Accra faces landfill shortage as Kpone nears closure

The Executive Secretary of the Environmental Service Providers Association, Ama Ofori Antwi, warned that Ghana’s planned two‑day national clean‑up lacks a clear plan for disposing the collected waste, noting that Greater Accra has no engineered landfill sites. She asked, “When I saw the announcement about the two‑day clean‑up exercise, the first question I asked myself was, ‘Where will we dump all the waste?'”

Similarly, Dr. Peter Kwei Dagadu, Managing Director of Waste Landfills Company Ltd, said the Kpone landfill, the main site serving Greater Accra, is “in its twilight period…full and exhausted, and within the next six months it should be shut down.” He explained that the region generates 4,000‑5,000 tonnes of waste daily but relies on only two major landfills – Kpone and the distant Adepa site, which is over 40 km away, limiting collection efficiency. With most transfer stations underfunded, only two remain operational. Both officials called for the development of regionally‑located engineered landfills and sustained financing to support waste‑handling infrastructure.