Ghana is facing an escalating plastic waste crisis, with potential long-term health risks, including a significant increase in cancer cases.

This concern was highlighted in a 2023 report by Greenpeace Africa, an environmental advocacy group focused on safeguarding air, water, and soil quality.

The report revealed that much of the fast fashion, commonly referred to as 'second-hand' clothing, imported into Ghana is mixed with completely worn-out, unsellable garments.

It said the practice is seen as a deliberate attempt by developed countries to offload their textile waste onto African nations.

Speaking to JoyNews, the author of the report, Sam Quarshie-Idun, stated that approximately 7.5 million items of used clothing are received at Ghana's Kantamanto markets every week, and nearly half of these clothes are of poor quality.

"Every day, market women and men spend a lot of money on bales of clothes with the hope of being able to sell them. However, according to the storeholders we interviewed, as much as 60% of the used clothes in these bales are completely unsellable," he said.

The project lead for the Pan-African Plastics Project, Ellen Kahaso Dena, urged the Ghanaian government to implement strict regulations to prevent the importation of such waste.

“We want to demand that the Ghanaian government enforce regulations to ensure that what gets imported is genuinely used clothes that can be resold and used here in Ghana,” she added.

Fast fashion retailer, Elizabeth Nattey also expressed frustration over the deceptive practices traders face when purchasing these bales.

“Sometimes, when we go for the bales, they tell us everything is good. But when we open the bales, many of them are trash. Out of about 200 pieces, sometimes only 80 are usable, with the rest being wasted,” she explained.

These clothes, often made from synthetic fibers, pose a significant threat to the African continent if proper measures are not taken to address the situation.