Every irregular dump site GreenPulse Ghana treats follows the same six-step lifecycle — from first documentation through to community handback and permanent public record.
Microplastics leach into soil and groundwater, contaminating food crops and drinking water sources silently over years.
Dumps burned to reduce volume release dioxins and carcinogenic particulates directly into community air — especially harmful to children and pregnant women.
Most informal dumps sit within 200 metres of homes and schools — creating mosquito, rodent and cholera risks that disproportionately harm children.
Once a site becomes an informal dump it rarely recovers without active intervention — land effectively lost from productive community use for decades.
University interns GPS-map the site, photograph it, measure its area, classify waste types, assess proximity to homes, schools and water bodies, and record soil condition. This creates the official entry in the Ghana Data Commons — the permanent public record from which all subsequent work is measured.
We present documented evidence of harm to community members, the local chief and the District Assembly. Treatment and replacement plans are agreed before any physical work begins. No work starts without community consent and Assembly notification.
Waste is removed and sorted on site — plastics aggregated for recyclers, organic matter composted into soil conditioner, metals collected for scrap. Contaminated topsoil is assessed and treated. No burning occurs at any stage.
The cleared land is rehabilitated — soil is amended using compost produced during treatment, ground cover is established, and trees from the Green Canopy programme are planted. Land is restored as community green space, a productive garden, or a shaded public area. The compost produced feeds the trees planted on the same site.
The irregular dump is replaced with a properly demarcated, signposted community waste collection point with separate sections for organic, recyclable and residual waste. Infrastructure is simple, low-cost and designed to be maintained by the community. A collection schedule is agreed with the District Assembly.
A community session explains why the old dump was harmful, how the new system works, and who maintains it. A Site Restoration Record — with before/after photos, treatment summary, handback date and new system guide — is left with community leadership and published permanently to the Ghana Data Commons.
Before treatment
Uncontrolled dumping on roadsides, stream banks and open land. Mixed plastic, organic and hazardous waste piled together. Burned periodically. Microplastics entering soil and groundwater. Mosquito and rodent breeding grounds. Land permanently lost from community use.
After handback
Restored land returned to community use — green space, garden or shaded public area. Designated sorted collection point with Assembly oversight. Community educated and equipped. Site permanently documented in Ghana Data Commons. Trees planted and growing.
GHS 3,500 covers the full treatment and handback of one small dump site.
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