Government urged to convert Accra’s Daily waste into commercial fertiliser

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb on July 2, 2026, Mahama said the city generates about 4,400 tonnes of waste every day, with nearly 60 per cent of it being organic and suitable for compost production.

According to him, Accra produces about 132,000 metric tonnes of waste every month, amounting to roughly 1.6 million tonnes annually, presenting a significant opportunity in the production of fertiliser and other useful products.

“We shouldn’t let the waste consume us. We can use the same waste to produce fertiliser and other bi-products to generate income for the state,” he said.

He noted that Accra already has waste treatment plants and transfer stations capable of handling the city’s waste if properly managed.

The cnsultant explained that a carefully thought through coordination between landfill sites at Mallam, Ashaiman, and Adjen Kotoku, could enable industry actors to map out a strategy to sort and move waste to a larger treatment plant for further processing.

He, however, questioned whether the existing waste management system is operating efficiently enough to ensure timely evacuation of refuse from transfer stations.

Mahama further indicated that improving waste collection and processing would not only reduce indiscriminate dumping and prevent drains from becoming choked during heavy rains but also create value from the waste through the production of compost fertiliser and other recyclable materials.

His comments come amid renewed discussions on flood prevention in Accra following recent heavy rains that exposed persistent challenges in the city’s waste management and drainage systems.