How Plastic Pollution Impacts Ghana’s Beaches

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KEY POINTS

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• Ghana’s beaches are increasingly polluted by plastic waste due to inadequate waste management.
• Plastic pollution affects marine life, coastal economies, and human health.
• Investment in recycling, education, and eco-friendly alternatives is critical to tackling the issue.

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Ghana’s coastline has for a very long time played an important economic and social function and refers to over 500km of beaches that act as social amenity places, economic activity centers and leisure hubs. But today, this beautifully maintained gem is in danger.

Most of these coastlines have turned into dumping sites due to poor management of plastics. It has turned many of these beaches into landscapes of environmental neglect.

The impacts are not only environmental, but social, economic, and deeply personal for those whose livelihood, food source and business depend on the marine life and on tourist that visit these areas.

The unseen crisis washing up on Ghana’s shores

A walk along some of Ghana’s most famous beaches, Labadi, Kokrobite, or Cape Coast, tells a sobering story. Plastic bottles, wrappers, and other debris now outnumber seashells on the sand. This flood of waste is not accidental.

Ghana produces over a million tons of plastic waste every year, but only a fraction of it, about 5 percent, is properly recycled. The rest is either dumped in informal landfills or finds its way into rivers and streams, eventually being swept into the ocean.

In cities and towns, the infrastructure to handle this waste simply isn’t there. Many areas lack organized waste collection, leaving residents with few options other than throwing their trash into drains or on open ground.

Heavy rains carry this waste into waterways, creating a direct path to the sea. This cycle continues unchecked, as the lack of accountability and public education compounds the problem.

A growing toll on livelihoods and ecosystems

For those living along the coast, plastic pollution is far more than an eyesore, it’s an existential challenge.

Instead of fishing for fish, the fishermen come ashore after their nets have got entangled in socks, bottles, spoons, bags, cups and other plastics. Seas are getting degraded, fish populations are being depleted, also income and food sources for many coastal people are at risk.

There is also deterioration in natural environment. Endangered marine animals are also affected because they confuse plastic with food and either cannot digest it or die trying.

Many sea creatures are known to have swallowed plastic products; turtles, seabirds and fish inclusive. The smaller ones, referred to as micro-plastics, are now being ingested by, entering the foods we eat, which leads to health-related questions on possible long-term health effects in humans.

As highlighted it affects the aspect of tourism, which plays a crucial role in the income for Ghana. Such beautiful places were once attractions to international tourists, many beaches are now struggling to maintain their appeal.

Tourists don’t want to relax on polluted sands or swim in plastic-strewn waters. This loss of interest has a ripple effect on local businesses, from beachside vendors to hotels, all of which depend on a steady influx of visitors.

Fighting back: Small steps, big challenges

There have been concerted attempts to check the use of plastics through recycling, but the fight has not been evenly embarked on.

The government within its National Plastic Management Policy seeks to reduce single-use plastics and encourage recycling but the process has been sluggish.

Local clean-ups have emanated from cooperation with organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as advocacy for the use of alternatives to plastics but in a small manner.

Community-driven efforts are making a difference, however. Other group like the Plastic Punch caters for the beach cleaning services which at the same time advocate for the hazards of plastic waste.

Even the entrepreneurs are also looking for new avenues to give a creative solution to the issue; instead of burning or burring the plastic ; it can also be used for construction and other household articles. These efforts show what’s possible, but the scale of the problem requires a more coordinated and aggressive response.