Africa generates about 20 million tons of plastic waste per year, and according to the OECD, this figure could quadruple by 2060 due to population growth and rising living standards.
The lack of effective collection systems, processing plants, and packaging alternatives causes severe environmental damage: landfills in cities, livestock ingesting bags, pollution of rivers, lands, and seas.
In 2023, the United Nations warned of a “toxic tidal wave”: of the 400 million tons of plastics produced annually worldwide, 79% accumulate in landfills or in nature, 12% are incinerated, and less than 10% are recycled.
Ecobuild: turning waste into opportunities
In Mali, engineer Doumbia founded Ecobuild, a small company that transforms plastic waste into pavers, chairs, pipes, and decorative items.
- She produces about 67 tons of shredded plastic per month, which she sells to pipe factories.
- She employs seven people and has trained 30 vulnerable people, mainly displaced by armed conflict.
- With the support of the Spanish NGO Ayuda en Acción and the Bamagreen project, funded by IMG, she acquired larger machines to move closer to a quasi-industrial model.
- This year, the initiative enters a second phase with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (Aecid).
The goal is to create a self-sufficient network of collectors who transport the raw material to the workshop and earn income, generating a circular economy around plastic.
The international context
In 2022, representatives from 175 countries approved at the UN the creation of the first treaty against plastic pollution.
However, after six rounds of negotiations, the agreement remains stalled. Meanwhile, local projects like Ecobuild show that community action can make a difference.
Africa at the legislative forefront
Although waste management remains deficient, more than 20 African countries have adopted laws banning or limiting the use of plastics.
- Rwanda is a pioneer: since 2008, it has banned polyethylene bags, with fines and prison for offenders. Today, it is almost impossible to find them in Kigali. The government plans to extend the ban to straws and bottles.
- Kenya and Tanzania have adopted similar laws, although the results are less visible due to management issues and lack of alternatives.
- In September 2025, Gabon joined the restrictions.
- Other countries with measures: Ethiopia, South Africa, Morocco, Botswana, Chad, Ghana, Togo, Congo, Eritrea, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali.
However, enforcement is uneven. In Mauritania, for example, supermarkets use cloth and paper packaging, but black bags are still present in neighborhood stores. In Senegal and Gambia, plastic invades trees and streets, showing the magnitude of the challenge.
Obstacles and challenges
- Deficient enforcement of laws: many bans are not enforced in practice.
- Lack of viable alternatives: cloth or paper packaging does not always replace plastic.
- Global dependence on plastic: oil-producing countries promote it as an alternative in the face of reduced fossil fuel consumption.
Africa, along with Asia, is the continent with the fastest-growing generation of plastic waste. However, local initiatives like Ecobuild in Mali and pioneering legislation like that of Rwanda show that the continent is not standing idly by.
The key lies in the combination of community action, international support, and effective enforcement of laws, to transform plastic from a threat into an opportunity.
