There is no waste in nature; everything is naturally recycled. It is due to the excesses of humans and the production of materials that cannot be recycled by nature that our polluted planet is wilting under the burden.
Key players are increasingly aware by the demanding concern to effectively manage waste and reduce its build up on land and halt waste entry into the oceans. Africa has great potential for economic development, similarly, this is a very good opportunity to be innovative, create solutions and grow into a thriving circular system. There is a lot of space for innovation concurrently with the expected economic growth.
Africa is in her wake. In this season of economic growth and innovation, potential for waste leakage into the ocean from Africa is huge, there is great opportunity for proper planning, mitigation and prevention solutions. Waste is a cross-cutting issue, therefore multidisciplinary solutions involving all stakeholders must be developed.
Africa, current and future.
As the global population grows from seven to nine billion by 2045, it is predicted that more than half of this growth (1.3 billion) will be in Africa. This means that the waste generated in Africa will increase exponentially if management trends remain as they are.
The oceans and seas of the world connect all continents; therefore, plastic and other debris that enter the ocean off one country might impact any other coastal nation. As Africa is the second most polluted continent and may be the worst within two to three decades (Jambeck et al., in press), there is need to urgently identify solutions, not only from coastal regions but with a focus on multinational partnerships. Not only should Africa work together, but there is need to work together and draw up on other intercontinental, multidisciplinary knowledge, expertise and experience.
The Global Problem
Human activities contribute to the accumulation of waste within water catchment areas, along populated and remote beaches and at oceanic and polar regions. Waste is “any product produced by human activities which is unwanted and disposed of, or meant to be disposed of” (Lacoste and Chalmin, 2006). This definition includes all unwanted gases, liquids and solids, as well as the discharge of these unwanted products into the air, water and land. Solid waste being the primary focus here, it is important to note that solid waste influences air, water and soil pollution.
Solid waste can be subdivided according to material type (e.g. glass, plastic, paper,), production sector (e.g. agricultural, mining, residential,), original product use (e.g. medical, packaging, electronic) and nature of the waste itself (e.g. hazardous, biodegradable, recyclable) (Lacoste and Chalmin, 2006; UNEP, 2015). These classification schemes overlap (for example, residential waste can include but is not exclusively comprised of plastic waste).
Marine solid waste or marine debris is defined as “any form of manufactured or processed material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine environment”. It may be deliberately or unintentionally introduced and transported to the ocean (Galgani et al., 2010). This introduction into the environment results from inadequate solid waste management, inappropriate human behaviour, and unsustainable production and consumption.
Introduction of waste into the ocean is always a result of inadequate management systems, human behavior and unsustainable production and consumption. Marine debris is associated with a range of ecological and economic, health and social costs.
Impacts of Marine Waste
- Loss of fauna and flora due to ingestion, entanglement, habitat destruction and introduction of alien species internally or externally
- Decreasing fish stocks
- Damge of watercrafts and mariculture facilities
- Diminishing of aesthetic value of rivers, lakes and oceans, with a detrimental effect to tourism
- Water contamination and introduction of chemicals into the food chain (microplastics and microfibers)
Did you know?
- Plastic makes up the largest component of marine debris (around 70%) due to its long-lasting and durable design.
- Of that, 75% comes from uncollected waste (due to inadequate city cleaning) and 25% from collected waste, where waste re-enters the environment from poorly operated formal or informal dumpsites
- Global plastic production has increased exponentially since the 1950s. If current trends continue, an additional 33 billion tons of plastic may be produced by 2050
- This equates to approximately 8 billion African elephants worth of plastic produced. Currently, there are between 3 to 5 million African elephants on the continent.
- It is estimated that 8 to 12.2 million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year (Jambeck et al., 2015).
- The total negative costs of this plastic pollution on oceans have been estimated to be at least 13 billion USD annually (UNEP, 2014).
“Waste is produced at every stage along the linear economy from extraction, production, distribution, consumption and even in the process of disposal itself”
