By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Sept. 24, GNA – Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, has urged the Electrical and Electronic Waste Management Fund (E-Waste Fund) to develop strategies to manage emerging waste from electric vehicles, solar panels and other green technologies.
She said the increasing adoption of electric vehicles, solar panels and renewable technologies would create new waste streams that required proactive planning.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings made the call when she paid a working visit to the E-Waste Fund as part of her familiarisation tour of agencies and institutions under the Ministry.
The visit formed part of efforts to enable the Minister to better understand the agencies, their staff and operations through direct and interactive engagements.
She said the transition to green technology should not create another environmental challenge through improper disposal of obsolete equipment and materials.
“For me, I think it’s important that we get ahead of the curve,” she said.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said the country needed to put in place appropriate technologies and agreements to recycle emerging waste or export materials to countries with the capacity to process them.
She tasked the Fund to develop a clear strategy for managing waste from the growing use of green technologies.
“I would like to put that at your doorstep. Come up with your strategy on how we can address this so that we can actually put together the policy,” she said.
The Minister said the strategy should also help prevent holding centres for e-waste from becoming overcrowded.
She noted that holding centres were designed to temporarily store waste and should not become permanent dumping grounds.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said: “the recent decommissioning of a landfill site is a strong sign that no matter how big your landfill site, it gets full eventually.”
She therefore called for stronger waste segregation at the office, household and industrial levels.
The Minister said some categories of waste could not safely be disposed of in landfills and required specialised treatment.
She warned against allowing Ghana to become a destination for hazardous waste that could threaten the environment and public health.
“We must be very intentional about how we address the segregation of waste, whether it’s at the office or domestic level or industrial,” she said.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said improper management of hazardous waste could contaminate groundwater and soil and affect the atmosphere and human health, saying the Ministry was ready to support the Fund to address the challenges associated with e-waste management.
“We have to do so to remain ahead of emerging environmental challenges associated with the green transition.”
The Minister said her visit was to reassure the Fund of the Ministry’s support and strengthen collaboration towards achieving its mandate.
“It is also an opportunity to engage more directly with its operations and help the public better understand the Fund’s work and the challenges confronting e-waste management,” she added.
Mr Anthony Akwetea-Mensah, Fund Administrator of the Electrical and Electronic Waste Management Fund, said the Minister’s visit provided an opportunity for the Fund to share its achievements, challenges and opportunities.
He said the Fund was committed to fulfilling its mandate of providing sustainable financing for interventions aimed at ensuring environmentally sound management of e-waste.
Mr Akwetea-Mensah said the Fund continued to collaborate with the Ministry, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), partner agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen Ghana’s e-waste management system.
He said the Fund looked forward to the Minister’s guidance and direction as it worked to strengthen its operations and contribute to the national e-waste management agenda.
GNA
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]