Angola government establishes plastic waste reduction taskforce to “drastically” fight coastline pollution

06 Jan 2023 --- Angolan president João Lourenço has created a working group to draft a legal national plan to ban plastics. A presidential decree published in the state-owned Jornal de Angola, states that the southwestern African nation is a coastal state and as such must address the “worrying levels of pollution resulting from the use of plastic in general whose mode of production and use is not regulated in domestic legislation.”

The taskforce will be responsible for policy formulation to address Angola’s “environmental degradation” and regulate the production and use of non-biodegradable products.

The Minister of State and Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic will coordinate the multidisciplinary working group. It will include those responsible for the environment, economy and planning, territorial administration, education and telecommunications, information technologies and social communication.

Additionally, representatives of business associations, academia, support bodies for the vice-presidency of the Republic and a member of the Council of the Republic will join the group.

The CM Jornal reports that the working group will survey production units, import circuits and levels of plastic consumption. Moreover, the coordinator is tasked with approving a schedule within 30 days and reporting quarterly updates to the chief executive.

The taskforce will be responsible for policy formulation to address Angola’s “environmental degradation” and regulate the production and use of non-biodegradable products.Coastal protection
In November, the United Nations Climate Conference (COP27) in Egypt saw growing calls for countries to protect, conserve and restore the ocean. 

“The Ocean must play a critical role in helping the world counter the climate crisis,” says Leticia Carvalho, head of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Marine and Freshwater branch.

“Many marine environments, including coastal ecosystems, are under threat, reducing both their mitigation and adaptation potential, as well as breaking down their ability to function and provide services to humanity,” she adds. “We have no choice but to scale up action and funding to protect them dramatically.”

Angola has a coastline of over 1,600 km that stretches from the mouth of the Congo River in the north to the mouth of the Cunene River in the south. Lourenço deems it imperative that the country put legal measures in place to ban plastic.

According to a 2020 UNDP report, the Angolan head of the Department of Community Services of the Provincial Environment Office stated that plastic constitutes most of the region’s solid waste. Hence the Office has been promoting awareness campaigns in supermarkets, bakeries and suppliers of plastic bags.

African waste management
At COP27, the Egyptian government also launched the “50 by 2050” initiative to ensure at least half of all African waste is treated and recycled before 2050.

Ana Le Rocha, executive director of Tanzania-based zero waste organization Nipe Fagio, told PackagingInsights: “The waste crisis faced by Africa is not generated by African models but by a consequence of various kinds of colonialism.” 

“African countries also have very limited available funds to deal with the waste crisis and it ends up impacting the most vulnerable populations beyond any acceptable limit.” 

Moreover, in December, the continent saw further initiative in waste management by Rwanda when the government unveiled a 14-year US$211.3 million circular economy action plan for African waste management.

The action plan envisions that by 2035 Rwanda’s economy will have placed circularity at its core, ensuring the retention of resources and eliminating waste and pollution while regenerating natural systems.

“Investing in the circular economy is an investment in climate action, biodiversity protection, supply chain security, innovation as well as job creation and skills development,” says Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Rwanda’s minister of environment.

Edited by Radhika Sikaria