The Ghana Youth Environmental Movement (GYEM), at a recently organised two-day sensitisation event at the Kaneshie Market and Tema Station in the Greater Accra Region, raised awareness against single-use plastics (SUPs).

The first session took place at Kaneshie Market on Friday, November 24, 2023, followed by the event at Tema Station on Saturday, November 25, 2023, both targeting market vendors and drivers.

The sensitisation programme included a clean-up exercise in both locations, actively involving market vendors and drivers.

Mr Samuel Boadu Duah, the Lead Campaigner for GYEM, shared in an interview with Classfmonline.com that the primary goal is to increase awareness about the environmental consequences of single-use plastics and advocate for sustainable alternatives.

Mr Duah emphasised that single-use plastics pose significant threats to the environment and public health throughout their life cycle, contributing to biodiversity loss and increasing the risk of floods in communities, towns, and cities.

“We are finding ways and means of correcting this wrong we have been doing over the years. 

“And we are simply telling people who patronise single-use plastic that we cannot allow the old thing to go on like that,” he stated.

He highlighted the recent imposition of taxes on some plastic products by the government, signalling an acknowledgement that there are issues with plastics that require corrective measures. 

The campaign aims to encourage a shift away from single-use plastics and promote more sustainable practices