Tanzania

TANZANIA

Nipe Fagio

Total Litter Items

Total Rubbish Bags

Percentage of litter that is plastic

Percentage of litter that is local

Litter Monitoring Statistics as of June 2019

Our plastic challenge

The average plastic waste generation in Tanzania in 2010 was estimated at 0.02kg per person per day (Jambeck et al., 2015). This accounts for the per capita production prior to waste management and recycling interventions. In the commercial capital of Dar es Salaam, the amount of plastic in the total municipal waste composition increased from 16% in 2012 to 22% in 2014. This was primarily from the increase in PET beverage bottles, packaging of food stuffs and plastic bags used by small- and large-scale commercial vendors.

Considering an average waste collection of 58% in major urban centres across the country (Yhdego and Amir,2016), it is extrapolated that an estimate of 0.015kg of plastic per person per day ends up in the environment in 2019. That is equivalent to about one 500ml PET empty water bottle or 5 plastic shopping bags (HDPE).

The ability of the municipal waste management system to collect, treat and dispose waste in Dar es Salaam is hindered by inadequate human and financial resources, poor and insufficient quantity of equipment, restricted accessibility in terms of infrastructure as well as restructuring of governance structures.

This has resulted in land and marine pollution in the form of soil infertility, blocked drains that exasperate flooding during heavy rains, increased risk of water borne and non-communicable diseases, foul smells and deterioration of recreational beaches.

In 2018, 26 clean-ups organised by Nipe Fagio in Dar es Salaam collected 16,500kgs of waste; of which an average of 50% of sampled waste was plastic from domestic beverage and food industry brands and plastic bags. Apart from the visible effects of plastic pollution, a research paper in 2016 found microplastics in Tilapia and Nile Perch fish species sampled from Lake Victoria (Biginagwa et. Al., 2016). An on-going research conducted at the University of Dodoma (with support from WIOMSA) indicates preliminary findings of an accumulation of microplastics in the sediments and in cockle tissues sampled along the coastal shores of Dar es Salaam, Mafia and Pemba (Mayoma et al., 2019).

Recycling efforts have increased in the last five years, with private investors targeting HDPE, PVC and PET plastics, and a recently formed Tanzania Recyclers Association that (amongst their other mandates) promotes the growth of the plastic recycling industry and the use of eco-friendly packaging and bags. Additional efforts from government to curb the plastic pollution was the implementation of a plastic bag ban, enforced by regulations enacted in June 2019 restricting the use of plastic carrier bags.

References

Biginagwa, F. J.,Mayoma, B. S., Shashoua, Y., Syberg, K., Khan,a F. R. (2016).
First evidence of microplastics in the African Great Lakes: Recovery from Lake Victoria Nile perch and Nile tilapia. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 42 (1) , 146-149.
Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., … & Law, K. L. (2015).
Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768-771.
Mayoma, B.S., Khan, F.R., Hemed, S., Shimba, M.J. (2019).
Threats of microplastics pollution to the marine ecosystem of Tanzanian coastal waters. https://blog.wiomsa.net/2019.
Yhdego, M. and Kingu, A. 2016. Solid waste management in urban centers of Tanzania leapfrogging towards a circular economy, Research Paper

Our Team

Nipe Fagio (NF), “give me the broom” in Swahili, is a civil society organisation founded in 2013. Nipe Fagio is based in Dar es Salaam with partners in 14 regions of Tanzania. We aim to empower the civil society, the private sector and government to build lasting change towards turning Tanzania into a clean and sustainable country, conscious through education of its role on waste management and reduction of pollution.

Nipe Fagio advocates with the government:

To increase government responsibility for reinforcing current laws and policies
To push for new laws and policies to foster sustainable deve

Nipe Fagio works with the private sector:

To identify and create business opportunities that promote a clean economy
To educate about Best Waste Practices (BWP)
To promote a safe circular economy

Nipe Fagio engages with the community:

To raise awareness about the threats of pollution and environmental degradation
To raise awareness about the threats brought by poor waste management for community and ecosystem health

Nipe Fagio in 2019 began a Marine Litter Monitoring Program (MLMP) supported by WIOMSA. The aim is to build on the existing cleanup program where waste and brand audits are conducted and develop a database that can be used for awareness raising and policy advocacy efforts with private and public stakeholders. The MLMP is focusing on 4 selected sites in Dar es Salaam City; two beach locations and 2 seasonal river locations.

The programme piloted in June 2019 at the beach sites where a site cleanup was conducted followed by a 10-day maro-litter accumulation survey. The accumulation surveys recorded 3,000kg of waste from both sites over the 10 days

Team profile

The team is led by Ana Le Rocha, the Executive Director of Nipe Fagio. The core team is comprised of 2 Project Coordinators, 1 Policy Coordinator, 1 Campaigns and Communications Coordinator, 4 Community Mobilization Officers and 1 Finances and Admin Officer.