Over $290 million is spent annually to address the sanitation problems in the cities of Ghana. A good proportion of the waste materials generated in Ghana is made up of plastics. Despite clogging drains and polluting beaches, only about 10% of the plastic waste ever gets recycled. It is undoubtedly clear that plastics are one of the major cause of flood in Ghana.
The government of Ghana has contemplated on banning certain kinds of plastic usage similar to Rwanda and Kenya, but there was a worry about job losses on the side of citizens into plastics.
The sad news is that plastics have somehow come to stay. What must we then do to manage our plastics, since plastics do not decompose like the other wastes we produce?
Nelson Boateng, who is into plastic business, is really doing well at managing plastics. In 2015, fearing that a plastics ban was imminent, Boateng’s company, Nelplast, which makes plastic shopping bags, was pushed to think of a way to keep the business alive.
Using knowledge learned informally from engineers he had worked with, he came up with a production process that mixes sand with shredded plastic and red oxide to make one-square foot pavement blocks. This is a great innovation that can help to curb the issues of plastic pollution.
Can we all begin to use “plastic” blocks in building our houses and pavements?
#Let’sSayNoToPlasticPollution
