Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings calls for mandatory landfill liners in Ghana

Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Ghana's minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology, has called for the mandatory implementation of non-permeable bases at all landfill sites nationwide. During a parliamentary vetting session, she argued that such liners are an “absolute necessity” to prevent toxic leachate from seeping into the soil and contaminating groundwater.

Currently, Ghana lacks an enforced national standard for landfill liners, though the practice is already utilized at electronic waste collection points. Agyeman-Rawlings emphasized that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must play a central role in managing hazardous waste to protect public health.

In addition to landfill reforms, the minister-designate proposed a broader waste management strategy. This includes promoting household-level waste segregation to improve recycling and composting, as well as exploring advanced technologies like pyrolysis to convert plastic waste into fuel and cooking gas.