[ad_1]
The Ghana Wildlife Society, in partnership with Let’s Do It Ghana, a civic movement, held a clean-up exercise on Saturday to remove plastic debris from some Accra beaches.
The exercise, conducted to protect marine life and aquatic food for human consumption, was observed by 180 countries around the world on the theme: “1 day to clean our planet”.
The organizations also conducted brand audits to classify plastics and find out which brands or companies indirectly polluted the environment, especially aquatic life, with their plastics.
Ghana Wildlife Society director of conservation education and projects Louisa Kabobah said plastics wreak havoc and pose a great danger to marine life, especially sea turtles, dolphins and sharks.
He explained that sea turtles often drown and die from plastic waste because they mistake plastics for algae, which they feed on.
Sea turtles, he said, were now a globally endangered species as a result of marine pollution, so it was important for everyone to join forces to prevent their continued death or stabilize their population in the seas.
Ms Kabobah explained that plastics do not leave the environment, but rather disintegrate into smaller particles “and when fish feed on them, it becomes a risk to human consumers. Even if plastics left the environment, it would take about 400 years. “
He said research had shown a link between the consumption of tiny plastic particles in fish and some cardiovascular diseases and cancers; therefore, it was important to discourage single-use plastics and improper disposal of plastic waste.
“When you go shopping, instead of picking up a plastic bag for your purchases, take a shopping bag with you. If it’s water, you can buy a reusable bottle and refill it. If it is a container that you cannot do without, use it to reuse it to make it sustainable, “he advised.
Let’s Do It Ghana National Leader, Ms Kate Opoku, said that among the problems identified in the wake of Covid-19 were inappropriate ways in which face masks were disposed of and sometimes ended up in the sea.
“While cleaning the beaches today, we saw a lot of them, so we want to tell people, please dispose of your masks well after use, otherwise they would end up in the sea and affect our marina. life, ”he advised.
Ms Opoku said that the brand audit report would be incorporated into the global reports and steps would be taken to discourage the promotion of a brand that would further harm the environment.
“Our message to the companies identified after the brand audit as causing the most contamination is that they can do more and better in terms of packaging. We need products that can be reused, recycled and that are respectful with the environment because single-use plastics are killing our environment, “he added.
The exercise was organized with the support of the Street Sense Organization, Decathlon Ghana, the Australian High Commissioner, the Dadekotopon City Council, Laboma Beach, Green Way International and the Coastal Conservancy Organization.
