Plastic Waste Trade Flows in the Southern African Region From 2016 to 2020

Plastic waste management is a priority issue on the global agenda due to the enormous challenges of more than eight billion tons of nonbiodegradable plastic produced over the last 65 years. Following the enforcement of the notorious Chinese Government waste import ban, the top waste exporters, mainly from high-income countries such as Japan, the United States of America, and Germany, relocated their exports to low- and middle-income countries. While other regions’ immediate impacts and policy changes have been documented, information on the sub-Saharan African region is limited. This study presents an initial investigation of the plastic waste flows in the 16 countries that compose the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the past 5 years. The goal is to contribute with data and assessments to inform policy-making toward safe and sustainable plastic waste flows and subsequent management in the SADC region.