General News of Saturday, 17 March 2001

Source: GNA

Drivers urged to put rubbish bins in their cars

Professor Dominic Kweku Fobih, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology on Friday urged drivers of commercial vehicles to place rubbish bins in their vehicles to help reduce the indiscriminate throwing about of rubbish by passengers.

Launching a project code-named "Plastic Free Accra", Prof. Fobih said the problem of plastic waste materials has become a serious issue for government, "because it has left the city of Accra in a very insanitary state."

The 300,000- dollar project to operate under the name City Waste and Management Company based at Pokuase, near Accra, has the fundamental objective of recycling plastic waste for use by the rubber companies.

The German government procured the plant for the project while the Swiss government has donated 10,000 dollars for payment of plastic waste collection.

The project, seeking to create employment for the physically disabled people, will ensure that they manage the collection points and pay people who bring in plastic waste.

Prof. Fobih lamented the way people throw rubbish around without due regard to the nuisance and danger it causes, saying, "with value on the plastic waste, many of us will stop throwing these about."

Those who care less and continue to negligently throw these materials about will no longer cause a nuisance, as they will be picked by those who would like to make money from them", Prof. Fobih said.

He commended "Plastic Free Accra" as a laudable project, and said it has come at an opportune time to eliminate "the non-degradable plastic material".