Accra produces an estimated 4,400 tonnes of waste every day—roughly the equivalent of 4,400 fully loaded “aboboyaa” tricycles—a volume waste management experts say the city is increasingly struggling to handle.
The Executive Secretary of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), Ama Ofori Antwi, says each resident of the capital generates between 0.5 and 1 kilogram of waste daily, placing enormous pressure on an already overstretched waste management system.
Speaking in the aftermath of recent floods that affected parts of Accra, she said the city’s growing waste burden, coupled with inadequate infrastructure, continues to worsen sanitation challenges and increase the risk of flooding.
According to her, despite generating thousands of tonnes of refuse daily, the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area has no final waste disposal site, forcing waste collection companies to transport refuse to Nsawam for disposal.
She explained that the long distance and poor road conditions have reduced the number of trips refuse trucks can make from three to just one per day, slowing waste evacuation and allowing rubbish to accumulate in communities.
Ama Ofori Antwi also attributed Accra’s sanitation challenges to the suspension of public cleansing activities and the lack of regular desilting of drains over the past two years.
She warned that treating waste management as an emergency response after heavy rains is ineffective, insisting that managing the city’s daily waste requires continuous planning, investment, and enforcement.
“Waste management is a daily responsibility. If we continue to wait until floods occur before taking action, we will keep facing the same problems every rainy season,” she said.
The ESPA Executive Secretary is therefore calling for sustained public cleansing programmes, regular drain maintenance, improved waste disposal infrastructure, and stronger collaboration between metropolitan assemblies and private waste management companies.
She believes only a coordinated public-private partnership, backed by long-term investment, can effectively manage the thousands of tonnes of waste generated in Accra each day and reduce the city’s recurring flood risk.
