President John Dramani Mahama has announced the government’s intention to ban the importation, production, and use of Styrofoam plastic takeaway containers in the country. He made this declaration during the formal launch of the One Tree Per Child Initiative at Kwabenya Community Senior High School in Accra as part of the World Environment Day celebrations.
The President informed manufacturers and importers of Styrofoam about the government’s decision, emphasising that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, they would ban both the importation and production of Styrofoam in Ghana. President Mahama added that food packaging in the country would instead be made from paper and aluminium materials.
“One of the most pernicious polluters is styrofoam plastic. When you go to buy your food and they put it in that white plastic something, and then you finish eating, you just dump it, which is one of the biggest polluters. And so, we are going to ban the importation of styrofoam plastics. We have to use paper packaging or aluminium foil for packaging our food,” said President John Dramani Mahama.
The upcoming ban targets Styrofoam, a non-biodegradable material, in response to the increasing waste buildup, particularly in urban centres like Accra. The President emphasised that combating illegal mining, the rampant destruction of forests, and pollution is crucial to preserving a healthy environment for future generations, ensuring that their younger siblings and children, who are yet to be born, inherit a better, cleaner Ghana. He reiterated that one of their key intentions was to ban the use of Styrofoam as a material for food packaging.
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