Upholding the rights to health and a healthy environment in Africa through enforcing plastic ban regulations

Abstract

Over the last century, plastic items have unquestionably eased human transactions ranging from manufacturing, transporting, packaging, and protection of goods. Despite these positive outcomes, plastics heavily contribute to environmental pollution and human ailments. The physical and visible negative effects of plastics include pollution in rivers, streams, drainages, public spaces, beaches, farms, etc. The invisible effects of plastics in the human person can potentially cause breast, endocrine, prostate, etc. cancers. The above-cited effects are a direct consequence of the violation of the right to health and the right to a healthy environment. The negative effects of the propagation of plastic items resulting in the violation of these rights have caught the attention of activists and scholars forcing international advocacy movements to advocate for the promulgation of plastic ban laws. This article investigates the effectiveness of plastic ban laws in Africa with specific emphasis on Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Cameroon. This article identifies legal instruments regulating plastics and their enforcement mechanisms in the countries under study, examines shortcomings contained in their exceptions, analyzes enforcement mechanisms, but also identifies a community ownership strategy as the fundamental strategy that is working in Rwanda. The results are significant and conclude with proposals that other countries could adopt to render the enforcement of plastic ban laws and regulations more effective.