The inhabitants of Abidjan, the Ivorian capital, are worried about facing a headache: the management of plastic packaging. Indeed, the various municipalities of the Ivorian capital are crumbling under the weight of tons of plastic waste, thrown into the gutters. The trash cans are overflowing. So far, the government, despite laws banning plastic bags, is lagging behind. However, these reusable packaging, dumped in ponds, in water, represent a health risk for the inhabitants.
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It is not uncommon to see children in the streets of Abidjan collecting plastic bottles with their bare hands. Around them, several plastic types litter the streets in general indifference. In such an environment, recycling becomes more of a necessity than a choice. Also, ten years ago, more precisely in May 2012, the Ivorian government made a difficult but salutary decision to ban it.
Faced with serious problems of self-sufficiency, insalubrity, health and questions relating to the preservation of the environment, the Ivorian government had taken a very important decision: the ban on the production and use of plastics. The more the years pass, the more Ivorians reconnect with old habits.
Plastic, a practical pollutant
Plastics are practical. But, and this we know, they are very polluting. In Côte d’Ivoire, even in semantics, things have changed. Before, we talked about the “housewife’s basket”. Today, we speak of “housewife’s sachet”. This is to say that plastic has become encrusted in the customs of Ivorians who appreciate it very much. When the decision of the Ivorian government to stop its importation or its manufacture, this triggered the wrath of the ecologists and a large number of households.
Plastics and a rolling ban law
When the Ivorian government enacted the law banning plastics, many of us asked ourselves countless questions. One: by what other ersatz will he substitute it. We did not last in expectation. A new adjective has entered our daily lives: biodegradable. We thought biodegradable would be a sustainable alternative. However, once again, we all screwed up. The sachets, after a few months of respite, we are making a comeback.
photo credit: unplash
Plastics and recycling
Plastics are everywhere. Also, where you go in the city of Abidjan and even in the interior of the country, it is common to see water sachets and bottles, everywhere. Indeed, the country is struggling to deal with the plastic pollutants it produces. We have the feeling that the country does not recycle them. In Côte d’Ivoire, as far as I know, there are no plastic sorting and recycling plants. You see these factories that crush and reduce to tiny flakes of plastic. In addition, there is a little too much single-use plastic in this country. Among other things, there are cigarette butts, drink bottles, bottle caps, food packaging, plastic bags plastic for shopping, disposable glass lids, confetti, straws, etc.
Plastics, vector of diseases
Residents of the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, consume more 280 tonnes of plastic waste per day. Much of this waste ends up in canals, rivers and then ends up in the Indian Ocean. This overexposure to a wide variety of toxic chemicals and microplastics can be hazardous to your health. Furthermore, it is scientifically known that plastic packaging has an impact on cardiovascular systemsrenal,
gastrointestinal, neurological, reproductive and respiratory. Packaging discarded in the street is a popular refuge for mosquitoes that transmit malaria and dengue fever. Indeed, speaking of dengue fever, Dr. Lahiru Kodituwakku of the national control unit for this disease, underlines that there is “a strong correlation” between plastic pollution and dengue fever: “Where plastic packaging is thrown , there is a peak of dengue”… Also, In September 2022, the country recorded 380 cases of dengue and 3 deaths.