Diminishing landfill capacity: Rains render Kpone dumpsite inaccessible - Sanitation crisis looms
A looming sanitation crisis is threatening communities across the eastern corridor of the Greater Accra Region as the Kpone Controlled Dumpsite, the area's primary waste disposal facility, struggles under the weight of growing volumes of refuse and diminishing landfill capacity.
Waste management companies operating in the region have raised concerns about increasing difficulties in disposing of refuse at the facility, warning that the situation could severely disrupt household waste collection services if urgent interventions are not implemented.
The challenge has been compounded by recent heavy rains, which have rendered parts of the dumpsite difficult to access. Operators say the poor weather conditions, coupled with the site's near-exhausted capacity, have resulted in significant delays in the disposal of collected waste.
As a consequence, several communities, particularly within the Tema Metropolis, are already experiencing irregular waste collection, with refuse accumulating in front of homes and creating growing environmental and public health concerns.
One of the waste management firms affected by the situation, J. Stanley Owusu and Company Limited, has apologised to residents of Tema for delays in lifting household waste over the past few weeks.
In a message to its clients, dated Tuesday, June 9, 2026, the company attributed the disruption to technical challenges and operational difficulties at the final disposal site.
"Please accept our apologies for the recent delays in your waste collection.
Technical issues and heavy rainfall at the final disposal site have caused operational difficulties, but we are working diligently to resume your scheduled service as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience," the company stated.
For residents, however, the impact is becoming increasingly difficult to bear.
Mr Isaac Mensah, a resident of Tema Community Eight, described the situation as alarming, saying waste from households in his neighbourhood had not been collected for nearly three weeks.
"The refuse is beginning to produce an unpleasant smell, especially after the rains. It is becoming a serious nuisance," he told the Daily Graphic.
According to him, some residents have been forced to hire motorcycle operators at additional cost to transport their waste elsewhere in order to prevent further accumulation.
Recall
The current developments appear to confirm concerns raised earlier this year by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, who warned that communities in eastern Accra were sitting on a "sanitation time bomb".
During a tour of the Kpone Controlled Dumpsite on February 23, 2026, the Minister disclosed that the landfill, which receives hospital, domestic and industrial waste from about 10 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), was nearing full capacity and could run out of space within weeks if immediate action was not taken.
"If critical steps are not taken, the entire eastern part of Accra will have nowhere to dump its waste," he cautioned.
Information gathered by the Daily Graphic indicates that the landfill has significantly exceeded its intended lifespan.
While the facility was originally designed to operate with an airspace height of 16 metres, that capacity has long been exhausted, with waste currently piled beyond 24 metres.
Receiving between 600 and 800 tonnes of waste daily, the facility is also grappling with recurring fire outbreaks, leachate overflow, deteriorating access roads and operational congestion.
With the rainy season expected to continue and waste volumes steadily increasing, stakeholders are calling for urgent measures to expand disposal capacity, rehabilitate the facility or identify alternative landfill sites to avert what could become a major sanitation and public health emergency in Greater Accra
End Writer's email
