Rahul Somvanshi
Ghana’s secondhand-clothing trade supports livelihoods, but it also receives large volumes of garments that cannot be resold. At Kantamanto Market in Accra, traders sort and repair clothing for resale while dealing with damaged, low-quality and synthetic items that enter the waste stream.
The environmental effects extend beyond the market. Textile waste can reach drains, waterways and coastal areas, while open burning creates air-pollution risks. The scale and source of individual waste flows require transparent local data, but the broader challenge is well documented by researchers and Ghanaian advocates.
Who bears the cost of unwanted clothing
Secondhand sellers often pay for bales before knowing their condition. When garments are unsellable, traders can lose income and communities must manage the disposal burden. The issue is not secondhand trade itself; it is the transfer of excessive volumes of poor-quality clothing without adequate responsibility for waste.
What can reduce textile waste in Ghana? Better quality controls before export, producer responsibility, durable garment design and investment in collection and recycling can reduce the burden on markets and municipalities.
Any effective response must include market workers, waste pickers, local authorities and communities living near affected waterways. Their experience is central to policies that protect livelihoods while preventing fashion waste from becoming an environmental and public-health cost for Ghana.
