The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has described the ban on expanded polystyrene (styrofoam) food containers as the first phase of a broader national strategy to eliminate non-biodegradable single-use plastics in Ghana.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EPA, Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, said the policy was a presidential directive driven by scientific evidence on the environmental and public health risks associated with styrofoam.

She said the material was non-biodegradable and contributed significantly to the blockage of drains, while posing risks to human and marine life.

Prof. Klutse stated this when she addressed the media after a sensitisation exercise at the Kejetia Market in Kumasi.

She dismissed claims that the ban was designed to benefit particular commercial interests, stressing that the decision was based solely on the need to protect public health and the environment.

“There is no private company behind this decision. This policy was announced by the President of the Republic because styrofoam is harmful to our health and the environment. It does not decompose,” she said.

Prof. Klutse said the EPA’s monitoring activities at major markets, including Kejetia and Makola, had shown that traders who sold styrofoam packaging were already stocking alternative packaging materials.

She said the alternatives included paper-based packaging, recycled aluminium foil, recyclable plastic containers and packaging produced from agricultural by-products such as bamboo, rice husks and coconut fibres.

“Before takeaway boxes became popular, Ghanaians were comfortably buying waakye, kenkey and other local foods. The alternatives are already here in our markets. Vendors selling styrofoam are already selling these eco-friendly options,” she said.

The EPA CEO cited Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania as examples of African countries that had taken steps to restrict or phase out single-use plastics, saying Ghana could similarly transition to more sustainable packaging without undermining the food vending and business sectors.

She said the styrofoam ban should therefore be viewed as the beginning of a wider transition towards environmentally sustainable packaging.

“Ghana is taking the first step with styrofoam, and I am confident we will succeed before moving to the next phase of single-use plastics,” she said.

Prof. Klutse urged market women, food vendors, caterers, corporate food chains and consumers to begin adopting the available alternatives ahead of the full enforcement of the ban.

She said a collective transition away from non-biodegradable plastics was necessary to protect public health, safeguard the environment and reduce the growing problem of plastic waste and urban flooding.

The Deputy CEO of the EPA in charge of Operations, Professor Michael Ayamga-Adongo, said enforcement of the nationwide ban on styrofoam food packaging would commence on January 1, 2027, with no further extensions.

He cautioned traders and importers against placing fresh orders for styrofoam products, warning that consignments brought into the country after the deadline would be confiscated and the offenders subjected to legal action.

“We have given ample time, and if at this point in time you still decide to go importing polystyrene products and their derivatives, you are definitely going to be dealing with us when January 1 comes,” he warned.

Prof. Ayamga-Adongo said the EPA had undertaken extensive sensitisation to give businesses sufficient time to adjust to the policy.

He urged importers and traders who were still dealing in styrofoam products to use the remaining period to transition to environmentally friendly alternatives rather than risk losses and legal sanctions.

The Deputy CEO said the Authority would not reverse the decision after the enforcement date and urged businesses to take the deadline seriously.