By Hassan I. Conteh

The Environment Protection Agency-Sierra Leone (EPA-SL) has organized a national consultation on national and plastic control.

The program was held at New Brookfields Hotel, Freetown on Thursday 31st, 2024.

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) – Five on Thursday brought together relevant stakeholders in the country to discuss Sierra Leone’s numerous plastic waste concerns.

Key stakeholders include plastic wastes controllers, plastic recycling organizations from Makeni and in Freetown, academics from the University of Sierra Leone, Fourah Bay College and academics from abroad, local and international environmentalists, the media, CSOs, Health and  Water Resources ministry, Agriculture and Forest Security, and Maritime Administration, Tourism etc.

The INC delegates consultation organized by EPA-SL was in preparedness for Sierra Leone’s representation at the international levels to hold deliberations leading to the formation of a Global Plastic Treaty.

Already, there have been about four  intergovernmental negotiating committees (INC) discussions being held with the first one conducted in Canada.

The 5th Section of the INC will take place in South Korea between November 25 this year and December 2nd, 2024.

To shed light on this such important global event, chief director at Environment Protection Agency-Sierra Leone Mr.Sheku Mark Kanneh, told journalists that the consultation meeting set the pace for delegates to be able to put across a strong “voice” for Sierra Leone on its plastic waste fight at home.

“We all know that plastic pollution or plastic waste is a global issue affecting especially our marine environments.”

“This is why the United Nations is organizing similar programs in other countries like Nigeria and Kenya, etc. to have a common goal on ways to control and manage plastic wastes,” Mr Kanneh spoke at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown.

He added that Sierra Leone is mostly a consumer plastic products than other countries are which are producing plastics that severely affect other nations like Sierra Leone.

“Plastics bottles are secondary products which are produced elsewhere. While some countries are making profits on plastics production, it is causing problems for us who are its end users.”

Sierra Leone’s government has recently passed a National Plastic Policy and authorities at the national delegates conference had assured that the National Plastic Policy would soon become a law that would regulate producers and consumers of plastics materials in the country.

Appreciating the need for holding consultations for the passing out of a global treaty and domestic laws to regulate plastics use and waste in countries around the world, Madam Yema Mimi Soba-Stephens, Deputy Minister of Environment & Climate Change, said she was delighted to see “dedicated stakeholders” who continued to show commitment on recognizing to address concerns of plastic pollution and their associated risks.

She said it had been a significant milestone dedicated toward the eradication of “single plastic usage.”

“It is imperative that all stakeholders including the private sector, government agencies, to control and mitigate the impacts of plastics on our coastal marine resources,” minister Yema said.

She said the national consultation was geared toward reaching international collaborative efforts to tackle plastic harm on the environment.

“We are really encouraged by your continued enthusiasm and support as we work together to confront this critical environmental challenge,” she said.

Adding, “we at the Ministry and the government, we remain very hopeful that insights shared today would ever be meaningful to address plastic wastes and pollution in the country.”

Environment Protection Agency-Sierra Leone also had two prominent international experts who shared their knowledge to stakeholders and participants at the program.

Dr. Thomas Maes’ contributions in the form of a pre-recorded video backed  with slides were displayed and explained in detail.

He explained on ways to identify and analyze criteria and non-criteria based approaches with regards to plastic products and chemicals, considering their uses and applications.

However, many participants asked how would the Ministry of Environment be tackling plastic waste in a country where there are still technology constraints and lack of local innovative approaches to dealing with the existing waste plastic social menaces on our environments.