By Mohamed Ismail Kamara
Executive Director
Ecoprobe Africa
The Netherlands
August 2025
When popular travel YouTuber Emily, creator of the channel Escape with Emily, visited Sierra Leone, she expected white sandy shores, turquoise waters, and the postcard-perfect paradise often described in travel blogs. Instead, what she found shocked her, piles of plastic waste, floating debris, and the stench of pollution blanketing some of the country’s most beautiful coastlines.
In her video, Emily describes Sierra Leone’s beaches as “a sad reminder of what happens when beauty is left unprotected.” She is not wrong. Once ranked among the best in the world, the country’s beaches from Lumley to Goderich are now drowning in rubbish: plastic bottles, discarded clothes, domestic waste, faeces, hospital waste, old tires, and even dead animals.
The Root of the Problem
Growing up in Sierra Leone, waste management looked very different. There were organized collection systems where children, after school, lined up with buckets of household waste to dump at designated collection points. Those memories of order and community effort are now just that memories.
Today, waste collection systems are either non-functional or entirely absent. The dumping sites that once served communities have been converted into housing estates, leaving residents with no proper disposal alternatives. For many, the nearest official dump sites at Kissy up gun or Kingtom are too far, prompting people to dispose of their rubbish in nearby gutters or abandoned lots. I have even seen workers from waste collection companies, instead of taking the rubbish collected from homes to the designated waste sites at Kissy, Upgun, or Kingtom, dumping it into nearby gutters. Check Samba gutter.
During the dry season, these gutters become clogged, turning into breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rodents, and bacteria, fueling outbreaks of malaria, typhoid, cholera, and other infectious diseases.
Then comes the rainy season. The torrents of rain wash months of accumulated waste plastics, animal carcasses, and raw sewage into the Atlantic Ocean. The same waters that once sustained communities with fish and seafood are now poisoned with microplastics and toxins.
Impact on the Environment and Health
Marine ecosystems are in crisis. Plastic pollution disrupts fish populations and coral reefs, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of Sierra Leoneans who depend on fishing as their primary source of protein and income.
Studies worldwide have shown that microplastics ingested by marine life make their way up the food chain, eventually ending up in our bodies. While there is limited local research in Sierra Leone, health experts warn that the increasing rates of unexplained illnesses and mysterious deaths could, in part, be linked to long-term exposure to these pollutants.
What is the way forward
Sierra Leone’s coastline can be restored but only with urgent action:
1. Implement a Functional Waste Management System
- Establish regular and reliable waste collection services in all communities.
- Reintroduce neighborhood collection points to prevent illegal dumping.
2. Community Education and Awareness
- Launch public campaigns to educate citizens about the dangers of dumping waste in gutters, streets, and oceans.
- Encourage schools and community groups to take ownership of local cleanup drives.
3. Recycling and Upcycling Initiatives
- Develop local recycling industries that can convert plastic waste into useful materials, such as building blocks, tiles, or furniture.
- Partner with private investors to create job opportunities through waste recycling and management.
4. Stronger Legislation and Enforcement
- Introduce stricter penalties for illegal dumping.
- Enforce environmental regulations on industries that dispose of waste irresponsibly.
5. Community-Led Beach Cleanups
- Organize monthly cleanup activities led by residents, NGOs, and youth groups to keep beaches clear.
- Collaborate with tourism boards to promote sustainable tourism that benefits local communities.
6. The Big One – Waste-to-Energy Plants
Isn’t it time for Sierra Leone to seriously consider a waste-to-energy project? We have the land, the human resources, and the growing need for sustainable energy solutions. By launching such a bold initiative, we could solve multiple problems at once.
Through waste-to-energy technology, we can convert waste into electricity to power homes and businesses, create employment opportunities for our youth, and even produce bitumen for road construction all while cleaning up our increasingly polluted city.
However, such a transformative project requires significant investment. Banks, development partners, and financial institutions need to step in to support the private sector and encourage these types of initiatives. With the right partnerships and strong political will, this vision can become a reality.
The benefits for Sierra Leone would be immense:
- Cleaner cities and communities, reducing health hazards from unmanaged waste.
- Reliable electricity generation, reducing dependence on imported fuels.
- Job creation, particularly for youth in waste management, engineering, and plant operations.
- Revenue generation, as excess power could be sold and exported to neighboring countries in the future.
- Improved environmental sustainability, protecting marine ecosystems and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from open-air waste burning.
A Chance for Redemption
Emily’s video has sparked conversations globally, highlighting not just the beauty of Sierra Leone’s coastline but also its urgent environmental crisis. What was once a tourist haven can become one again but only if citizens, government agencies, and international partners work together to combat pollution and restore the country’s natural treasures.
If we are serious and committed to action, this project could mark the beginning of a cleaner, greener, and more prosperous Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone has the potential to be a leader in eco-tourism and marine conservation. But to get there, the time for change is now.
