Plastic Pollution Project

THE HUMAN-PLASTIC CRISIS IN GHANA By: Banujah Theivendrarajah Module 2: Plastic Pollution in Coastal Communities

QES Field School in Ghana In collaboration with University of Waterloo, Canada & University of Cape Coast, Ghana

TABLE OF CONTENTS My name is Banujah Theivendrarajah, and through the Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) Field Course in Ghana I participated in a week of activities that explored how plastic waste affects coastal communities.

Based at the University of Cape Coast, this magazine outlines some plastic pollution drivers, sources, impacts, and solutions I’ve learned during the field trips, lectures, discussions, and readings for Module 2.

02

Drivers & Sources of Plastic Waste in Ghana

03

Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Plastic Waste Consequences

04

Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Plastic Waste Concequences

05

Rethinking Waste and Policy Interventions

06

Final Thoughts

07

References Cited

01

DRIVERS AND SOURCES OF PLASTIC WASTE IN GHANA In our Monday lecture, Dr. Sika Abrokwah discussed the roots of plastic use in Ghana. She explained how plastic packaging became widespread during the 1990s, promoted by neoliberal government policies and external corporations as the more “hygienic” and “convenient” way of living (Abrokwah, 2025).

This narrative pushed Ghana away from reusable practices, such as banana wraps for food, glasses for water, and reusable baskets for shopping, towards a single-use plastic lifestyle that the country was not equipped to manage (Abrokwah, 2025).

“Waste Colonialism” A term that reflects how low-value plastic from high-income countries is dumped into West African nations. These are low-quality plastics and are hard to recycle and profit from.

From my experience, I found it difficult to avoid plastic products or locate recycling drop-off areas. This speaks to larger systemic gaps in Ghana’s municipal waste management. Akuoko et al. (2023) connect this to the dominance of privately owned recycling systems.

This keeps international organizations rich as they can lobby to sustain plastic markets in Africa while the global demand declines due to new emerging climate policies in the global north (Akuoko et al., 2023).

02

INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES: PLASTIC WASTE CONSEQUENCES MICROPLASTICS IN FISH We purchased fish from Elmina’s fish market to dissect their digestive tracts for our lab experiment. At the UCC Centre of Coastal Management, we dried, filtered, and stained these gut samples with fluorescent dye to search for plastics under microscopes with ultraviolet light.

While the fish intestines were free of plastics, the water used to rinse them and sediment from a nearby lagoon had evidence of a microfilament. This demonstrated that fish in contaminated water could be vectors for microplastics if eaten by humans.

ECOSYSTEM SHIFTS Ms. Gifty Wiredu, a master's student, shared her research on how marine litter affects macroinvertebrate communities along Ghana’s coast. She explained how bivalves and mussels, generally sessile organisms, are now clinging to floating plastics and drifting to new areas on ocean currents.

This movement risks invasive species in new areas as well as disrupting local food chains by reducing prey available for fish. As a result, fish stocks may decline and contribute to reduced catches for fishing communities on the coast.

03

INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES: PLASTIC WASTE CONSEQUENCES POTENTIAL HEALTH IMPACTS Later in the week, we watched a WaterTalk by Dr. Juliette Legler at Utrecht University, who explained how micro- and nanoplastics can pass through mammals. During pregnancy, the microplastics can reach the placenta, as well as the fetal brain, lungs, and liver. While her research is still in the early stages, this raises concerns about the long-term health effects of microplastics on humans in the early stages of development (Legler, 2023)

ECONOMIC LOSSESS Dr. Issac Okyere , a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Science at UCC emphasized how “the fishermen are complaining on the news that they are catching more plastic than fish,” resulting in less fish yields and damaged nets. Women who depend on fish for a living now face financial insecurity due to these impacts.

MY EXPERIENCE As an undergrad student in Ghana for two weeks now, I’ve seen plastics burned in landfills near our university, as well as coastal beaches littered with plastic waste by ocean waves and rainfall. Animals often scavenge landfills in search of food. The smoke and visible waste made it clear how closely these issues affect local communities in04 their everyday life and well-being.

04

RETHINKING WASTE & POLICY INTERVENTION INFORMAL RECYCLING During our plastic innovation pitches on Friday, our TA, Pascal, described the role of “scavengers” who collect plastic waste from landfills and communities to sell them to NGOs for profit.

INNOVATION I pitched a solution that turns plastic bottles into solar-powered light bulbs for rural homes. This helps address energy poverty and caters to communities that need to rebuild often, like fishermen who are affected by coastal erosion.

Entrepreneurs in Ghana also take the opportunity to upcycle plastic into bins, curtain rods, and chairs for informal markets, creating profit from pollution (UNDP Accelerator Labs, 2021).

POLICY & GOVERNANCE

“WASTE IS WEALTH” Highlights how some waste can be turned into an economic opportunity in marginalized communities.

These projects need recognition and support to make them inclusive, safe, and scalable.

In her article, Ms. Ivy Akuoko argues that solving the plastic crisis goes beyond consumer education and behaviour.

She advocates for policies that ban harmful plastic imports, provide government-led recycling infrastructure, and centre the voices of youth, women, and informal workers, as they are the most affected by plastic waste (Akuoko et al., 2023).

05

FINAL THOUGHTS

This week was valuable in putting a human perspective on a global environmental issue. Coming from a North American context, I realize how much we take municipal recycling systems for granted, now witnessing how life is when these systems are absent. Plastic is everywhere in Ghana: on beaches, roads, air, and water.

Real change needs to go beyond clean-ups and focus on uplifting informal recyclers, investing in community waste management systems, consulting local stakeholders, and banning harmful plastic imports. A cleaner future depends on long-term solutions.

06

REFERENCES CITED Abrokwah, S. (2025, June 16). Introduction to plastic pollution [Lecture].

Centre for Coastal Management – Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR), University of Cape Coast Akuoko, I. S. G., Vandenberg, J., Falman, J. C., Otsuka, K., Lau, G. K., Skrobe, M., ... & Ota, Y. (2023). Rethinking plastic realities in Ghana: A call for a well-being approach to understanding human-plastics entanglements for more equitable plastics governance. Marine Policy, 158, 105856.

Legler, J. (2023). Microplastics and Human Health: Moving the Field Forward. WaterTalk, Utrecht University.

UNDP Accelerator Labs. (2021, May 6). Innovation Village | Solutions Mapping: Informal innovators in plastic recycling in Accra [Video].

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISbVF4_WsBQ

07