Tackling Plastic Pollution: A Collective Responsibility - Environmentalist

An environmentalist is urging stakeholders to join forces with the government to ensure that plastic pollution is reduced to its barest minimum for sustainable development.

Mr. Abdulrahim Shaibu-Issah, the Executive Director of Recycle Up! Ghana observed that plastic pollution was fast becoming a major threat to human health and that the consequences could even be dire if nothing was done to reverse the trend now.

He expressed concern about the indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste on the environment, adding that the situation has resulted in choked gutters, flooding, and other related health issues affecting development.

"Plastics can last in the soil for over 500 years without decaying. The effect of this can be passed on to generations yet unborn and posterity may not judge us kindly if no action is taken now to forestall the impending threats, " he noted.

According to him, government was not oblivion to the situation and was thus taking steps to addressing the problem. However, he noted that the support of the citizens and the relevant stakeholders was needed to achieve better results.

He said attitudinal change towards the environment was also key to addressing the menace of plastic pollution, as "it was the citizens that deliberately generated waste on the environment."

Mr. Abdulrahim made these comments after leading the staff of Recycle Up! Ghana, on a massive clean-up exercise in the Asante Akim North Municipality of the Ashanti Region.