Dumping on the Poor: The Ecological Distribution of Accra's Solid-Waste Burden

Abstract

This paper investigates the ‘ecological distribution’ and associated environmental injustices of Accra's growing domestic-waste burden and examines how inequalities in the spatial distribution of waste-collection services and waste-disposal sites reflect the uneven distribution of power and wealth within Ghanaian society. Particular emphasis is placed on inequalities in municipal service provision associated with Accra's integration within the global economy, which are illustrated by opposing socioeconomic and spatial flows in the funds allocated for Accra's waste-collection services and the spaces occupied by the waste itself as it travels (or not) to its final dumping ground. Examples of injustice between high-income and middle-income residents are highlighted, as well as broader inequalities in ecological distribution between rich and poor.