Reese, Charge d'Affaires of the German Embassy in Ghana, has said. She emphasized the importance of collaboration between government, civil society, researchers, businesses, and citizens to address the growing challenge of plastic pollution in Ghana.
According to Ghana News Agency, Madam Reese highlighted that although Ghana has numerous ideas, projects, and expertise in plastic waste management, stakeholders need to critically assess why certain interventions have not achieved the desired outcomes. She stressed that Germany's waste management practices should be adapted to Ghana's specific circumstances rather than being directly copied.
During a National Plastics Policy Dialogue in Accra, Madam Reese outlined Germany's approach to waste management, which revolves around three key pillars: avoid, reuse, and recycle. These are supported by policies and systems promoting responsible waste management. She pointed to Germany's deposit-return system for plastic bottles, which incentivizes high return rates by refunding consumers who return their bottles, as an example of effective waste management practice.
Madam Reese also discussed Germany's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, which holds producers accountable for their plastic products after sale, ensuring their involvement in recycling and waste management. She noted the importance of strict legislation, waste separation, and public education, which in Germany involves households separating plastic, paper, glass, and biodegradable waste.
Germany, through GIZ and private-sector partners, is actively supporting waste-management initiatives in Ghana, focusing on creating jobs for women and the youth, improving working conditions, and formalizing the sector. This partnership also extends to environmentally responsible e-waste management.
Prof Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), underscored the urgency of implementing Ghana's policies and strategies to combat plastic pollution, which poses threats beyond environmental concerns, impacting public health, livelihoods, and the economy.
Prof Browne Klutse called for stronger coordination among various stakeholders, including government institutions, local authorities, civil society, academia, the private sector, and communities. She urged producers to take greater responsibility for the plastics and packaging they introduce into the market and encouraged investment in sustainable production, recycling, reuse, and other circular economy solutions.
She emphasized the potential of plastic waste as a raw material and economic opportunity, capable of generating green jobs, fostering recycling enterprises, and sparking innovation and opportunities for young entrepreneurs, all while protecting Ghana's waterways and oceans.