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

Joshua O Babayemi,Roland Weber,Oladele Osibanjo,Innocent C Nnorom

doi:10.1186/s12302-019-0254-5

Abstract

BackgroundCurrently, 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.ResultsThe 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.ConclusionsGlobally, 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.

Highlights

Plastic is at the top of the international agenda for waste management
Between 1950 and 2015, about 8300 million tonnes (Mt) of virgin plastics were produced across the globe, generating approximately 6300 Mt of plastic wastes, of which around 9% have been recycled, 12% incinerated, and 79% accumulated in landfills [2]
In India, the consumption of plastics increased from 0.4 Mt/year in 1990 to 4 Mt/year in 2001, and it was expected to rise to 8 Mt/year in 2009 [5] and 16.5 Mt/year in 2017/18 [6]

Summary

Introduction

Plastic is at the top of the international agenda for waste management. We identified, collated and synthesised dispersed international trade data on the importation of polymers and plastics into several African countries. Current worldwide production of plastics is around 300 Mt/year, with 57 Mt/year produced in the European Union [3]. The yearly average per capita plastic consumption is 43 kg [4]. Waste plastic represents a considerable proportion of the total waste stream in many countries. The total mismanaged plastic waste globally in 2010 was estimated at 32 Mt [9]. Plastic waste poses human and environmental issues globally and especially for African countries, which have a high proportion of mismanaged waste plastics and lack state-of-the-art recycling facilities [10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion