This past week we continued on many field visits conducting harvest monitoring & evaluation. At several points, I had officers turn to me, hold up their PureWater and state, remember, it will burn, before tossing it out the window. Alas!
On Friday we shared the leftovers of our lunch with some adorable kids who were hanging near us as we stopped for prayer break. One girl threw her biscuit wrapper on the ground. One of the officers called after her and told her to pick it up and take it to the bin (or at least through my interpretation of the gestures, I think that is what he was saying). She looked surprised, but proceeded to pick it up.
This weekend I had a conversation with one of my Ghanaian neighbors which gave me hope for the plastic future of this country. Someone near us tossed their PureWater satchel on the ground, he told her to pick it up, and quoted ZoomLion’s (the national waste disposal company) motto, to “Keep Ghana Clean”. We then had a discussion about the overabundance of polys and littering. He told me that he’ll usually carry a bag around with him, or simply refuse a poly, much to the shock of the other Ghanaians, unless it is a matter of necessity. He also expressed his sadness at how they just burn the bush and the garbage. Currently, the only recycling facilities are in Accra, which, given the poor infrastructure of the country, doesn’t make it an attractive alternative, especially for the north. However, he remained optimistic that through setting positive examples, and encouraging education, we could help keep plastic off the ground.
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