Impact of Policy Design on Plastic Waste Reduction in Africa

Abstract

Single-use plastic (SUP) is an important product group in plastic pollution with various measures managing it within its lifecycle. Africa has the highest single-use plastic bag (SUPB) policy adoption by region globally, but the plastic problem persists, raising policy design concerns on effectiveness. This paper explores plastic policy design on plastic waste reduction in Africa. Using gap analysis and integrative propositional analysis, the status, scope, and variability of policies are assessed against a reference model. There are 48 active policies in 39 of the 55 countries in Africa. Of these, three countries have transitioned from plastic bag bans to SUP policies to manage more plastic products, and two countries have transitioned from SUPB charges to SUPB bans. There are 12 packaging policies, 29 bag policies, 2 bottle policies, 1 utensil and polystyrene boxes policy, and 1 straw policy. Themed SUP and packaging policies loosely cover plastic products. Four of the nine packaging policies analyzed are SUPB policies by design, as they explicitly mention the control of bags rather than primary packaging. Sixteen policies are designed for biodegradability restrictions, while ten policies are total bans on single-use plastic products. The lack of definitions and coherence and provision of exemptions in policies result in plastic waste traceable from exemptions, in-policy, undefined SUP, out-of-policy SUP, and non-SUP sources. The use of different policy mix instruments to manage plastic within its lifecycle was identified in African countries. The design of new policies should consider these shortcomings to enhance plastic waste management by explicitly identifying products and outlining management measures for excluded plastic products within the same plastic group for SUP or packaging policies in the absence of a global or regionally binding plastic policy.