Sustainability expert Ohene Marfo Gyimah has urged Ghanaians to embrace reusable shopping bags and cut their dependence on single-use polythene bags, warning that plastic waste is steadily choking drains, polluting water bodies and damaging agricultural land.
Mr Gyimah, a member of the Institute of Sustainability Professionals Ghana, said the disposable bags handed out each morning in shops and markets often remain useful for only a few minutes. Their environmental impact, he argued, can last for decades.
“Those polythene bags thrown on the street may look like nothing.
“That waste dumped beside a drainage ditch may seem like just one, but when thousands of people do the same thing, ‘just one’ becomes a much bigger problem.” - Mr Gyimah
A growing plastic problem
Ghana generates an estimated 3,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste each day, according to figures cited in a 2026 environmental awareness campaign. Much of the waste is poorly managed and eventually finds its way into gutters, rivers and coastal environments.
Mr Gyimah said plastic waste should not be blamed for every flood, but its presence in drainage channels clearly worsens the risk when heavy rains arrive.
He also raised concerns about the use of thin polythene bags for hot meals and oily stews, arguing that consumers should choose safer and more durable containers wherever possible.
“Reusable bags protect our health,” he said. “They are safer and protect our food items and environment.”
Small choices can add up
Mr Gyimah encouraged shoppers to carry folded tote bags, calico sacks or woven baskets when visiting markets and supermarkets.
Traders, too, could reduce the money spent on disposable packaging by asking regular customers to bring their own bags.
The change may feel small. That is the point. A tote kept in a handbag or vehicle can prevent dozens of polythene bags from entering the waste stream over time.
“Say ‘Me pɛ me bag’ with pride,” he said. “Let’s make Ghana a beacon of green living, one reusable bag at a time.”
He challenged communities to act before plastic pollution becomes another crisis demanding an expensive emergency response.
