Recycling is not the answer to fighting plastic pollution problem – EJF

By
Afedzi Abdullah, GNA

Cape Coast, Sept. 19, GNA – Mr Antoine Rougier,
Country Coordinator for the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has
advocated a comprehensive educational programmes to get people to change their
behaviour on plastic use.

According to him, the country, must focus on
attitudinal change to get people to reduce the use of plastics to the barest
minimum and make recycling the last resort.

Mr Rougier made the suggestion in an interview
with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) when the EJF in collaboration with ATL FM and
Danis Foundation embarked on a beach clean-up exercise along the Bakaano – OLA
beach stretch in Cape Coast to mark this year’s World Beach Clean-up Day.

“There is a lot of work to do with education
and changing the behaviour for people to say no to plastics and this is the way
to start”.

Mr Rougier said scientists have predicted that
if action was not taken, there would be more plastic than fish in the ocean by
2050 and called for increased and collaborative efforts to limit the production
and use of plastic.

He noted that the menace was abating in some
parts of the World where some plastics had been banned and encouraged the
Government of Ghana to adopt similar measures to deal with the problem.

Mr Charles Smith, Communications Officer for
EJF stressed the need to keep the beaches clean and called on Ghanaians to
develop the habit of using few plastics.

He urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District
Assemblies along the coast to ensure that their beach front were clean and
serene adding that “If we do not take care of our beaches, we will end up
losing much revenue”.

Mr Smith further encouraged the coastal
communities to form community watchdogs to watch over their beaches to ensure
that people do not dump refuse at the beaches.

GNA