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Plastics: Not the Problem; It's How We Use Them

  • FES Editor
  • Jul 14
  • 3 min read
Crumpled blue plastic bottles in a pile against a light blue background, creating a feeling of waste and environmental concern.

Plastics are woven into every fibre of modern life: in our homes, our hospitals, our communication systems, and transportation networks. The real challenge isn’t plastic itself; it’s how we use, discard, and collect it, especially in a country like Cameroon, where robust waste management systems are still under development. The goal of our Plastic Free July Eco Swap Campaign isn't about elimination, but, as the term goes, it's about eco swapping: adopting smarter, more sustainable behaviours while supporting systems for collection and recycling.


Plastic resists decomposition, and without proper systems, we’re left with nearly all plastic ever made, persisting in the environment or piling up in landfills. A plastic bottle may persist for approximately 450 years and foam cups for approximately 50 years. In Cameroon, over 600,000 tonnes of plastic are produced annually, but only about 20% is recycled.


Plastics: Essential but Mishandled

While plastics are critical in sectors like health, construction, and education, their improper disposal leads to serious environmental and health consequences. Plastic pollution kills marine life, contaminates food chains, and burdens landfills and waterways.


In August 2024, Tubah Council (North‑West Region of Cameroon) made headlines with a youth-driven initiative. 1,500 plastic bottles were collected, filled with soil by over 50 young people (earning CFA 100 per bottle), and used to build two classrooms and four eco‑toilets. Mayor Martin Tanjong, awarded for environmental innovation, states:


“It is known all over the world that Tubah Council is championing waste management, environmental protection and the fight against climate change. I want to build other people who will like the environment like I do…”

This demonstrates how local governments can turn plastic waste into community assets while creating jobs and promoting awareness.


Since 2016, Namé Recycling (with operations in Douala and Yaoundé) has collected PET, HDPE, and LDPE from households, streets, and businesses. Recycled approximately 9 000 tonnes (about 250 million bottles). Their latest innovation is the creation of plastic pallets that replace traditional wooden ones, helping to reduce deforestation and giving new life to discarded plastics. As commendable as this is, yet it represents only about 2% of national plastic output. This highlights the urgent need to scale collection systems.


Since their introduction in the mid 20th century, plastic bags have come to represent unnecessary single-use waste. Around 500 billion to 1 trillion are used globally each year, which is roughly 1 million per minute. Cameroon banned non-biodegradable bags in 2014, but enforcement remains weak, and most still end up in landfills or flowing into rivers and drains.

 

The Real Culprit: Disposal Failures


The plastic itself isn’t the villain; it’s our disposal habits: burying waste in landfills, dumping it in water systems, or burning it openly. Of the approximately 600,000 tonnes of plastic produced annually in Cameroon, at least 500,000 tonnes end up mismanaged due to weak collection and recycling systems.


But there’s real hope as the national waste market is growing. Projects like Yaoundé’s upcoming CFA 80 billion waste-recycling initiative, which includes selective collection and sorting centres, signal major strides toward improved infrastructure. Likewise, Africa’s waste-management sector, including Cameroon, is projected to expand at nearly 5 % annual growth, driven by government and private investment in collection, sorting, and recycling.

 

FES EcoSwap Challenge: Our Aim


Eco Swap campaign poster on crumpled paper with a green megaphone and glass bottles. Text: "Throughout July" and hashtags for sustainability.

Cameroon already has inspiring examples of community and private-sector initiative: Tubah’s eco‑construction project of turning plastic bottles into classrooms and pavement blocks demonstrates how waste can be transformed into infrastructure and opportunity. Likewise, Namé Recycling’s achievement of processing around 9,000 tonnes of plastic proves that PET circularity is viable at scale. Plastics can be repurposed, creating jobs and supporting local economies.


For Plastic Free July, the FES EcoSwap Challenge calls on everyone to live responsibly with plastic: reduce single-use items, reuse when possible, recycle correctly, and support the development of effective systems. Together, we can build the structures, both in our minds and in our communities, that empower these transformative actions. Start small: swap one item, like plastic bags, then add another even after July.

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