Global Problem, Local Solutions: MENA Communities Driving Change Against Plastic Pollution

Greenpeace MENA’s new report, Global Problem, Local Solutions: MENA Communities Driving Change Against Plastic Pollution, highlights how local initiatives are addressing a crisis that continues to grow. The report spotlights case studies from Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia, documenting how community-led efforts are achieving tangible, scalable impact across the region.

Why this report now?

Plastic pollution continues to threaten coastlines, rivers, ecosystems, and local livelihoods, and despite growing national attention to circular economy principles, formal systems still struggle to keep pace with the scale of the challenge. In contrast, grassroots initiatives rooted in tradition, lived experience, and local knowledge, are stepping in to address issues that national systems have not yet been able to resolve. These initiatives are shifting public attitudes, expanding awareness, and generating solutions that touch different stages of the plastic lifecycle, from prevention and education to cleanup and recovery.

The report showcases that meaningful change is already underway across the region, driven by communities who are taking action where institutional capacity remains limited. These initiatives include innovative cleanup models, youth-led coastal protection, citizen science programs that contribute valuable knowledge, and educational and community-organizing efforts that strengthen trust and collective understanding. 

What’s inside the report?

Each initiative featured in the report is assessed within its national context, including policy environments, socio-economic conditions, and environmental priorities. This analysis reveals that community-based action not only complements national strategies but often provides essential leadership where governmental systems face constraints. These grassroots efforts are influencing public opinion, informing decision-makers, and setting practical examples that can be adapted and replicated across diverse settings in the MENA region.

In a world where less than 10 percent of plastic is recycled, the report aims to provide practitioners, researchers, NGOs, and youth and community leaders with models that offer hope and direction, encouraging further regional action and replication of the successful approaches it documents.

Key initiatives from the report:

• Egypt – VeryNile: a social initiative launched in 2018 under the environmental platform Bassita, with a mission to remove plastic waste from the Nile and transform it into a social and economic opportunity. 
• Lebanon – Waste Management Coalition: a civil society movement made of technical experts, activists and organisations with a mission to achieve a truly integrated Waste Management sector in Lebanon and to promote a circular economy. 
• Saudi Arabia – Pristine: a not-for-profit organisation which emerged in 2022 to  address the gap between environmental awareness and sustained action in KSA by making environmental activities enjoyable and accessible. 
• Morocco – Surfrider Foundation Maroc: an initiative that demonstrates a successful community mobilisation model that combines direct action such as beach clean-ups, education, and data-informed advocacy to tackle plastic pollution on the Moroccan coastline.
• Tunisia – Notre Grand Bleu: a scientifically grounded, community-embedded NGO, founded by local divers and researchers in 2012, with a mission to protect and sustainably develop marine and coastal life in Tunisia. 
• United Arab Emirates – Goumbook’s Empowering Ocean Stewards: an innovative ocean literacy and citizen science model that transforms young people from passive consumers of environmental information into active producers of scientific knowledge.

Download the report to explore how communities across the MENA region are leading the way toward a cleaner, healthier future.