Accra, May 17, GNA - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given 20 industrial firms in Accra, Tema and other parts of the country 30 days to reduce their pollution levels or face prosecution.

The firms include Pioneer Food Company, Ghana Textiles Printing Company Limited (GTP), Tema Lube Oil Company and Ghana Agro-Food Company (GAFCO).

Dr Peter Acquah, Executive Director of EPA, said this in Accra at a workshop on guidelines for the sound management of bio-medical waste in Ghana. He said the EPA has since last week written to the firms to submit plans on reducing their industrial effluents.

Dr Acquah said the waste generation and discharge of the firms are beyond the approved threshold. He said industries that do not meet the 30-day deadline would be prosecuted.

Dr Acquah said the EPA is training some of its staff on judicial and prosecution processes to effectively handle and prosecute firms that pollute the environment. He said waste management in Ghana is still poor with most waste treatment plants broken down.

Dr Acquah said hospital waste management is very poor although this kind of waste is directly linked to human health because of its hazardous characteristics.

Mrs Emelia Brew-Butler, Environmental and Health Consultant and Executive Director of Emellord Associates Limited, who presented a paper on the Current Practice of Hospital Waste Management in Ghana, suggested that each health institution should adopt measures to ensure proper management of bio-medical waste.

She said medical waste management and disposal in the country have not been the best and called on the authorities to reverse the trend.