Sierra Leone Circular Economy in Plastics for Sustainable Tourism and Economic Diversification | Summary Report

Increasing plastic pollution in Sierra Leone threatens not only the public health or the local economy, but also the national tourism sector. The volume of plastic waste visible on beaches in the Western Area of Sierra Leone has made plastic pollution a significant problem. Hotels reported that up to 5 percent of staff salaries are intended for daily beach cleaning[2]. Of the approximately 130,000 tons of plastic waste that is generated each year, only about 7,200 tons are properly recycled by domestic companies. Over the recent years plastic pollution became a significant problem, increasing hotel costs, hampering transportation, and reducing the appeal of beaches. Sierra Leone’s government continues in its efforts to strengthen tourism security and safety as well as tourism profitability for the country. However, the tourism sector presents the double challenge of requiring an environment free of plastic pollution while being itself a generator of consumer plastic waste. Recognizing the need for major improvements in the country’s quality of life through natural conservation and beautification, Sierra Leone is making efforts to confront the growing problem of plastic pollution from both land-based and marine-based sources. Recognizing these challenges, the Ministry of Finance, with support from the World Bank, is implementing the Sierra Leone Economic Diversification Project (SLEDP). It is a five-year project implemented by the Government of Sierra Leone with a $40 million grant support from the World Bank. The main implementing ministries of the project are the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The SLEDP project aims, to improve the business environment and to create opportunities for increased business in the plastics circular economy and to address risks to tourism and other sectors posed by improperly managed plastic waste. The current study aimed to support the national and local governments to foster sustainable industrial growth and sustainable tourism by implementing circular economy strategies to curb the use of plastic products in Sierra Leone. A variety of methods were used to identify and compile data for this study, including a review of the literature, targeted data collection, semi-structured interviews, entrepreneurial discovery workshops and consultations with public private sector representatives. The study required consideration of policies and regulations currently in place in Sierra Leone. The present study consists of several parts, the first of which provides an in-depth look at the plastics sector, with a particular focus on the use of plastics in the tourism sector. The aim was to assess the use of plastics in the tourism sector, to identify opportunities to minimize plastic waste from the sector, and to provide guidelines for tourism stakeholders to reduce single-use plastics. A second part of the study examined the enabling environment for circularity in Sierra Leone that needs improvement to realize the identified potential in the medium term.