Govt Must Take Steps to Regulate Plastic Waste and Usages- Hon Terlabi

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Lower Manya Krobo Constituency of the Eastern Region, Hon Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi has called on the government to take immediate steps to regulate the use of plastic production and usage in the country.

According to him, apart from it been polluting the environment, plastic materials especially polythene bags used for wrapping food is dangerous to human.

Hon Terlarbi made the call when he contributed to a statement on World Plastic Day by Dr. Kweku Afriyie, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology.

He said as part of an effort to regulate plastic production and usage, the Government should consult on banning a range of polluting plastics with the ultimate use of plastic and paper for the wrapping of food.

He said regulation is necessary at this moment on plastic waste to ramp up with fresh plans to stop the supply of a range of single-use plastics that threaten our natural environment.

Single-use plastic plates, cutlery, and polystyrene cups are among a raft of items that could be banned in Ghana as part of an effort to save lives.

It is estimated that each person uses a staggering 18 single-use plastic plates and 37 single-use plastic items of cutlery each year in Ghanaians.

The durability of plastic means litter from items used for a few minutes can last for centuries in landfill or as litter in the countryside or ocean.

Around the world, more than one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals and turtles die every year from eating or getting tangled in plastic waste.

This, Hon Terlabi expressed the need for government to take a leading role in banning unnecessary single-use plastics to see real benefits for the nation and the world’s wildlife.