Waste management is currently one of the main challenges faced by the African recycled polymer supply chain. Population growth rates are over 2% per year and the consequent increase in consumption of plastic packaging makes this the largest fraction of waste after organic, which brings more urgency to the waste management challenges. Most of Africa’s population has no access to kerbside collection nor a formal waste collection system and relies heavily on waste pickers in the informal sector for waste collection and sorting. According to industry estimates 90% of waste still ends up in landfill or illegal dumping sites and some of it is burned in the open.
South Africa is often viewed as the most developed country in the region for circular plastics, largely due to the close collaboration across the plastics industry which often takes the lead in finding solutions. The ICIS Recycling Supply Tracker has identified just under 20 PET, PE and PP recycling plants in the country, the highest number in any African country, followed by Nigeria and Egypt. South Africa was also the first country to have a food grade PET recycler with EFSA positive opinion in 2015.
Seeing the benefits of the initiative and effective supply chain outcome, other countries in the region are looking at South Africa as an example to apply best practices in their local markets. Petco models have been established in Kenya in 2018, Ethiopia in 2019, Tanzania in March 2021 and with future plans in Uganda. In January 2020, South Africa launched the SA Plastics Pact following the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s initiative. Members from the plastics industry collaborate to achieve a circular economy for plastic packaging by having four targets by 2025: reducing problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging; 100% of plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable; 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled; and 30% recycled content across all plastic packaging.
Source: Recycling International
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