Plastic crisis in Africa's Great Lakes

While the media often focuses on plastic pollution in the oceans, the large lakes in Africa have largely gone under the radar.

Yet tens of millions of people rely on these lakes for their livelihoods, either through fishing or tourism, and they all face a gigantic plastic problem.

– Lake Victoria is one of the largest freshwater sources in the world, constituting one-third of all freshwater resources in Africa's freshwater system. This interconnected system spans from Lake Victoria through the Nile and river systems, ultimately reaching the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, this plastic problem is not just Africa's concern; it also becomes an issue for Europe, says senior researcher Farhan Khan at NORCE.

Biodiversity and living conditions for fish and other animals and organisms are at risk of being choked by all this plastic.

NORCE and Farhan Khan - who has studied plastic pollution for over ten years - initiated the pioneering project Great Lakes Clean Shores, supported by the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund.

They engaged thousands of African volunteers in Tanzania in a historically significant clean-up project, during which they collected tons of plastic.

– This is just the tip of the iceberg; much more plastic needs to be cleared, and Tanzania and other African countries need better solutions for waste management. We don't intend to impose Norwegian solutions on the people of Africa; they don't have a system for bottle deposits as Norway does. Instead, we aim to find solutions that can work for them, Farhan says.

In this project, Farhan and his colleagues have led 69 clean-ups, but this is just one part of the extensive efforts they have undertaken. They have engaged 5400 volunteers in the clean-up operations, collecting over 25 tons of plastic where plastic bottles and bags accounted for 40 percent of the plastic waste items.

– While we've conducted many significant clean-up efforts along the shores of Lake Victoria, we've barely touched Lake Tanganyika and Lake Niassa in Tanzania. There is still so much left to do, also in Lake Victoria, he says.

While clean-up efforts are important, it's equally crucial to educate people not to litter and to provide authorities with data and knowledge.

– This enables them to implement changes and execute cleanup programs. They are already taking action, but not on this scale, and previously, they didn't have access to this level of data. Now, with this information, they have a stronger foundation for effective interventions. We've also organized stakeholder meetings in Tanzania, involving policymakers and engaging in a dialogue with the plastic industry.

– We have provided training on plastic waste and practices for a circular economy in schools. We also engaged in citizen science, where people register plastic items, contributing to a database that identifies types of hotspots for plastic. This helps us understand what characterizes places with particularly high concentrations of plastic bottles and bags, Farhan says.

In summary, the Clean Shores, Great Lakes project has five key aims:

• Reduce litter, especially plastic litter, along the Tanzanian shorelines of the African Great Lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika, and Nyasa) through a coordinated campaign of annual clean-ups.
• Train and mobilize local communities as environmental ambassadors through active involvement in the clean-ups.
• Record clean-up data through citizen science to pinpoint hotspots and sources.
• Provide data-led advice to regional and national policymakers on mitigation strategies.
• Promote a circular economy and sustainable solutions.

– The social and economic costs of pollution also have health implications. Microplastics find their way int fish, and chemicals adhering to the plastic are released and enter the ecosystem. Moreover, at higher temperatures, more chemicals are released, making the processes faster in Africa, Farhan Khan says.