How to sort your plastic at home: a practical guide for Ghana

WasteCure Team15 June 20245 min readTips

Plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges in Ghana. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Ghana generates approximately 1.7 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, of which only about 5% is recycled. The good news is that a little sorting at home makes a huge difference: properly sorted plastic is far more likely to be recycled than mixed waste.

The seven plastic types

Plastics are categorised by resin identification codes (RIC) from 1 to 7. The three most common types you will encounter at home are PET (code 1, used for water and drink bottles), HDPE (code 2, used for milk jugs and detergent bottles), and LDPE (code 4, used for plastic bags and film). Each type is recycled differently, so sorting them matters. The code is usually stamped on the bottom of the container inside a triangle of arrows.

Setting up a home sorting system

Start with three simple bins or sacks at home: one for PET bottles, one for HDPE containers, and one for soft plastics (LDPE). Rinse out bottles before storing them. Clean plastic is worth more to recyclers and avoids attracting pests. According to a report by the Ghana Plastic Waste Management Policy, proper sorting at source can increase recycling rates by up to 40%.

What happens after collection

Once your sacks are full, bring them to a WasteCure drop-off point in Kwabre East, or request a pickup. The plastic is then sorted further, baled, and sent to recycling off-takers who process it into new products. This closed-loop system is what keeps plastic out of drains, gutters and landfills.

Common mistakes to avoid

Do not mix plastic types in the same bag if you can help it. Do not leave caps on bottles unless they are the same plastic type. Do not recycle plastic that has food residue; rinse it first. And do not assume that all plastic with a recycling symbol is accepted. Check with your local collector about which types they take.