A simple Google search online about the capital city of Accra would project Accra as one of the warmest, most enjoyable, and friendliest cities in West Africa.
Another description that could pop up in May and June is a flooded city.
Areas in Accra that are termed “executive” areas have joined the flooding scene. Ashaley Botwe, Lakeside, East Legon Hills, Tema Community 2, and others have all been soaked in dirty waters.
Other commercial areas such as Circle, Kaneshie, Lapaz, Pantang, Ashaiman, Adjei Kojo, and Aboabo have also sunk in floodwaters. Many of these locations serve as major commercial centres, transportation hubs, and residential districts that support daily economic activity in the capital.
The flooding disrupted movement, damaged property, and displaced residents, once again exposing the vulnerability of Ghana’s urban centres to extreme rainfall events.
Government officials and disaster management authorities have repeatedly identified poor waste disposal and choked drains as major contributors to urban flooding.
President John Dramani Mahama attributes the cause of flooding to “indiscipline.”
Images of plastic-filled waterways, overflowing gutters, and heaps of refuse circulating on social media have reignited public debate about waste management in the capital.
SANITARY PAD WASTE
While plastic bottles, food packaging, and sachet water bags are frequently cited as major sources of pollution, another form of waste rarely enters the conversation: used sanitary pads.
Every month, millions of women and girls rely on disposable sanitary pads to manage their periods. Yet experts say these products, though essential for menstrual health and dignity, are also contributing to the growing challenge of plastic pollution.
According to a review of menstrual products supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Life Cycle Initiative, conventional disposable sanitary pads contain a combination of wood pulp, cotton, synthetic fibres, and plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene. Some products can contain up to 90 per cent plastic, making them a significant contributor to single-use plastic waste.
Unlike paper or organic waste, sanitary pads are difficult to recycle. The UNEP-supported review notes that menstrual products are made up of multiple layers of different materials bonded together. Once used, they also contain biological waste, making collection, sorting, and recycling both technically difficult and economically expensive.
As a result, most used pads are either sent to landfills, openly dumped, burned, or improperly discarded into the environment.
UNEP has warned that many plastic products can persist in the environment for hundreds of years before breaking down. Even then, plastics often do not fully decompose but instead fragment into microplastics that remain in soil, rivers, lagoons, and oceans.
Environmental advocates say disposable menstrual products form part of this wider single-use plastics challenge.
The issue comes at a time when Ghana is simultaneously confronting period poverty and sanitation challenges.
GHANA’S PERIOD PROGRESS
In the 2025 Budget Statement, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson announced a major intervention aimed at improving menstrual health for schoolgirls.
“We have allocated an amount of 292.4 million Ghana cedis to commence the distribution of free sanitary pads to female students in primary and secondary schools,” he told Parliament.
The initiative has been widely welcomed by gender advocates, health professionals, and education stakeholders who argue that the cost of menstrual products continues to affect school attendance and educational outcomes for many girls across the country.
The policy responds to a genuine need. UNICEF estimates that more than 31 per cent of adolescent girls have never received menstrual health education. These gaps continue to affect girls’ ability to manage menstruation safely and with dignity.
Yet as Ghana moves to expand access to sanitary products, some environmental advocates argue that discussions about menstrual health should also include conversations about sustainability and waste management.
The environmental consequences of poor waste disposal have also been highlighted by the Buz Stop Boys, the youth-led volunteer movement known for clearing drains and littered public spaces across Accra.
Speaking on the broader impact of waste pollution, founder Heneba Kwadwo Sarfo noted that “the sea ends up receiving what is poorly handled elsewhere.”
His comments reflect a growing concern among environmental advocates that waste discarded on streets, in gutters, and drainage channels eventually finds its way into rivers, lagoons, and the ocean.
While there is limited data on the proportion of drainage waste made up of menstrual products, waste management experts say all forms of non-biodegradable waste add pressure to already strained collection and disposal systems.
Some Ghanaian innovators are already attempting to address both challenges simultaneously.
SUSTAINABLE SANITARY PRODUCTS
One example is RECFAM, producer of the AfriPride sanitary pad.
The social enterprise manufactures biodegradable sanitary pads using banana and plantain fibre alongside other natural materials. The organisation says its products are designed to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional plastic-based pads while remaining accessible to women and girls.
Another Ghanaian company, Kodu Technology, has attracted attention for producing biodegradable sanitary pads from discarded banana and plantain stems.
By converting agricultural waste into menstrual products, the company aims to reduce environmental pollution while tackling period poverty.
Environmental advocates point to such innovations as evidence that menstrual health and environmental sustainability need not be competing priorities.
WAY FORWARD
For many advocates, however, the issue is not about choosing between disposable pads and sustainable alternatives. Rather, it is about ensuring that policies aimed at improving menstrual health also consider the environmental impact of products after use.
As Accra confronts another rainy season marked by flooding, clogged drains, and mounting plastic waste, the conversation around sanitation may need to become broader and more inclusive.
The government’s free sanitary pad programme represents a major step toward menstrual equity.
But it also raises an important question for policymakers:
What happens to the millions of pads after they are used?
By: Esther Agyapong
