Macro problems from microplastics: Toward a sustainable policy framework for managing microplastic waste in Africa

Microplastic pollution is a ubiquitous and emerging environmental and public health concern in Africa due to in-creased plastic production, product and waste importation, and usage. While studies on the environmental mon-itoring and characterization of microplastics demonstrated the urgent need for a drastic reduction in plastic waste generation, the effectiveness of the various regulatory and policy interventions implemented or proposed in Africa countries remains poorly understood. We critically examined policies, legislations, and regulations enacted to control microplastic pollution in Africa to develop a sustainable, harmonized framework for the coordinated reduction of plastic waste generation across Africa. Analysis of the interventions revealed most African countries employed traditional perspective (i.e., command-and-control) approaches, whereby state instruments such as plastic ban, production and importation levies, and consumer taxes were enacted. However, the continued increase in microplastic waste generation suggests traditional perspective approaches might not be effective in Africa. Although rarely used in Africa, market-oriented approaches such as private-public waste management are often effective in controlling plastic pollution. Hence, we proposed a bottom-up hybrid regulatory approach for managing microplastics pollution in Africa, involving price-based, right-base, legislation and behavioral frameworks based on best practices in microplastic waste management. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Microplastic pollution is a widespread and urgent environmental and public health issue in Africa. While traditional command-and-control approaches may not be effective, market-oriented private-public waste management methods could prove more successful in combating this issue.