The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has started a new pilot to kick start the collection of the ‘Advanced Eco Levy’ on some imported electric and electronic products after the process stalled last year because of resistance from importers.
During an inaugural ceremony of Electronic Waste Round Table Association (EWROTA), on Monday, the newly inaugurated President of the Association, Mr Gilbert Odjidja who spoke on the behalf of the executives said the ‘Advanced Eco Levy’ would go a long way to help importers and recycling companies.
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“As explained earlier, I think the Eco Levy was suspended sometime last year by the EPA because of challenges on how they were collecting it. He has just announced to us that this January, they have started a pilot. Last year, we all cried for the means at which they were charging, so it was brought to an abrupt halt. I hope they have done their homework well and it is going to help importers and recycling industry as a whole,” he said.
Mr Odjidja said EWROTA also said all actors in the e-waste sector and state agencies would judiciously work together to sustainably manage waste.
“Recycling of e-waste should be a local thing so that the negative tag on Ghana as one of the hubs for electronic waste would be removed,” he said.
EWROTA is a body of formal sector e-waste management companies, which is made up of 10 companies; Presank Limited; Marshal and Co.; Jekorah Ventures; JSO; Zeal Environment; Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant; Atlantic Phones; Vermark and M. Lawson and Co.
The Eco levy was supposed to have taken off on November 1, 2018, required that all electrical and electronic equipment, as well as tyres exported to Ghana to be registered on the e- environmental platform deployed by Societe General de Surveillance SA (SGS).
However, the initiative stalled because importers and Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA ) resisted it because of lack of consultation.
