The Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, has urged Ghanaians to stop using Styrofoam products, warning that they are not biodegradable and pose significant environmental and health risks. Speaking at the launch of an awareness campaign on the ban of polystyrene foam products at Rawlings Park in Accra on Tuesday, Prof.
Klutse called on market traders, consumers and businesses to support the transition to biodegradable alternatives ahead of the nationwide ban, which takes effect on January 1, 2027. She said market women would play a critical role in educating the public about the ban and encouraging the use of safer packaging materials. “We also know that our market women play an important role in this campaign.
And we want to really follow the movement to support us with education in the markets, in our homes, everywhere we find ourselves, to help us with this campaign.” Prof. Klutse said alternatives to styrofoam products were already available and encouraged consumers to choose biodegradable packaging. “There are alternatives, as you can see.
We have shown or demonstrated a few here. We want to eat from paper instead of styrofoam. We want to eat from products that are biodegradable.” She explained that styrofoam remains in the environment for long periods because it does not decompose naturally.
“Because the styrofoam is not biodegradable, when they get mixed up with the soil, they stay there forever. They do not degrade with the soil.” The EPA Chief also raised concerns about the potential health effects of using styrofoam food containers, particularly when they are used to serve hot meals. “Apart from that, it has a huge impact on our health.
We also heard from the EPA Director on the health impact of styrofoam. When hot food is served in styrofoam, the material leaks.” “And then we get microplastics that mix with the food. Once it gets into the food, it’s carcinogenic.
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