Dr Vincent Nartey, an e-waste expert, has called on government to prioritise bio-monitoring and redress assessment to ensure efficient management of electronic waste.
According to him, the improper disposal of e-waste contaminates the soil and has long term effect on Ghana’s agriculture. Mr Nartey revealed that areas such as Agbogbloshie is highly prone to cancer due to the proximity of urban farmers to e-waste dumping sites.
As part of educating the public, Mr Nartey indicated that there is the need to ensure safe disposal of e-waste in a bid to protect the health of the public.
Mr Nartey made these revelations at a public presentation organised by the Ministry of Environment, Technology and Innovation in partnership with the Environment Protection Agency in implementing a project themed: ‘Recycling and disposal of waste of electrical and electrical equipment in environmentally sound way’.
“Over the years, we have been an importer, a net importer of most of electronic products. As I mentioned, about 10% to 20% of our materials that we import already arrive as waste and there is a need to find ways that we can environmentally handle the waste that comes out of it, because these waste that we are talking about contains some hazards. We’ve seen the issues with Agbogbloshie; now we have moved the people from Agbogbloshie but we are also looking forward that we don’t repeat what happened in Agbogbloshie at other areas that these scrap dealers will have themselves. Where these activities happened, are same areas where we have a lot of urban agriculture also taking place”.
Dr Vincent Nartey
The e-waste expert intimated that the release of this type of pollution will always find a place to settle. He explained that if it does not settle on our skin, it will find its way on our food.
“Waste has become much more of a resource than a trash. So, we should look at waste in these terms and look at the impact of this than just finding a place to dump our trash”.
Dr Vincent Nartey
EPA to formalize scrap dealing
Meanwhile, assistant programs officer at Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Felix Mote, disclosed that there are plans underway to formalize scrap-dealing.
“Currently, the eco-levy, the recycling fee is being collected at the ports and also the fund manager has been appointed to do the disbursement of the fund. From the presentation, the project is supposed to pilot the national framework. So, currently, when the project gets to its end of life, the national system will take it up and upscale it in the whole country”.
Mr Felix Mote
Mr Mote emphasized that the Agency has undertaken a number of sensitizations with the scrap dealers and the informal sector. Currently, he noted that they are working with development partners to see how they can formalize the sector.
In August this year, micro, small and medium businesses engaged in electronic waste across the country were sensitized to employ modern ways to properly manage electronic waste.
The project was expected to assist informal scrap dealers, electronic waste managers and MSMEs alike to relook their activities and abandon their old approach of waste management.
Project Manager of E-MAGIN Project Ghana, Daniel Ofori, observed that there are lapses in the operations of these persons, particularly with regards to how they use their tools and the tendency that they are not aware of the “environmental consequences” of their actions.
