A baseline survey was carried out at four beaches along Ghana’s Accra-Tema coastline over a period
of sixteen weeks to determine beach quality, seawater quality and the perception of beach
users towards littering. A total of 18,241 items of marine debris which weighed 297.59 kg were
collected. Plastic materials were the dominant debris, accounting for 63.72% of total debris. Landbased
marine debris formed the largest proportion of debris collected (93% of items/m2 and 85
kg/m2). Water quality analysis revealed high mean levels of coliforms and E. coli above World
Health Organization (WHO) levels on all four beach locations. A social survey that targeted beach
users and some stakeholders revealed a habit of littering and beach users as the main source of
litter generation on Ghana’s beaches. Intensive education, continuous monitoring and the enforcement
of appropriate policy initiatives remain vital to addressing beach and water quality issues
along Ghana’s coastline.