Rwanda, a pioneer in the fight against plastic waste

In South Korea, where the United Nations negotiating committee on plastics is meeting, Rwanda is one of the leading countries committed to reducing plastic pollution.

Rwanda’s environmental policy is cited as one of the most effective in Africa.

According to Rwanda’s chief negotiator for this international conference, there is no longer any plastic on the streets of Kigali.

“Since 2004, Rwanda has decided to control the use of plastic, so we banned plastic bags. There was also a lot of pollution coming from single-use plastics, so in 2019 we amended a law to also ban single-use plastics,” she detailed.

For her, Rwanda could be a model for other countries around the world.

“From our experience, it shows that it’s possible and it doesn’t necessarily affect the economy. We don’t think we have all the answers, but we know that change is possible,” added Juliet Kabera.

The summit, which ends on December 1, serves as a framework for establishing a treaty to reduce plastic pollution worldwide.