OCEANS OF PLASTICS: DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE AFRICAN POLICY RESPONSES

The document examines the crisis of marine plastic pollution, noting that while Asia is currently the most polluted continent, Africa is on track to take this title due to rapid population growth, industrialisation, and a lack of waste management capacity. It details the environmental impacts of plastic, including entanglement and ingestion by 344 and 331 marine species respectively, and the economic losses associated with tourism and material waste. The brief surveys a wide array of international treaties—such as UNCLOS, MARPOL, and the Basel Convention—and regional frameworks like the RSCAPs, arguing that policies must shift from focusing on ocean-based waste to targeting land-based sources. It highlights South Africa's legislative framework as an example of established policy that still lacks ground-level implementation, and promotes the African Marine Waste Network (AMWN) as a holistic model for research, economic incentives, and capacity building.

• Africa is projected to become the world's most polluted continent, surpassing Asia because its rates of population growth, industrialisation, and urbanisation are already higher, while the continent lacks the wealth and capacity to manage the resulting plastic waste.
• Approximately 80% of marine plastic waste originates from land-based sources, totaling between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes annually, driven by littering, urban expansion, and inadequate waste infrastructure such as open-air dumps.
• Plastic waste causes severe biological harm: 344 marine species are known to become entangled in plastic (especially abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear), and 331 species have ingested plastic, which can lead to starvation, infection, and the accumulation of hazardous organic chemicals up the food web to humans.
• International policy frameworks for marine plastic are extensive but often fail in Africa; the document identifies a critical need to shift focus from ocean-based waste to binding policies that prevent and eliminate land-based sources of plastic.
• In South Africa, a comprehensive legislative framework exists—including the Constitution, the Environmental Conservation Act, and the National Environmental Management: Waste Act—yet many people in rural areas and informal settlements still lack access to waste management services.
• Several African nations have implemented specific bans or taxes on plastic shopping bags to combat pollution, with Rwanda being the first to ban their manufacturing, sale, distribution, use, and import.

APA

LANE, W. (2018). OCEANS OF PLASTICS: DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE AFRICAN POLICY RESPONSES. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Policy-Insights-59.pdf

Chicago

LANE, WADE. OCEANS OF PLASTICS: DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE AFRICAN POLICY RESPONSES. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2018. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Policy-Insights-59.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=LANE |first1=WADE |title=OCEANS OF PLASTICS: DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE AFRICAN POLICY RESPONSES |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Policy-Insights-59.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lane2018oceans, author = {LANE, WADE}, title = {{OCEANS OF PLASTICS: DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE AFRICAN POLICY RESPONSES}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Policy-Insights-59.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }