At the start of June, the world paused to mark World Environment Day, a moment to reflect on our relationship with the planet and the urgent need to restore balance. As the begin the next half of the year, it is worth turning our gaze inward, to examine how Ghana is navigating one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: plastic waste.
Anytime I think plastic waste, my mind drifts to my first night in Nairobi, Kenya. I had just landed late at Jomo Kenyatta Airport and stopped by an open mart for some snacks. At checkout, the cashier handed me my visa card, then paused. I waited for a plastic bag, but none came. It took my driver quietly explaining that single-use plastics were banned in Kenya to shake me out of my assumption. That was my first social shock. As I moved through the city, I saw how this policy played out: malls only offered bags for larger purchases. It was inconvenient at first, but a quiet, powerful statement. Kenya’s 2017 ban has not been perfect, but it has changed the public landscape and sparked meaningful national dialogue. For me, it turned a simple purchase into an enduring lesson in environmental commitment.
A Global Crisis
Each year, over 380 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, with single-use items making up 40% of that volume. Yet, a mere 9% is recycled. The rest? It finds its way into landfills or the ocean, where it breaks down into microplastics that contaminate ecosystems and food chains. By the end of 2025, global plastic waste is expected to reach 460 million tonnes annually, driven by rising demand and inadequate recycling systems. Today, plastic makes up about 10% of all waste generated worldwide. If current trends continue, the United Nations warns that plastic pollution could triple by 2060, deepening the climate crisis, accelerating biodiversity loss, and increasing threats to public health. Infact, we are being told that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean if we do not take urgent, collective action.
Ghana’s Plastic Predicament
Here in Ghana, the story is no less alarming. It is reported that Ghana generates approximately 840,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year and approximately 9.5% of that is collected for recycling. According to a World Bank 2020 publication, it is estimated that 250,000 metric tons of plastic waste are dumped from Ghana into the Atlantic Ocean. The plastic waste predicament is responsible for the clogging of drains, pollution of rivers and oceans, and devastating floods. This mismanagement not only threatens ecosystems and public health but also costs the economy an estimated $100 million annually, undermining livelihoods, especially in fisheries.
Despite the adoption of the National Plastics Management Policy in 2020 and recent steps toward Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), discussions seem to suggest that implementation remains patchy, enforcement mechanisms are weak, coordination among stakeholders is limited, and public awareness is minimal. Nonetheless, a handful of promising national and grassroots initiatives have demonstrated that change is possible. These initiatives are mainly focusing on piloting reusable packaging systems and supporting SMEs in transitioning to sustainable alternatives. However, without a stronger legal foundation and sustained investment, these gains could easily be eroded. The urgency of the plastic crisis demands more than piecemeal reforms. What is needed now is bold, coordinated action underpinned by a robust legal framework and effective enforcement, one that meets the scale and complexity of the crisis.
From Leaves to Plastic: A Cultural Shift
But this has not always been Ghana’s story. Many of us remember a time when we carried reusable cups from our homes to purchase ‘Hausa kooko’ and similar porridges. When ‘waakye’ came, not in Styrofoam packs and plastic bags, but wrapped in leaves which seemed to give the meal a unique and pleasant taste. These practices were not just nostalgic; they were sustainable and deeply rooted in our culture. Somewhere along the way, convenience seemed to have overshadowed consciousness. There is wisdom in returning to what once served us well. As it is often said, ‘once you break the social norm and create a new social norm, all of a sudden it becomes the expected behavior.’ The moment to start reshaping those norms is now. This moment presents an opportunity to begin mass local production of ‘katemfe’ leaves, perhaps in more pre-sterilized, pre-folded, or reimagined versions that maintain cultural authenticity while meeting today’s food safety standards. This age-old wrapper could become the blueprint for sustainable street food across the continent.
Nurturing Tomorrow’s Stewards
The most powerful advocates for change may be our children. Just a few weeks ago, I told mine that I was ordering their favourite waakye for dinner. Without missing a beat, my five-year-old chimed in, “Mummy, I hope it won’t come in a pack, tell them to use the waakye leaves.” I could not help but smile. I was not surprised. That term at school, they had been learning about plastic waste and recycling, and the lessons had clearly stuck. These young minds were not only absorbing the knowledge, but they were also embracing the responsibility of caring for the environment. By embedding conservation in curricula and empowering children as eco-ambassadors, we ignite community awareness from the bottom up. When kids lead the conversation, parents and policymakers listen.
The Way Forward
Ghana is not without hope. But we need more than policies, we need a mindset shift. To bridge the gap between intention and impact, we must strengthen enforcement of EPR and plastic bans, with clear penalties and regular audits. If Kenya has done it, Ghana can do it. We should also:
Scale up school-based programs, integrating environmental stewardship into national curricula and resourcing Eco-Clubs.
Foster circular-economy ventures, supporting start-ups that collect, process, and repurpose plastic waste.
Reawaken traditional practices, incentivizing vendors to return to the use of biodegradable packages.
Engage the private sector, binding producers to take responsibility for end-of-life packaging through deposit-refund schemes.
Every plastic bag refused, every leaf-wrapped waakye ordered, and every child who learns to compost brings us closer to a cleaner, more resilient Ghana. The future is NOT disposable-let us raise a generation that knows it.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.