Frustration was written on Richard Yartey’s face as he dragged the heavy net to the beach. It was filled with plastic bottles and bags, but no fish. This will cost money.
“We often have to repair the nets two or three times a week because there is plastic in the water,” he said.
Jamestown in Accra, where Yartey cast his nets, was once a thriving fishing enclave. But Yartey said he now had to travel to Elmina, a fishing spot some 130km away.
The market in Accra pays better but the same city also pollutes water with discarded water bottles, sachets and other waste.
Ghana produces 840 000 tons of plastic waste every year, with only a small part recycled, according to data provided by the World Economic Forum.
When unrecycled waste reaches the ocean, it’s not just a problem for people.
“Marine animals like turtles and whales misjudge their food and suffer serious injury or even death,” said Christopher Gordon, from the Institute of Environmental and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana.
A 2018 United Nations study reported that 80% of municipal solid waste generated in African cities could be recycled and, if done, could generate up to $8 billion annually.
In 2019, Ghana launched a national plastic action, which relies on encouraging businesses to make products from recycled plastic.
Few have heeded the call. Nelplast Ghana, for example, produces paving blocks from plastic waste and employs 300 people.
But small-scale private enterprise is an insufficient solution to common problems occurring across Africa.
Citizen initiatives in Africa recycle about 11% of recyclable waste, according to a 2022 UN report by Desta Mebratu and Andriannah Mbandi. But there are some big efforts to turn waste into a costly and dangerous mess.
In places like Jamestown beach, every plastic-clogged net is a reminder of the urgent need for a bigger solution. Gordon said banning single-use plastics should be one of the solutions to Ghana’s pollution.
This article first appeared on Continenta pan-African weekly newspaper produced in partnership with Mail & Guardians. It is designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp. Download your free copy here.