The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has warned that persons who will fail to adhere to the upcoming the nationwide ban on Styrofoam, popularly known as takeaway packs shall face tough sanctions.

On Thursday, June 6, President John Dramani Mahama revealed the government's plans to halt the importation and production of 'takeaway packs.'

The initiative, he said, is to reduce the impact of climate change, protect the country’s forest cover, and reduce plastic waste in the country.

President Mahama stressed the urgent need to ditch Styrofoam for other materials, describing it as one of the most harmful pollutants.

“One of the most polluters is Styrofoam plastics, where you go and buy your food, and they put it in that whitish something, and you finish eating, you just dump it. That is one of the biggest polluters. And so, we’re going to ban the importation of Styrofoam plastics.

“We have to use paper packaging or aluminium foil for our food. I’m informing the manufacturers and importers of Styrofoam that the Ministry of Environment, soon we are going to ban the importation of Styrofoam and production of Styrofoam in Ghana,” he said.

Addressing the media on Friday, June 26, Acting Director for Sustainability and Circular Economy at the EPA, Larry Kotoe, said import restrictions, seizures, and penalties are all part of the measures the EPA will use to enforce compliance.

According to him, the national import control system, known as ICOPS, will be mandated to monitor and ensure chemicals and related products, including polystyrene materials and their raw components are prevented from entering into the country.

He added, “We are currently putting together the legal framework to back the policy direction. So definitely by December we should have the regulation clearly specifying the penalties and then also some of the enforcement powers that will come with it. Obviously you may have to confiscate and there will be fines as well”.

Meanwhile, the Plastic Manufacturers Association of Ghana has acknowledged its impact on the environment but maintains that there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding Styrofoam.

He noted that the policy must go through a thorough process to ensure it doesn't have significant consequences for manufacturers, workers, and consumers.

“Let me try to clear up some misconceptions. The styrofoam that you see contains between 4% to 5% maximum plastic. The rest is air. It is basically air. It becomes more of an eyesore in terms of impacting the environment. We have a meeting with the Minister for Environment between June 16 and 20. We really want to give the minister a proper overview of the plastic industry so when the government want to initiate any programmes or any decision, he will be well informed,” he said.

The Ghanaian government has introduced various initiatives aimed at tackling plastic waste. Although the government has made several attempts to address the sanitation crisis in Greater Accra, many of these initiatives have failed to achieve a lasting impact.

These efforts started in 2008 with a ban on plastic production and imports.

In 2011, a Plastic Waste Recycling Fund was established, and a 10% Environmental Excise Tax was levied on imported plastics to support recycling and waste management programs.

The government also introduced the National Plastics Management Policy in 2020, which seeks to manage plastic waste across its entire lifecycle and promote a circular economy for plastics.

Despite these measures, the issue of proper plastic waste disposal remains a significant challenge, exacerbated by low awareness regarding safe and sustainable disposal practices such as segregation, recycling, and controlled incineration.