Walk down any street in Accra or Kumasi, I mean anywhere really and you’ll see it. A flying black polythene bag, an empty yoghurt sachet dumped in a gutter, a pure water sachet, orange or banana left overs tossed over someone’s wall or in some nearby bushes. It happens so often, so casually, that we hardly even notice it anymore. We’ve made it normal. Harmless. Cultural, even.
But where do you think it all goes?
Ghana is drowning!! And not just in plastic. We’re drowning in a dangerous habit that too many of us have carried since childhood and passed on, generation after generation. The habit of INDISCRIMINATE LITTERING!
And this is not a poor man’s problem, or a problem of “those who don’t know better.” No. This is a Ghanaian problem. From the banker, to the teacher who tells students to “sweep it into the gutter.” to the average market woman who’s been conditioned to believe that the rains will carry it all away.
The truth? The rains do carry it away alright, straight into our choked gutters, flooded roads and open sewage mosquito-breeding pools. And then, like clockwork, we cry foul when our homes flood, or when cholera and malaria spread like wildfires year after year like an annual festival.
Let’s Be Honest: We’re All Guilty
This isn’t about blame. It’s about facing ourselves. The average Ghanaian litters not because they’re evil, but because they genuinely don’t see the connection. We don’t realize that every plastic sachet or rubber bag we toss away so casually becomes part of a chain reaction. That one piece of trash you “just threw in the bush” might be the reason a child in your neighborhood falls sick with malaria.
Over 5.2 million malaria cases were recorded in Ghana in 2022 alone, with 151 deaths. Cholera isn’t far behind either. 2,767 cases and 14 deaths as recently as April 2025. And year after year, entire communities are submerged because our gutters, meant to direct water, are stuffed with the very trash we said the rain would “take care of.”
When you look at the statistics, they sound like government problems. But when you trace the origin, they begin with the choices we make every day. They begin with you and me.
A System That Enables the Mess
To be fair, the system isn’t blameless. Ghana’s open drainage system, where massive gutters are left exposed in the middle of city life does us no favors. Government contractors build on waterways. Permits are given to developers who block natural water paths. Bin access is inadequate in many urban and rural communities. And yet…
None of that excuses the fact that we’re still throwing trash into the gutter even when a bin is right there. Because to most of us, once we don’t see the trash anymore, it’s no longer our problem.
The Town Councils Had It Right
Once upon a time, people feared the town council officials more than the police. Why? Because they enforced cleanliness. Because they held the community accountable. Today, who’s enforcing it? Who’s checking us? We’ve gone from “clean your surroundings” to “it’s not my job.”
We must bring back that collective discipline, not with fear, but with responsibility. A nation that waits for government to clean its gutters but fills them daily with filth is like someone pouring water into a basket and praying it stays full.
A Vision for a Cleaner Ghana
When I visited Zambia, one thing stood out: labeled bins everywhere. Plastic. Glass. Organic. From the airport to the average home, people separated their waste. Not because they were told to, but because it had become part of their national identity.
Imagine that for Ghana.
Imagine every school, shop, church, and household practicing waste separation. Imagine seeing a piece of trash and picking it up instead of stepping over it. That shift in thinking is what we need. Not perfection. Progress.
The Challenge Starts With You
You reading this. Yes! You! I want to challenge you today:
The next time you’re tempted to toss something into the gutter or in the bushes, DON’T.
If there’s no bin, hold on to it until you find one. Even if it’s as small as a Tomtom wrapper or the little plastic wrapper on the bottled water before you drink it.
And I know this next one is a long shot, but if possible, separate your waste at home, even if no one’s watching.
Teach your kids, your peers, and your staff to respect the environment.
You might not change Ghana in one day, but you’ll have changed your part of Ghana. And that’s how every real revolution begins.
Our Home, Our Responsibility
Ghana is our home. And no one has to remind you to keep your home clean unless you’ve forgotten it’s yours.
We can’t afford to wait for another flood, another child hospitalized, another city turned swamp. The truth is hard, but necessary: We did this. And only we can undo it.
LET’S START NOW!
#litterfreeghana #ianjazziwrites #FellowGhanaians #dearghanaians
References
Ghana sees falling malaria burden, targets elimination
Cholera worldwide overview – April 2025 (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/…/surveillan…/cholera-monthly)
2024 West African Floods – Ghana Impact (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_West_African_floods)
National Sanitation Day (Ghana) (https://en.wikipedia.org/…/National_Sanitation_Day…)