Litter prevention campaign

Litter prevention campaign

Introduction The term litter has to do with the throwing around of items such as wrappers, cans, bottles or packaging, cigarette ends or large items such as bags of rubbish.Littering is a criminal offence punishable by law.Throwing litter from a moving vehicle is one of the commonest offences which Ghanaians are liable of.

Some littering factsLitter consists of waste products that have been disposed improperly, without consent, at an inappropriate location (Wikipedia).waste is any material that arises from human and animal activities that are normally discarded as useless or unwanted. In Ghana, considerable amounts of plastic waste can be found within the Municipal Solid Waste stream due to the littering habit of the people. The most common type of waste is plastic waste.

sachet water is the major source of plastic waste in the municipal plastic waste stream.

Indiscriminate littering contributes to flooding in some areas

According to a feasibility study on plastic waste by CSIR, GHS 1,200,000 can be generated in the country every a month, if plastic waste go through various stages towards recycling. Recycling therefore provide opportunities for effective management of plastics waste management, as well as income generation. Agbogloshie is one of the top ten most dirtiest places in the world.

Tackling the situationThe waste management hierarchy

Reduce the amount of wasteStop the drop (littering)The most successful way to manage waste is not to produce it in the first place and this is the driving force behind the idea of waste minimisation.

Re-use wasteRe-use involves the repeated use of products and components for the same purpose for which they were conceived. Refrigerators, ink cartridges and computer printers, for example, can all be refurbished for re-use.The re-use of products or materials such as clothes and furniture that would otherwise become waste has social, economic and environmental benefits, creating jobs and making products available to consumers who could not necessarily afford to buy them new.

RecyclingRecycling, in simple terms, is defined as the conversion of used materials (waste) into new products. The purpose of recycling is to: Prevent waste of potentially useful materials, Reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, Reduce energy usage, Reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.

Plastics are almost all derived from oil wastes which are of a high calorific value. Energy recovered from plastic waste can make a major contribution to energy production

Another option for sustainable plastic waste management is conversion into artefacts such beads, bags, door mats and hats. This option should be promoted in basic and secondary schools.

Recycling Saves Energy

The following recycled materials save energy compared with manufacturing them:aluminum, 95 percentplastics, 70 percentsteel, 60 percentnewspaper, 40 percentglass, 40 percent

Even if the difference in costs is small between a recycled product and a new product, recycling helps the overall finances of a community by reducing the amount of waste that must be incinerated, put in a landfill, or otherwise treated.

. Plastics can be co-incinerated with other wastes or used as alternative fuel (e.g. coal) in several industry processes (cement kilns). The energy content of plastic waste can be recovered in other thermal and chemical processes such as pyrolisis.

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Composting

The conversion of waste materials into soil additives is called composting. Composting is the process of turning organic household waste into fertilizer through aerobic fermentation. This fertilizer can be used in lawns, parks, and gardens. Composting is a minimally used form of waste disposal in Accra and does not contribute to the danger of food pollution. Of the 1250 tons of garbage collected per day about 10 15% is composted.

Recycling and composting generate many environmental and economic benefits. For example, they create jobs and income, supply valuable raw materials to industry, produce soil-enhancing compost, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the number of landfills and combustion facilities.

Send to LandfillSend waste that cannot be prevented, reused or recycled to the landfill. Do not dump them anywhere. That is also littering.As citizens we have the responsibility of disposing our waste at the appropriate place.

Tips on how to be less wastefulThink before you buy! 1. Is the product recycled or recyclable? This will reduce the environmental impact as a new product has not had to be made from raw material.

2. Avoid packaging waste: food packaged into separate compartments or presented as a mini-kit is not only more expensive but also produces more waste.

3. Buy the amount of fresh food you will use and enjoy your leftovers by turning them into exciting new dishes.

4. Use reusable and high-quality batteries which last longer and produce less waste. Reusable products are better than disposable products.

Think before you throw! 6. Old clothing has all sorts of innovative uses as well as giving it to charity, clothing can also be shredded and turned into pillows.

8. Non-meat kitchen scraps can become fertile soil. Build a compost bin either in your garden or even a small one in your house. A good recipe is to layer carbon materials (dry leaves, shredded paper, dead plants) with nitrogen materials (green weeds, grass, non-meat kitchen scraps) in a 3 to 1 ratio.

References

1. Solomon Kusi Ampofo Report on The options for the effective management of plastic waste in Ghana

2. Felix Puopiel solid waste management in Ghana: the case of Tamale Metropolitan Area (2010)

3. Being wise with waste: the EUs approach to waste management

4. Wikipedia