GAIA: “Waste colonialism” fuels Africa’s plastic crisis amid circular initiatives

Merissa Naidoo of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) reports that Africa’s waste management infrastructure is being overwhelmed by "waste colonialism," where high-income nations export plastic waste under the guise of recycling. This influx often results in open burning and unregulated dumping, as current systems cannot keep pace with the volume of imported materials. The situation highlights a critical need for the sector to shift from industry-promoted "false solutions" toward grassroots zero-waste systems and the formal recognition of waste pickers.

Africa faces a systemic waste crisis driven by the legal and illegal importation of plastic packaging from the Global North, a practice Merissa Naidoo of GAIA and Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) labels as waste colonialism. Approximately 90% of waste on the continent currently ends up in unregulated landfills or dump sites, where open burning is a frequent and hazardous outcome. Naidoo argues that many imported materials are mislabeled as recyclable but are actually impossible to manage effectively, undermining local efforts to establish functional circular economies and overwhelming existing infrastructure.

In response to these challenges, countries such as Ghana and Nigeria are emerging as leaders in implementing zero-waste systems that prioritize resource conservation through responsible production, reuse, and recovery. These initiatives aim to address root causes, such as the prevalence of water sachet packaging, by replacing them with systemic refill solutions. GAIA is currently collaborating with multiple nations, including Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Egypt, to scale these efforts and move away from conventional disposal methods that fail to address the full lifecycle of plastic.

The industry expert also critiques "false solutions" promoted by the plastics sector, such as waste-to-energy, chemical recycling, and plastic credits, which she describes as diversion tactics or greenwashing. For example, major corporations like Coca-Cola have recently rolled back promises regarding reuse and recycled content, shifting the burden of waste management back onto consumers and developing regions. Naidoo emphasizes that the real backbone of the recycling economy consists of grassroots waste pickers, particularly women, who face significant discrimination, unfair pricing, and safety risks despite providing essential waste management services.

The effectiveness of future waste management in Africa depends on the formal integration of these waste pickers and a focus on waste prevention over "techno-fixes" like bacteria-based plastic consumption. As negotiations for the UN’s Global Plastic Treaty continue, female waste pickers are increasingly advocating for their livelihoods and leadership roles within recycling cooperatives. For the global waste management sector, this shift underscores the necessity of moving beyond export-based disposal models toward localized, equitable systems that prioritize environmental justice and genuine material circularity.