Côte d’Ivoire sets sights on plastic pollution

To tackle the plastic pollution crisis, experts say the world needs to overhaul the linear economic model that governs plastics and that perpetuates a throwaway culture. A shift to a circular economy is needed – one which eliminates unnecessary production and consumption, avoids negative impacts on ecosystems and human health, keeps products and materials in the economy and safely collects and disposes of waste that cannot be economically processed.

"There is no single solution to the plastic pollution crisis,” said Rose Mwebaza, Director of UNEP’s Africa Office. “The good news is that all the technological solutions needed have already been invented, with a wave of innovative companies and forward-looking governments joining forces to make plastic pollution history.”

That process is playing out in Côte d’Ivoire. The Centre Ivoirian Anti-Pollution is monitoring pollution hotspots. CIAPOL is also in charge of implementing environmental regulations, including the decree of 2013 banning the production, import, marketing, possession and use of plastic bags.

As well, UNICEF and partners are building a unique factory to convert waste into durable plastic bricks. Every year, the factory will process 9,600 tonnes of plastic waste. “Working on this project, surrounded by young enthusiasts, is a real pleasure. [We are] transforming schools into green schools, through installing solar panels, handwashing stations and toilets for a healthy environment," the Ivorian activist Andy Costa has said.

El Assaad Abdul Rahmane is the founder of Recyclage.CI, an Abidjan recycling company. He says concerns about plastic pollution often fall to the wayside in communities facing more immediate problems, such as hunger and unemployment.

“It is important for the government to support companies that engage in the circular economy and recycling, as this can generate jobs and income for populations,” says Rahmane, who has developed a machine to transform plastic waste into pyrolytic oil, which can be used to power generators.

Research shows that shifting to a circular economy by 2040 could create 700,000 additional jobs globally and improve livelihoods for millions of workers in the informal sector, largely in developing countries.