Hidden in a news item on the problem of tyre burning near Kumasi Airport is a hint that Ghana may be about to introduce laws on tyre disposal.
Ghana to Stop Tyre Burning and May Introduce Recycling Rules
The Ashanti Regional National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has issued a warning to residents around Kumasi airport.
According to the regional NADMO Director, Kwabena Senkyere, some of the residents burn car tyres with the aim of retrieving the steel belt, and in the process emit thick dark smoke into the atmosphere.
Kwabena Senkyere said residents who do not adhere to this warning would be arrested and prosecuted..
In 2016, the Head of the Petroleum Department of the EPA, Mr Kojo Agbenor-Efunam, stated the agency was set to outlaw the burning of car tyres.
He said the burning of tyres was not only illegal but also emitted poisonous gases into the atmosphere because of the constituents of the tyre.
“Burning of tyres will be outlawed once we pass this regulation. Nobody in the country would be allowed to burn tyres for any reason,”
“If there is the need for you to burn a tyre, then you have to come to the EPA for a permit to be able to do that, and you have to justify why the EPA should give you a permit,” He said.
Mr Agbenor-Efunam said the law when passed would, among other purposes, prescribe the requirements for the establishment of take-back systems and the disposal of waste.
