By Stanley Senya
Accra, Aug. 06, GNA – The Breathe Adentan Campaign has engaged the staff and students of the Frafraha Community Senior High School, to raise awareness of the health and environmental dangers associated with the open burning of household waste.
The campaign urged students to become advocates for clean air and champion responsible waste management in their homes and communities.
A statement issued in Accra said open waste burning caused more than 32,000 deaths nationwide in 2023, making air pollution the country’s second-leading risk factor for death after high blood pressure, as reported in the 2025 State of Global Air Report.
It said household pollution from solid fuels and waste accounted for about two-thirds of those deaths.
The campaign noted that in the Adentan Municipality, about one-third of households with access to waste collection services still burnt excess waste in dug-out pits, exposing families to harmful smoke and increasing cases of respiratory illnesses, including asthma.
It said the initiative was being undertaken under the campaign’s rallying call, “The ‘borla’ you burn, your family breathes,” with the aim of empowering young people to influence positive behavioural change.
The engagement brought together officials from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Breathe Cities Accra and the Centre for Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLES Ghana) to educate students on the dangers of burning refuse despite regular waste collection services.
Dr Vincent Kyere, the Team Lead of the campaign, described open waste burning as a preventable public health crisis that could be addressed through behavioural change.
He said unlike many environmental challenges, the problem was largely self-inflicted and could be solved if households chose proper waste disposal methods instead of burning refuse.
Dr Kyere said the campaign sought to empower residents with knowledge and practical alternatives to protect public health and improve environmental quality.
He said the Frafraha Community SHS engagement was the first in a series of school outreach programmes planned across the municipality’s 12 electoral areas and would complement initiatives such as the Adentan Waste to Wages Project aimed at promoting waste reduction, reuse and recycling.
Ms Augusta Lartey Young, the Assistant Headmistress of Frafraha Community SHS, commended the organisers for partnering with the school to educate students on environmental protection.
She expressed the hope that the collaboration would continue to provide students with knowledge and skills to promote clean air and healthy communities.
Mr Kwaku Anim, a Technical Officer at the Environmental Protection Authority, reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to enforcing environmental laws, including the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), to promote pollution-free communities.
Dr Sampson Manukure Atiemo, the Chief Executive Officer of SCYCLES Ghana, encouraged students to view waste as a valuable resource, saying waste segregation could generate income while reducing the practice of open burning.
The student pledged to stop burning waste at home and encourage their families to practice waste segregation after learning about its health effects.
The organisers urged all stakeholders to collaborate in promoting proper waste management practices, to protect public health and the environment.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo