The Deputy Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana, Vibeke Sandholm Pedersen says a major source of air pollution in the country is the mishandling of waste.
According to her, the burning of waste, especially plastic materials, in the country's major cities is contributing to high levels of air pollution and affecting climate change in several ways. "In some of Ghana's biggest cities, a major source of air pollution is the open burning of waste.
This is an illegal and extremely dangerous practice, especially because of all the plastic often involved in the burning," she said. "This has a severe negative impact on public health, contributes to climate change, and causes severe air pollution," she added.
The Ambassador noted that this situation is a common practice among Ghanaians, as she experiences it even in her neighbourhood, and she observed that it is difficult to put a stop to such practices. "I experience these illegal and harmful practices even in the suburb where I live in Accra.