An environmental activist in Ghana has built a Christmas tree entirely from discarded plastic bottles, using the festive symbol to draw attention to the country’s growing plastic waste problem.

Makafui Awuku, a sustainability advocate based in Accra, assembled the tree from hundreds of used bottles collected from streets and dumping sites.

The installation, unveiled in the run-up to Christmas, is intended to provoke public reflection on consumption habits and the environmental cost of single-use plastics.

Speaking to Reuters, Awuku said the project was designed to show that waste could be repurposed creatively while underscoring the urgent need for behavioural change.

“Plastic is everywhere around us. If we can see waste differently, we can reduce the damage we are doing to our environment,” he noted.

Ghana produces thousands of tonnes of plastic waste each day, much of which ends up in open drains, beaches and landfills due to limited recycling capacity and weak enforcement of waste management regulations.

Environmental groups have long warned that plastic pollution worsens flooding, threatens marine life and poses health risks, particularly in densely populated urban areas.

The recycled Christmas tree has attracted crowds and social media attention.