Plastic Waste Management in Rwanda : An Ex-post Policy Analysis
Rapid economic growth and poor environmental management have Rwanda facing growing pollution problems, including solid waste and plastic pollution, among others. For years, Rwanda has sought to tackle plastic waste, and the country has been proacti...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099530006222226992/P1791430174c860e0a9af0cb4b442deb33 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37607 |
| Summary: | Rapid economic growth and poor
environmental management have Rwanda facing growing
pollution problems, including solid waste and plastic
pollution, among others. For years, Rwanda has sought to
tackle plastic waste, and the country has been proactive in
pursuing environmental management with ambitious policy
measures. Since 2000 when the government of Rwanda
introduced its Vision 2020, the nation has progressed in
introducing waste management practices that included a
structured approach to sustainable waste management.
Rwanda’s continued efforts include the ambitious adoption of
legislative bans on the manufacture, importation, use and
sale of polyethylene bags in 2008. The country recently took
this effort further, with a ban on the manufacture,
importation, use and sale of plastic bags and single-use
plastic items. Rwandans embrace these policies through a
culture where citizens work together to better their
communities through collective actions or Umuganda, a
practice (now enshrined in law) that requires residents to
support the nation’s cleanliness. Combined, these policies
have led to the near eradication of polythene bags in Rwanda
and an increase in affordable waste collection services for
most urban populations, especially in Kigali. The purpose of
this report is to review lessons learned from an ex-post
analysis of the policies regarding plastic pollution
management in Rwanda and provide evidence-based
recommendations for policy improvements in the country. |
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