Ghana’s styrofoam ban has received broad civil society backing, but an advocacy group is warning that without a structured transition plan, small food vendors and low-income consumers will carry a disproportionate share of the burden when the prohibition takes effect.
The Alliance for Responsible Consumption and Recycling (AERC) Ghana, responding to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)’s May 25 ban announcement, endorsed the policy while raising pointed concerns about economic equity. The EPA’s directive prohibits the production, importation, distribution, sale and use of all polystyrene foam products from January 1, 2027.
AERC Ghana says the ban must be paired immediately with a national Foam-Free Transition Plan targeting the food vendors, chop bars, market women, school canteens and caterers who have depended on cheap disposable packaging because sustainable alternatives were never made structurally accessible or affordable to them.
The group is calling on government to publish clear implementation guidelines, support the development of locally sourced and reusable alternatives, and ensure Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) roll out enforcement and public education frameworks now rather than in the weeks before the deadline.
AERC Ghana also urged businesses and institutions, including schools, churches, event organizers and supermarkets, to begin phasing out styrofoam immediately, noting the 19-month window is preparation time, not a waiting period.
The concern is not whether Ghana should ban styrofoam. The concern is whether Ghana will build the systems that make the ban survivable for the people it is most likely to affect.
