{"id":76503,"date":"2025-07-02T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=76503"},"modified":"2026-02-26T22:36:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:36:02","slug":"ending-plastic-pollution-in-africa-a-matter-of-justice-for-african-women-and-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/76503\/ending-plastic-pollution-in-africa-a-matter-of-justice-for-african-women-and-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Ending plastic pollution in Africa: a matter of justice for African women and communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>This story was originally posted by<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/blog\/57737\/ending-plastic-pollution-in-africa-a-matter-of-justice-for-african-women-and-communities\"><em>Greenpeace Africa<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>In Nairobi\u2019s Dandora dumpsite, Joyce, a young mother rises each day not to farm her land or build her dream, but to scavenge through plastic waste to sell and feed her children. Years of inhaling toxic fumes have damaged her lungs. Hospital visits are now part of her daily reality. Still, every morning, she returns to that mountain of waste, because she has no other choice.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DUMPED: A WASTE PICKER&#039;S STORY\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-sN-ct36aTY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Plastic waste colonialism is fuelling injustice for African communities<\/h2>\n\n<p>Joyce\u2019s story is not an exception. It is the reality of too many African women whose lives are being shaped, and shortened, by a crisis they did not create. Women in Africa are on the frontlines of the climate and plastic crisis, not just as victims but as the invisible backbone of communities striving to survive amidst environmental collapse.<\/p>\n\n<p>The global plastic crisis may affect us all, but its impacts are not equally distributed. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afro.who.int\/news\/tackling-health-impacts-plastic-pollution-africa?\">Africa contributes the least to global plastic pollution<\/a>, yet our rivers, coastlines, and cities are overflowing with it. Our markets are flooded with single-use plastics manufactured thousands of miles away and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/73083\/plastic-design-changes-a-greenwashing-tactic\/\">greenwashed as \u201crecyclable\u201d, \u201creusable\u201d, or even \u201ccircular\u201d<\/a>. Our communities are turned into dumping grounds in the name of global trade. And the poorest, especially women, are left to deal with the toxic aftermath.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2025\/07\/975be2ff-gp0su4evk.jpg\" title=\"Waste Pickers Documentary Filming 2024 in Nairobi. \u00a9 Caleb Mbuvi \/ Greenpeace\" alt=\"Waste Pickers Documentary Filming 2024 in Nairobi. \u00a9 Caleb Mbuvi \/ Greenpeace\" class=\"wp-image-76505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2025\/07\/975be2ff-gp0su4evk.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2025\/07\/975be2ff-gp0su4evk-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2025\/07\/975be2ff-gp0su4evk-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2025\/07\/975be2ff-gp0su4evk-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2025\/07\/975be2ff-gp0su4evk-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photos taken during the filming of the waste pickers documentary at Nairobi\u2019s Dandora dumpsite.<div class=\"credit icon-left\"> \u00a9 Caleb Mbuvi \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>This is not accidental. It is structural. It is a system that prioritises corporate profit over human life. This is plastic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/blogs\/13698\/africaday-the-scramble-to-dump-plastic-is-waste-colonialism\/\">waste colonialism<\/a>. And it must end. Recently, Greenpeace Africa <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DKhIF9lCtzZ\/?hl=en\">took their message to Coca-Cola\u2019s corporate offices in Johannesburg<\/a>, South Africa to demand a different future, one where corporations are held accountable and communities, especially women, are protected and empowered.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Global Plastic Treaty must prioritise people over profit<\/h2>\n\n<p>Millions of people across the world have joined the movement for a strong, binding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/act\/lets-end-the-age-of-plastic\/\">Global Plastics Treaty<\/a>. This treaty must not be another vague agreement. It must deliver justice.<\/p>\n\n<p>We need a Global Plastics Treaty that:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Caps and phases down global plastic production, starting with single-use plastics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Holds polluters accountable across the entire plastics lifecycle, from extraction, production to disposal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bans toxic chemicals of concern used to make plastics and waste trade from high-income to low-income countries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritises the needs of frontline communities like waste pickers, informal recyclers, and Indigenous Peoples<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Guarantees meaningful participation of African voices, especially women, in negotiations and implementation as well as a stable financial mechanism that will drive the treaty implementation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Protects human health, especially in communities near incinerators, dumpsites, and plastic manufacturing zones<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Because this isn\u2019t just about the environment. It\u2019s about dignity, health, and justice.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<section\n\t\t\tclass=\"boxout post-21155  sticky-bottom-mobile collapse show\"\n\t\t\tid=\"action-card\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-action=\"Image\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"cover-card-overlay\"\n\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/act\/lets-end-the-age-of-plastic\/\" \n\t\t\t><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2019\/03\/530878d8-gp0stt3fm-1024x683.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2019\/03\/530878d8-gp0stt3fm-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2019\/03\/530878d8-gp0stt3fm-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2019\/03\/530878d8-gp0stt3fm-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2019\/03\/530878d8-gp0stt3fm-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2019\/03\/530878d8-gp0stt3fm.jpg 1200w\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 358px, (min-width: 780px) 313px, 88px\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"Plastic Waste in Verde Island, Philippines. \u00a9 Noel Guevara \/ Greenpeace\" title=\"Plastic Waste in Verde Island, Philippines. \u00a9 Noel Guevara \/ Greenpeace\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n            \t\t\t<div class=\"boxout-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"boxout-heading medium\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-action=\"Title\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/act\/lets-end-the-age-of-plastic\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLet\u2019s end the age of plastic!\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"boxout-excerpt\">Ask world leaders to support Global Plastic Treaty so that we can finally turn off the tap and end the age of plastic.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t                                    <a\n                        class=\"btn btn-primary\"\n                        data-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n                        data-ga-action=\"Call to Action\"\n                        data-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n                        href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/act\/lets-end-the-age-of-plastic\/\"\n                        \n                    >\n                        Take action\n                    <\/a>\n                \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"not-now\"\n\t\t\t\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-bs-toggle=\"collapse\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#action-card\"\n\t\t\t\t><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\n<p>In Kenya, Greenpeace Africa\u2019s documentary <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-sN-ct36aTY\"><strong>Dumped: A Waste Picker\u2019s Story<\/strong><\/a> brought Joyce\u2019s voice to the global stage. In South Africa, there are calls for legal efforts to ban hazardous single-use plastics. Across Cameroon and Senegal, we are building grassroots power to demand systemic change. We are demanding\u00a0 for solutions that are rooted in equity, science, and human rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Women like Joyce are not passive recipients of aid. They are leading change, when given the chance. Joyce and her community should not have to choose between survival and safety. And they should never bear the cost of a crisis they did not cause.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>A plastic-free future is not a dream. It is a decision. Let\u2019s make it together.<\/p>\n\n<p><em>Dr Oulie Keita is the Executive Director of Greenpeace Africa.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p><em>Safina Okumu is a Content Editor for Greenpeace International, based in Nairobi, Kenya<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Nairobi\u2019s Dandora dumpsite, Joyce, a young mother rises each day not to farm her land or build her dream, but to scavenge through plastic waste to sell and feed her children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":76504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/blog\/57737\/ending-plastic-pollution-in-africa-a-matter-of-justice-for-african-women-and-communities\/","p4_campaign_name":"Plastic Free Future","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,73],"tags":[134,67],"p4-page-type":[59],"class_list":["post-76503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","category-social-and-economic-systems","tag-plastics","tag-consumption","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76503"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76730,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76503\/revisions\/76730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76503"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=76503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}