Ensuring sustainability in plastics use in Africa: consumption, waste generation, and projections

Abstract

Background: Currently, plastic is at the top of the international agenda for waste management. Recent meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel and the Stockholm Conventions have expressed concerns over the impact of plastic waste, marine plastic litter, and microplastics, and emphasised the importance of reducing consumption and ensuring the environmentally sound management of waste plastics. This study presents the first continental historical analysis of mass importation and consumption of different polymers and plastics (primary and secondary forms, respectively) in Africa and the associated pollution potential. We identified, collated and synthesised dispersed international trade data on the importation of polymers and plastics into several African countries. Results: The 33 African countries (total population of 856,671,366) with available data for more than 10 years imported approximately 86.14 Mt of polymers in primary form and 31.5 Mt of plastic products between 1990 and 2017. Extrapolating to the continental level (African population of 1.216 billion in 54 countries), about 172 Mt of polymers and plastics valued at $285 billion were imported between 1990 and 2017. Considering also the components of products, an estimated 230 Mt of plastics entered Africa during that time period, with the largest share going to Egypt (43 Mt, 18.7%), Nigeria (39 Mt, 17.0%), South Africa (27 Mt, 11.7%), Algeria (26 Mt, 11.3%), Morocco (22 Mt, 9.6%), and Tunisia (16 Mt, 7.0%). Additionally, primary plastic production in 8 African countries contributed 15 Mt during 2009-2015. The assessment showed that environmentally sound end-of-life management of waste plastics by recycling and energy recovery is in its infancy in Africa, but recycling activities and thermal recovery have started in a few countries. Conclusions: Globally, the perception is that production and consumption of plastics can only increase in the future. Solutions are needed to tackle this global challenge. Certain policies and plastic bag bans could help reduce plastic consumption in the near future, as demonstrated by Rwanda. Furthermore, there is a need for innovative solutions such as the introduction of biodegradable polymers and other alternatives, especially for packaging.

An Overview of Plastic Waste Generation and Management in Food Packaging Industries

“…Rwanda took the lead by banning the use of nonbiodegradable polyethylene bags in 2008. Rwanda leading by example, has managed to successfully reduce plastic consumption by banning single use plastics, plastic bags and promoting the substituting of plastic construction material [150].…”

Biodegradable Plastics: Standards, Policies, and Impacts

“…Other countries, such as China, also have limited policies on biodegradable plastics but support research via funding [114] . Rwanda is setting the example for African countries in banning imports and single‐use plastics while improving the country's economy [115] . For more country‐specific policies on bio‐plastics, see the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) report [114]…”

A Review on Current Practices of Plastics Waste Management and Future Prospects

“…The container service, door-to-door collection, and roadside pick-up from open piles or containers are the types of collection service generally practiced in Nepal. The door-to-door collection is practiced by 24 municipalities; roadside pick-up from open piles is a prevailing practice, with 49 municipalities counting on plastics waste management (Babayemi et al, 2019).…”