Sogakope: Mr. Derek Ashia Logo, the Area Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Sogakope, has made a call for a national rethink on plastic usage and the implementation of concrete policies to combat plastic pollution. The call was made as part of the commemoration of World Environment Day, celebrated annually on June 5, which encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
According to Ghana News Agency, World Environment Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972, with the first official celebration taking place in 1973. Each year, one country hosts global celebrations to commemorate the day, and in 2025, the celebrations were held in the Republic of Korea. The theme for 2025 is “Beat Plastic Pollution” as plastics have polluted almost every aspect of life, seeping into water, food, and human bodies. In Ghana, the theme for the celebrations was ‘Ending Plastic Pollution.’
Mr. Logo noted that while World Environment Day serves to raise awareness about environmental challenges, Ghana must seize the moment to translate awareness into action, especially in addressing the growing plastic waste crisis that threatens both ecosystems and human well-being. He emphasized that the southern Volta region continues to face significant environmental degradation due to the prevalence of single-use plastics and the absence of effective collection, disposal, and recycling systems.
Describing plastic pollution as “a national emergency hiding in plain sight,” Mr. Logo called for a bold and coordinated response from the government, industry, and the public. He proposed that the government considers economic and regulatory interventions, such as the use of environmental taxes to deter the excessive use of single-use plastics. Citing international best practices, he explained that such taxes would raise the cost of production and consumption of harmful plastics, thereby curbing their widespread use.
Mr. Logo also advocated for the introduction of pollution permits, under which manufacturers would be required to purchase the right to emit waste into the environment. This market-based system, he said, would limit pollution to levels deemed acceptable by the state and promote innovation in cleaner technologies. Additionally, he recommended a deposit-refund system, where consumers pay a surcharge when purchasing plastic-packaged goods and are refunded upon returning the packaging for reuse or recycling. This approach, he explained, would create incentives for responsible disposal and improve the circular economy.
In an innovative approach, Mr. Logo revealed that his office is working to replace traditional nursery bags with sachet water plastics-an abundant form of litter in the region-for the cultivation of tree seedlings. These seedlings would be distributed through the government’s ‘One Child, One Tree’ initiative, addressing deforestation and plastic pollution simultaneously.
To further combat plastic pollution, Mr. Logo called for direct legislation to mandate the use of biodegradable plastics and the phasing out of non-decomposable materials that persist in the environment for decades. He underscored the need for mass environmental education and awareness campaigns, particularly at the community level, to promote behavioral change.
The Sogakope Area Office of the EPA donated several waste bins to Total Child International School and Agorkpo RC Basic School at Sogakope, with a combined student population of 1,500. From projections, the EPA Sogakope Area office, together with Wasteman Ghana, expects to recover about 800,000 sachet bags from the two schools within a year.
Mr. Logo emphasized that the exercise in the two schools would be the beginning of data collection on plastic waste in the area to enforce environmental decision-making. He noted that while organizations or institutions practice waste segregation when provided with bins, the practice is undermined when waste contractors mix the segregated waste during collection. To remedy this, the Sogakope Area Office plans to collaborate with Wasteman Ghana, a waste off-taker specializing in the management of plastic waste.
Mr. Roger Kofi Gyening, the Co-founder of Wasteman Ghana, pledged continuous collaboration with the EPA to intensify plastic pollution control. He stated that collected plastic wastes would be recycled into products like plastic roofing sheets and reiterated the importance of public sensitization on plastic pollution control for a safer region.