Background

Africa is the second most polluted continent. Costs of marine waste to Africa are estimated in the millions of dollars every year. While the exact amount of waste entering the sea from the African continent remains unknown, it is clear the rapid development of Africa has seen waste accumulation outpace management capacity. Waste from Africa enters the sea and becomes part of the global environment. Thus, marine waste problems in Africa are part of the shared global waste problem.

Specifically, marine pollution in African is a detriment to the continent’s economy, human health, wildlife, and environment, while contributing to the challenge of climate change. Without the necessary infrastructure to collect and process plastic waste at scale, and with a growing population, Africa must play its part in finding solutions to this increasing global problem.