Ghanaians have been urged to take environmental cleanliness serious as the increasing pollution of the ecosystems could have dire consequences to the general well-being of individuals and societies. Mr. Nicolas Demers-Labrousse, Country Director at SOCODEVI, a Canadian NGO of Cooperatives that share expertise with partners in developing countries, who made the call, said it was time communities took a serious view of the negative effects of environmental pollution. Speaking to journalists after leading a clean-up exercise at Ofoase in the Asante-Akim South District, he pointed out that refuse should not just be dumped anywhere. The exercise was part of activities marking the 2024 World Cleanup Day, which was celebrated on the theme 'Artic Cities and Marine Litter'. The Day is used to remind societies of their collective responsibilities to preserve and maintain a clean and healthy environment and contribute to global waste reduction. About 100 people including the leaders of Ofoase, cooperative groups, officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, COCOBOD, Licensed Buying Companies and staff of SOCODEVI, took part in the cleanup exercise. They weeded, de-silted choked gutters, picked random plastic waste on the streets, swept, and picked up plastic waste chemical bottles from nearby cocoa farms. Mr Demers-Labrousse stressed the need to minimize the use of plastics in Ghana since they were non-biodegradable in nature, and had negative consequence on the environment, especially on aquatic creatures and agricultural productivity. He recommended that waste recycling was taught in schools to enhance attitudinal and mental change among the people. Mr Demers-Labrousse observed that, major cities and towns in Ghana were full of plastic pollutants and if the situation continued for the next decade, it could have serious repercussions. He said Ghana should begin to institute environmentally friendly actions to reverse the situation. Ms Cecilia Gyimah Akuley, Environmental and Forestry Specialist of the T ogetHer Project of SOCODEVI, noted that waste management had become a global challenge and that was why the organization was keen on sustainability and environmental cleanliness. She said though the problem could not be solved in a day, a reduction in the use of plastics and avoiding indiscriminate littering were basic guides to lessening the menace. Source: Ghana News Agency