Activities undertaken in the first phase of the project

1. Inception workshop and formation of project implementation team (PIT)
During the period under review, an inception meeting was held which brought together key stakeholders within the Korle Klottey Municipality and a 9-member committee was constituted. The committee is made up of a representative from Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly, Jekora Ventures, EPA, Assemblyman of the Municipality, traditional council, Environ waste Technologies and GDF Africa. GDF Africa presented the concept of the project to the stakeholders which lead to the strategic planning on the implementation of the project.
2. Conduct of Plastic waste management audit
A baseline survey was conducted, and the main objective of the study was to discover the status of plastic wastes management in Osu within the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly. The survey was conducted using a cross-sectional survey method. This is a combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The quantitative data was obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The qualitative data were obtained through one-on-one interviews, focus group discussion and observations.
The age of the population sampled were people from 15 years and above and all resident in Osu. 103 people from diverse channels comprising households, shops, plastic collection points, MSW collection points, offices and other institutions were engaged.
The respondents comprised of 61% (63) women and 39% (40) men within the ages of 15 to 70 years. It was found out of the survey that more 50% of the respondents have completed JHS/SHS/Vocational school working as occasional workers, cleaners, traders and waste pickers and speak Ga. The study revealed other people who do not stay in the communities who were working as professionals.
The survey revealed that the people in the study area are aware of the consequences of indiscriminate disposal of plastic wastes with high cost of disposal listed as the highest (39%) contributing factor to indiscriminate disposal of waste. The cost of disposal of waste at Osu in the study area was found to be 20-30 GHS per month on the average. Coastal Conservation Organization and Hope Ghana were the two NGOs who operate in the area. Hope Ghana is a youth group that creates awareness on source segregation of waste. Coastal Conservative Organization collaborates with the municipal assembly to clean the seashore each day. Furthermore, it was revealed that the youth have not had any trainings on upcycling of plastics. The people were ready to participate in a training on upcycling if they would be given food and transportation.
It was as well found through the survey that plastic wastes were generated the most from the event centers in the area. Waste pickers and some households collected and aggregated plastic wastes in plain rubbers and nets before they are sold to recyclers. 5 to 10 nets were collected each week with an average weight 65kg per net. There was no waste pickers association in the area. 50 % of the household channels outlined that they didn?t need a dustbin for segregation of plastic wastes since it was already working for them. However, 38% expressed their need for the waste bin for the segregation of plastics. It was also discovered that spaces to house the dustbins in most of the households were scarce. 46% of respondent segregated their plastic wastes. 34% do not segregate their waste at all. The people who segregate their waste were doing it due to the financial incentives attached to the plastics. A baseline report was generated.
3. Formation of Plastic Waste Education taskforce and awareness creation
35-member of education taskforce was drawn from the five electoral area of Osu within the Korle Klottey Municipality and volunteer group of GDF Africa. The taskforce team was trained and empowered to go into the community to create awareness on plastic waste management. The sensitization took various forms which included distribution of educational materials, practical illustration and interactions. Schools, marketplaces, shops, households, institutions, churches and mosques were the target sources of the awareness creation. Throughout the sensitization program, the team was able to compile data of the youth in the community who are willing to be trained during the next phase. One hundred (100) youth were identified in the community and registered. During the awareness raising, public opinion was consented, and the community accepted the project. They were excited for the opportunity to be involved in such initiative. Most of the elderly expressed interest in the training as well.
4. Development of strategies for plastic waste collection
During the period under review, the project implementation team and the education taskforce identified twenty (20) collection points within the community. The points are the sources where the designated plastic waste bins made specially from plastic bottles would be placed for collection. Two hundred (200) households were identified, and branded sacks have been made available for them for the collection of plastic wastes. A space for the collection center has been provided to the project by the assembly and Jekora ventures. The collection center is the area where all the plastics collected from the community would be aggregated. Some form of pre-processing would be done in the center before transferring to the recyclers for further usage. As part of the strategy for the collection, the project has purchased one (1) tricycle to help convey the plastic wastes from the collection points to the collection center.
5. Monitoring and evaluation
Throughout the first phase of implementation, the project implementation team monitored and evaluated the project objectives to ensure being on tract with its objectives and deliverables.





Activities planned and completed in this reporting period and results achieved for the second phase.

Establishment of a Plastic Recovery Center

As part of the processes to establish a Plastic Recovery Center in the community, a number of activities were conducted. A space for the Recovery Center was identified around the Wembley Park which is located behind the State House in Osu during the stakeholder engagement in the first phase of the project. The identified space belongs to the Assembly which needed approval for its usage. As part of the processes to obtain approval for the usage of the area, series of meetings were organized between the Assembly and Green Diversity Foundation. A final meeting was held between the MCE of the Korley Klottey Municipal Assembly and a selected number of the Project Implementation Committee (PIC) which resulted in the approval and full support of the Assembly.

Immediately after the approval, the Foundation in collaboration with the Assembly and the support of the Assemblyman of the area, Honorable Erasmus O. Xerton mobilized resources for the structural development of the Center. This process took off with speed because of the delay incurred in obtaining approval of the site usage. The Center development underwent a process duration of approximately three weeks for its completion. There is a consideration of an office space in the center which was not completed within the period of reporting due to financial constraints.

Collection Points and its Collection Process

Collection points were identified and created during the first phase of the project. The points comprises of households, churches, schools and institutions within the community. As part of the strategies for the collection of plastics, Two hundred (200) branded sacks and Twenty (20) plastic waste bins were made available to the points to aid the collection process. A tricycle which was purchased to aid the collection process goes round to the points created to collect the plastics to the Recovery Center. Approximately, about 165kg of plastics are collected per day which brings the collection volume to a ton and 155kg per week. A total of 26 tonnes has been collected at the reporting period.

Training of the Women and the Youth on the Sorting and processing of plastics in preparation for recycling.

A total number of Ninety-Seven (97) people comprising of Sixty-Seven (67) women and Thirty (30) men were trained on sorting and processing of plastic waste. The training was conducted at the Recovery Centre where plastics have been accumulated. The training is a continuous process which would still be carried out even as the project comes to a close. This is because measures have been constituted by the Foundation to sustain the project as it approaches its closure. One of the measures is an arrangement the Foundation has made with Poly Tank Ghana Limited, Tema to buyback the plastics gathered at the Center for their recycling works. This strategy introduced would enable the Foundation to generate some supporting funds to assist the community to continue the project when it ends.



Activities planned but not completed in this reporting period and reasons for delay

Training on up-cycling of plastics into plastic waste bins.

Up-cycling of plastic bottles into plastic waste bins is one of the training activities planned for this period of reporting. This activity was not done due to some resource challenges. The activity is expected to be conducted in the Recovery Centre with the aid of electric power. There has been a delay in obtaining electric power to the Center due to the processes required by the ECG, which has made it impossible to conduct this particular activity within the reporting period. The Foundation is working closely with Electricity Company of Ghana to obtain power to the Center to conduct this activity in the final stage of the project.


Activities planned to be completed in the next reporting period.

1. Training of the youth in the community on up-cycling of plastic waste bottle into waste bins

2. Development of a plastic waste management manual for Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly

3. Participate in ongoing events on plastic waste management


Experience, lessons learnt and issues in this reporting period.

Experiences

Understanding the local context of a particular electoral area and engaging with them on an appropriate solution.

Different methods of engagement for different age groups works effectively.


Lessons Learnt

Continuous awareness and education on plastic waste are critical.

Partnerships with other stakeholders are essential.

Infrastructure and equipment are important.

Collaboration is key to scaling up.

Local solutions are effective when they are tailored to the specific needs and conditions of the local community.


Main issues

The period under review uncounted a number of challenges which includes

site approval for the establishment of the Recovery Center. This issue affected the collection process due to the delay incurred in gaining approval for the establishment of the center. The delay of the establishment of the Recovery Center also affected some aspects of the training activities. The training of up-cycling which needed to be conducted at the Center with the aid of electricity power could not be done due to the challenge of late approval. Access to electricity power was a challenge in this reporting period but the Foundation, in collaboration with the Assembly is working to obtain electricity power to the site.

Also, Community members demanded money to participate in most activities.

Households were hesitant to give out collected plastics which weighs less for free.

There were inclusion of other materials other than plastic bottles in the collection process.

The size of the tricycle limits the work load in a day.