AngloGold Ashanti Ghana, Obuasi Mine, has rolled out a plastic waste management programme to tackle waste pollution in the Obuasi municipality.

The gold mine wants plastics treated as valuable resources rather than waste as the 2023 World Environment Day seeks solutions to plastic pollution.

AngloGold Ashanti is implementing sustainable solutions to reducing, eradicating and disposing off plastics, especially single use plastics to safeguard the environment.

About 40 direct and indirect jobs in Obuasi have been created out of AGA's waste management programme.

The mine partnered with a local firm, FY Plastic Enterprise, to roll out the project. 

The Senior Manager Sustainability, Environment at AGA, George Owusu- Ansah, spoke at the 2023 World Environment Day held at Obuasi.

"By being responsible stewards of our environment, we also seek environmentally friendly solutions in all we do to positively impact the communities in which we operate, "he said.

Mr. Owusu-Ansah advised "residents to help the mine to beat plastic pollution

"When plastic is thrown away, they don't bio-degrade, it only breaks down into smaller pieces and remains in our ecosystem".

World Environment Day is celebrated every year on the 5th of June and aims at raising awareness and celebrating environmental action.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Obuasi partnered AngloGold Ashanti and the Ghana Education Service to enforce initiatives aimed at dealing with plastic waste. 

Prempeh Adarkwa Yiadom, the Obuasi Area Head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said "Before the durbar, a quiz competition was held between Obuasi Secondary Technical Senior High School and Christ the King Catholic on the theme "single use plastics should be banned to reduce plastic pollution" and this helped in educating students on environmental pollution."

The partnership allows pupils to make changes to their school's environment, through its basic school beautification competition.

The area head acknowledged, "AngloGold Ashanti's support in curtailing environmental pollution."

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates about 7 billion of the 9.2 billion tonnes of plastics produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or dumped.