Ghana Rubber Estates Limited is making progress with waste management
In the 21st century, the impact of organizational activities on the ecological environment has come to form an underpinning factor in management decisions. Environmental threats posed by organizational wastes continue to be a major problem today, closely connected with the increasing plastics consumption by Organization. Plastic debris represents a worldwide problem, since they can affect all underground and surface water bodies, with negative impacts and risks on wildlife, ecological habitats, and the health of coastal communities.
The overall environmental objective of Ghana Rubber Estates is to reduce wastes especially plastic wastes to the barest minimum. We have set for ourselves a target of 0% for plastic waste generation by year ending 2025. This overriding objective cannot be achieved without the cooperation of all stakeholders including management, staff, suppliers, customers, etc. of the company. In the year 2019, a random survey was conducted to gather data from staff on the introduction of paperless systems and zero plastic waste generation. The findings from the survey indicated full support of staff for both policies as over 80percent agreed with its implementation.
How Surveyed Employees said they viewed office plastic and papers
In view of the outcome from the survey, we have begun rigorous reduction of plastic and paper wastes at GREL. For example, we have eliminated the consumption of sachet water both on the field and in the offices. Workers are also continually reminded to limit printing and photocopying in order to reduce the consumption of papers. Since we began this in 2019, paper consumption in the various offices has reduced by 73.95%. Plastic waste generation has also been significantly reduced by 31.11%.
The table below shows our achievement within the past 12 months in terms of waste management from head office, field administration, canteen/guesthouse, clinic and our garage.
Estimated General Waste to be Generated in 2020: 50,000kg
| Description | 2019 | 2020 | Percentage Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total waste generated | 55,383.5kg | 23,842.49kg | 63.08% |
Estimated Plastic Waste to be Generated in 2020: 6,000kg
| Description | 2019 | 2020 | Percentage Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic waste generated | 6,097kg | 4,200kg | 31.61% |
Estimated Paper Waste to be Generated in 2020: 10,000kg
| Description | 2019 | 2020 | Percentage Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper waste generated | 10,448.32kg | 2,722.28kg | 77.26% |
The above was not achieved on a silver platter as management had to go out of their budgets to procure new water dispensers and bottles for all the various departments. Additionally, a team has been set up to monitor the implementation and progress of the above policies.
Head Office Waste Station
GHANA RUBBER ESTATES LTD.
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