The Ministry of Local Government Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD) through the Kwahu East District Assembly and the Kwahu South Municipal Assembly, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) has mounted a campaign for the effective mobilization of plastic waste during the upcoming Easter festivities to ensure that the holidays are performed through serene and plastic free environment.

The campaign under the theme “Plastic is a resources not a waste”, is scheduled to be launched at the forecourt of the Abetifi Chief’s palace on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

The objectives of the campaign are to effectively manage plastic waste generated during the Kwahu Easter festivities.

Others are to create awareness and sensitized the public on economic benefits of the plastic as well as its harmful effects on the environment.

The campaign will as well focus on promoting collection, segregation and recycling of all plastics to love towards a circular economy.

Speaking in a one on one interview on Republic FM’s Anopa Dawuro with Kwame Koranteng on Monday, April 4, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Cynthia Asare Bediako said, in times like this, especially in an occasion like the Kwahu Easter, lot of people will beseech Kwahu and in the mass gathering of people, there will be filth especially in plastic waste hence the need to begin with the plastic waste management campaign which has been spearheaded for some weeks now by Dr. Kwaku Afriyie.

Mrs. Cynthia added that, while responding to questions if there are binding laws that regulates the use of plastics, she noted that, indeed there are regulations and that plastics are part of waste hence regulations on waste are bound to be applied in the use of waste.

“We have regulations and that is, plastic are other forms of waste and so regulations on the use of all forms of waste can be applied to plastic waste”, she stayed.

On the part of the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Dr. Kwaku Afriyie whiles speaking to Republic FM’s Andy Frimpong Manso at Kwahu Abetifi, he added that his outfit is interested in implementing the circularity model.

According to him, the Ministry together with the Assemblies will enact a new  portfolio called Preventive Aspects that prevent plastic waste from littering streets across the country.

“We are here to launch the Eastern Regional sector of plastic waste management campaign. Plastics can be used for other purposes and so we want to introduce the circularity model. Already the private sector are contributing but our model is to collaborate with the various Assemblies and enact a different approach called the Preventive Aspect”, he said.

The minister added that, the Ministry wants to instill in the general public a cultural movement where one will not be needed to be forced to accept that, littering around plastics waste is not safe for the environment.

cc: Andy Frempong