Circular economy approach framework under dev’t – Environment Minister says
A circular economy approach framework is in the works, meant to ensure that scraps and other waste types will serve as secondary resources for reuse and recycling, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie has told parliament.
The “circular economy” means products are intended to be more sustainable as their design is based around reusable parts, allowing for a simpler recycling process.
Analysts have also suggested that the approach could mean cost savings for industry, and cheaper products for consumers.
Appearing before parliament on Thursday, to answer a question posed by Yao Gomado (MP, Akan) on what measures the Ministry is taking to stop manufacturers of cooking utensils from using e-waste and old aluminium products other than pure aluminium ingot.
The minister said “the Ministry is currently developing a circular economy approach framework where scraps and other waste types will serve as secondary resources for reuse and recycling. We believe that no matter the source, these recycle materials should be free from contamination.”
Further, he stated that there are large manufacturers of cooking utensils in Ghana that utilizes pure aluminum ingots in their production process. This pure aluminum ingot is either sourced directly from Valco or imported into the country for remoulding into other products including cooking utensils.
The information the Ministry has on other forms of aluminum is from the refining process where metal scraps from aluminum sheet and cast are separated into the ingots and exported outside the country, he noted.
“There is a type of aluminum that is mostly found on the housing of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) and is not contaminated or considered hazardous.
These are easily recovered by shredding or dismantling processes and constitute a minute fraction of the industrial sources of aluminum ingot exported outside the country. There is another category of aluminum that is part of the base alloy metals used inthe manufacture of electric and electronic components.”
Additionally, the minister maintained that the recovery of this type of aluminum is usually complex and offers little in terms of its market value compared to other base metals such as copper, silver and gold. An audit of the country’s e-wasterecycling capacity showed an export-dominated market for the recovery of these base alloy metals.
The situation in the formal sector, according to the minister where pure aluminum ingots are used, may have isolated cases of contaminated metal scraps including aluminum that are used in the manufacturing of cooking utensils in the informal sector or among some local manufacturers. However, the Ministry does not have the data to support how widespread the situation may be.
