Akkaway dump on the fringe of the Densu Delta protected wetlands, exterior Accra, Ghana. Piles of waste sit on earth stripped of its vegetation, near lagoons and streams. The dump is unlined and has no seen air pollution mitigation techniques. Samuel Baidoo / Unearthed / Greenpeace
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Following an investigation by Unearthed and Greenpeace Africa, a brand new report has revealed the presence of discarded clothes by UK manufacturers corresponding to Marks & Spencer, George at Asda and Subsequent in a protected wetland, Densu Delta Ramsar Website, of Ghana. The report additionally discovered clothes from M&S, Zara, H&M and Primark dumped alongside riverbanks exterior of the conservation areas.
As Unearthed reported, Ghana receives 15 million objects of discarded clothes each week, and in 2024, the UK exported extra clothes waste (about 57,000 metric tons) to Ghana than another nation.
Initially, there was only one landfill within the Accra area that had been funded by the World Financial institution and it opened in 2013. The Kpone landfill was purported to take eight to 10 years to succeed in capability, however due to textile waste, it met capability after 5 years. Then, methane trapped contained in the clothes waste ignited in August 2019 and burned for eight months, Company Knights reported.
With round 40% of every bale of discarded clothes being unusable, extra dump websites are popping as much as deal with the incoming waste, with websites lately established round protected wetlands about one hour exterior of the capital Accra.
“Dumping of refuse at any a part of the wetland contravenes finest worldwide conservation protocols,” mentioned Eric Atta-Kusi, wetlands operations supervisor at Ghana’s Forestry Fee, as reported by Unearthed. “The native meeting have been made to grasp the destructive implications of dumping of waste supplies within the wetlands on, not solely the fauna and flora but in addition the impression on the free movement, a serious contributing issue to the flooding scenario within the space.”
Not solely are there rising mounds of wasted clothes, however Greenpeace Africa testing discovered that almost 90% of this waste is made with artificial fibers and contributes to polluting wildlife habitats. Among the wasted clothes is burned, which additionally worsens native air high quality.
As Unearthed revealed, two dumping grounds have lately opened throughout the Densu Delta Ramsar Website, together with a 3rd dump website on upstream riverbanks.
NEW: Style waste is overwhelming Ghana — and now it’s spilling into Accra’s protected wetlands.
With @greenpeaceafrica.org, we discovered UK manufacturers and large new dump websites in a conservation space dwelling to endangered turtles.
👉 unearthed.greenpeace.org/2025/06/18/u…[image or embed]
— Unearthed (@unearthednews.bsky.social) June 18, 2025 at 1:12 AM
The Densu Delta Ramsar Website consists of mangroves, marshes and salt pans and is a vital habitat for waterfowl, together with roseate tern (Sterna dougallii), little egret (Egretta garzetta), curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) and no less than 54 different waterfowl species. Additionally it is a nesting website to susceptible Olive Ridley turtles and two endangered turtle species: leatherback turtles and inexperienced turtles.
With the Ramsar Website designation, the wetland space is taken into account internationally vital for its biodiversity and skill to maintain human life. Nonetheless, locals have observed a decline in water high quality in recent times.
“For a while now, we don’t get [as] a lot fish [as] we used to,” Daniel Nii Okai, a neighborhood fisherman, instructed Unearthed. “The Densu river pushes alongside all of the waste from the dumpsites because it flows into the ocean, this destroys the place the fish lives and drives them away.”
Fishers should untangle the clothes waste from their nets. Locals have additionally complained that the river water has modified coloration and isn’t drinkable, and the rubbish has left a horrible scent within the space, particularly after a rain. Wildlife, apart from an abundance of mosquitos, is seen much less ceaselessly.
There are additionally issues over how PFAS and different chemical substances current in artificial textiles might have long-term impacts on the atmosphere and public well being.
“The bioaccumulation and biomagnification of microplastics in aquatic organisms and people might pose dangers corresponding to bodily harm, chemical publicity and disruption of organic processes,” Jones Quartey, a wetland ecologist on the College of Ghana, instructed Unearthed.
“Dumping of non-biodegradable textiles might alter the construction and performance of a number of habitat varieties supplied by wetlands,” Quartey added. “This can depart in its path severely fragmented and modified native landscapes.”
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