Clothes discarded by UK consumers choke Ghana's protected wetlands



Issued on: 10/07/2025 - 7:38 min

From the show

Ghana is already known as a "fast-fashion graveyard", but a new study has shown unwanted clothing is now being dumped beyond urban areas. Reporters at Unearthed, working with Greenpeace Africa, found mounds of clothes from brands including Next, Primark and H&M clogging areas of the protected Densu Delta. Sam Quashie-Idun, the head of investigations at Greenpeace Africa, told FRANCE 24's Perspective programme that one particular dumpsite now "looms taller than a two-storey building".


The textile waste in Ghana is causing concern for the environment, with the garments often made up of synthetic fibres. "These materials can take centuries to break down and as they do, they'll also be releasing microplastics and toxic chemicals into the soil; into the water," Quashie-Idun added.

By: Carys GARLAND