Accra Targets 400 Tonnes of Daily Organic Waste Processing by 2030 to Tackle Methane Crisis

Accra is targeting the collection and processing of up to 400 tonnes of organic waste daily by 2030 as part of efforts to reduce methane emissions from dumpsites and landfills.

The initiative, known as Lowering Organic Waste Methane (LOW-M), seeks to reduce methane emissions from waste disposal in Accra by at least 30 per cent by 2030 through better waste collection, composting and biogas production.

The plan also aims to ensure that at least 50 per cent of collected organic waste is separated from other types of waste by 2030.

Ghanaians have also been encouraged to separate their household waste, as food leftovers and other organic waste can contribute to climate change when dumped in landfills and allowed to decompose, releasing methane emissions.

The public education drive forms part of efforts to support the LOW-M initiative and help reduce methane pollution.

This was disclosed by Fathia Selasi Charway-Glover, Project Coordinator for the Zero Waste Cities Project at the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), during the Accra LOW-M Institutional and Climate Finance Roundtable held at the Africa Regent Hotel on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

She explained that more than 55 per cent of Accra's waste is organic, including food remains, vegetable waste, fruit peels and other materials that can naturally break down.

According to her, when this waste is mixed with other rubbish and sent to landfills, it breaks down without enough oxygen and releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

She also added that the LOW-M initiative is encouraging households, schools, restaurants and other institutions to separate organic waste from plastics and other rubbish before disposal.

The Accra LOW-M portfolio outlines several actions to reduce the amount of organic waste sent to landfills.

Accra plans to establish at least one composting and anaerobic digestion facility with a capacity of 200 tonnes per day by 2030.

It also intends to upgrade existing composting and anaerobic digestion facilities to reach a processing capacity of 400 tonnes daily by the same year.

In addition, the plan seeks to establish a decentralised organic waste management network capable of processing 100 tonnes of separated organic waste each day by 2030.

Simply, Anaerobic digestion is a process where organic waste breaks down in an environment without oxygen, producing biogas. The gas can be used as a source of energy, while the remaining material can be processed for other uses.

Composting, on the other hand, turns food remains, leaves and other organic materials into compost that can be used to improve soil and support farming.

The plan also targets the diversion of at least 30 per cent of organic waste from disposal sites by 2040.

The portfolio estimates that its proposed actions could generate an annual reduction of 13,500 tonnes of methane by 2030.

Although the initiative is being supported by GAYO and other partners, Ms Charway-Glover stressed that its success depends on government institutions taking responsibility for implementation.

She explained that the roundtable was organised to bring the relevant institutions together, clarify their responsibilities and identify ways of raising the money needed to implement the plan.

GAYO is working with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and C40 Cities to provide technical support for the initiative.

Ms Charway-Glover disclosed that about US$3 million in catalytic funding had been secured so far, but additional investment would be needed to implement the full portfolio.

She said the roundtable also provided an opportunity to discuss how the project could attract private investors and other sources of climate finance.

According to her, making the project economically attractive would be important because investors would want to understand the returns on their investment.

The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Environmental Protection Agency, its Ghana Carbon Markets Office among others.

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly has also raised concerns about the financial resources needed to achieve Ghana's waste-related climate commitments.

Victor Kotey, the Assembly's Climate Change Focal Point, said waste management was expensive and that the Assembly could not generate enough revenue on its own to implement all the required activities.

At the same roundtable, he warned that Ghana could struggle to meet its 2030 methane reduction target without additional investment.

He added that securing the right amount of investment was necessary for the initiative to succeed.

Engineer Godfred Fiifi Boadi, Head of Climate Action, Sustainability and Partnerships at the Ministry of Local Government, also highlighted the importance of methane reduction, describing it as one of the most potent greenhouse gases.

The wider Global Methane Pledge, which Ghana supports, seeks a collective reduction in global methane emissions of at least 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030.

The initiative, not only about government agencies and waste management companies but factors the ordinary Ghanaian.

For the ordinary Ghanaian, separating food remains, fruit peels, vegetable waste and leaves from plastics, metals and other non-organic materials is important.

This makes it easier for waste collectors and processing facilities to turn organic materials into compost or biogas instead of sending them to landfills.

The portfolio also proposes public education campaigns, training for households, stronger enforcement of relevant by-laws and improved waste collection services.

According to Ms Charway-Glover people need to understand that methane emissions are not caused by the government and industries alone, as individual waste disposal habits also contributed to the problem.

She said:

According to Ms Charway-Glover, Methane does contribute to the recent heat amid El Nino.

Methane is a greenhouse gas, meaning it traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to the warming of the planet.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), methane traps about 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

This makes reducing methane emissions an important part of efforts to slow global warming.

Although methane from waste is not the only cause of rising temperatures, reducing its release into the atmosphere can help limit further warming.

The LOW-M initiative was launched at the COP28 climate conference in 2023 with support from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and other international partners. It seeks to help cities and other local authorities reduce methane emissions from organic waste.

The challenge now is to secure the necessary funding, improve waste collection, get residents to separate their rubbish and ensure that the institutions involved work together to achieve the 2030 targets.