Clothing discarded by UK consumers is being dumped in Ghana’s protected wetlands, clogging waterways and polluting critical habitats, an investigation has found.
Lucy Jordan and Mike Anane report for The Guardian.
In short:
- Reporters found used clothing from major UK brands including M&S, H&M, Zara, Primark, and Next dumped in or near Ghana’s protected Densu Delta wetlands, a site vital to sea turtles and migratory birds.
- Ghana’s Kantamanto market receives over 1,000 tonnes of secondhand clothes weekly, but much is low quality and ends up as waste; 70 tons of clothing per day escape collection and are dumped in drains, beaches, and wetlands.
- Despite company take-back schemes, the investigation found large piles of unprocessed clothing waste in conservation areas, with no proper landfill protections and growing public health concerns among nearby residents.
Key quote:
“The remaining 70 tons end up in waste dumps, drains, lagoons, wetlands, and the sea and other environmentally sensitive places.”
— Solomon Noi, head of waste management, Accra
Why this matters:
The global secondhand clothing trade, driven by fast fashion, is overwhelming waste systems in countries like Ghana. While marketed as recycling, much of this exported textile waste cannot be reused and ends up polluting fragile ecosystems. In Ghana’s case, protected wetlands — home to endangered species like leatherback turtles and migratory birds — are turning into dumps. Beyond environmental damage, residents face contaminated water, mosquito outbreaks, and clogged fishing areas, disrupting food and income sources. The issue reveals a broken lifecycle for clothing, where producers in wealthy nations offload waste under the guise of reuse, while vulnerable communities bear the brunt of environmental and public health fallout.
Related: Opinion: The recycling myth hides a global waste crisis
