Accra’s Laboma Beach turned into a hive of civic action on Saturday as Ghanaians joined millions around the world to mark World Cleanup Day 2025. The initiative, spearheaded locally by Mayekoo, a Pan-African social impact fundraising platform, brought together volunteers with the support of the Indian High Commission in Ghana and the Rotary Club of Accra-Premier International.
The campaign underscored a pressing national and global concern—plastic waste and its impact on the environment, communities, and economies.
India’s Lessons on Waste and Sustainability
Speaking to The High Street Journal, India’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Manish Gupta noted that the clean-up was part of a global movement demanding urgent attention to solid waste management, particularly plastics.
“As worldwide, we celebrate September 20 as Clean-up Day, the focus is on solid waste management, management of the plastic,” the Commission said. He drew parallels with India’s Swachh Tahi Seva campaign, an initiative championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to embed cleanliness and sustainability as everyday habits rather than one-off projects.
“In India, we have banned single-use plastics. We encourage reusable cloth bags, discourage bottled plastic water, and even recycle plastics for road construction,” he noted. “It shows that small steps, when consistent, can create monumental change. Ghana can also achieve this if citizens take personal responsibility.”
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, the diplomat reminded participants: “Mother Earth provides to everyone what one needs, but it cannot satisfy everyone’s greed.”
Rotary’s Push for Shared Responsibility
For the Rotary Club of Accra-Premier International, the campaign was about more than collecting plastic waste. Club President Kailash Chaurasia told The High Street Journal that the project was close to their hearts because of the direct link between plastic pollution and climate change.
“This plastic has really been affecting marine life. Rising sea levels are already displacing coastal communities. While today’s exercise may not solve everything, it builds awareness,” Chaurasia said.
He called for scaling up clean-up drives beyond a once-a-year activity. “Next year we’ll bring more Rotary Clubs on board, so instead of doing this once or twice, we can do it four or five times a year,” he revealed.
But he was quick to stress that long-term change lies in individual behaviour. “If we were responsible enough not to litter in the first place, we wouldn’t need to divert resources to cleaning beaches. The responsibility is not only the government’s—it is each citizen’s duty,” he said.
Why It Matters for Ghana’s Economy
Beyond the environmental lens, the issue is economic. Plastic waste chokes tourism sites like Laboma Beach, damages marine ecosystems that support fishing livelihoods, and drives up municipal waste management costs. Ghana spends millions annually on waste management, yet plastics still clog drains, causing flooding in cities like Accra.
Experts argue that tackling the problem through behaviour change, stricter enforcement of bans, and innovative recycling can save costs, create green jobs, and make Ghana’s coastal and urban spaces more attractive for business and leisure.
Looking Ahead
The cleanup at Laboma Beach highlighted a growing recognition that plastic pollution is not just an environmental nuisance but a development challenge with social and economic costs.
For Mayekoo, the Indian High Commission, and the Rotary Club, the bigger task is sustaining the momentum. As the High Commissioner put it, “It is not only the job of the government. As citizens, it is our collective responsibility to make Ghana cleaner, healthier, and sustainable for future generations.”
