Mindelo, Cape VerdeThe 35 teachers from the Escola De Alto Peixinho highschool on the island Santo Anto gathered there at the beginning of March for a bit more of a role-reversal. They had come to learn, but not to teach, and Leila Téixeira, their teacher was there for them to shock.
Teixeira, coordinator of Cape Verdean nonprofit Biosfera’s marine pollution department, said that when they see a seabird or a maritime bird in a net it is difficult for them to see the problem and that they are contributing to it.
It is not only birds that are in trouble, but also baby sea turtles after hatching can become entangled in fishing lines washed ashore. Microplastics are a problem for fish in Cape Verdes waters.
Teixeira was not trying dampen spirits. She was actually trying to incite action. The workshop focused on ways to combat the mountains and debris that wash up off the coasts of West Africa.
Cape Verde’s recent trend of using single-use plastics is quite recent. The economy has grown at a rate of GDP almost twice as fast. QuadruplingActivists stated that disposable goods and single-use plastics have increased from $1.98bn in 2000 to $1.98bn prior to the pandemic.
Teixeira said that buying disposables is a status thing. They can throw parties and don’t need to use disposable plates and reusable forks or knives.
However, the trash collected by Cape Verdean environmentists shows that the island chains are intertwined with the rest of the world’s action or inaction regarding plastic pollution. Plastic bottles from Bangladesh, octopustraps from Senegal, and discarded nylon fishing nets from fishermen all over the globe often end up on these islands, despite the fact that they are hundreds of miles from any nearest landmass.
The powerful Canary ocean current carries the litter there.
Biosfera intends to open its first recycling centre later in the year. This will be the latest of several that have opened on the island over the last year. Recycling was not possible before then, and recycling is still in the control of a few non-profits.
It’s important that the work is done: Cape Verde does an excellent job keeping its beaches clean. Accounts24 percent of GDP, 10 percent of formal work.
Other beaches, which are less populated but still essential to the island’s marine ecosystems, are the final destination for trash.
You’re cleaning, and cleaning, then there’s fishing nets coming. There’s plastic coming,” Helena Moscoso, cofounder of SIMILI (a Mindelo-based company that collects washed-up fishing nets from the island of So Vincente, and hires Cape Verdean women who sew them into wallets and bags). It’s beyond our sphere and beyond what we can accomplish.
The business organizes beach cleanups in conjunction with Biosfera. But in some cases, Teixeira explained, there is enough waste to make it difficult for even a month-long cleanup with dozens volunteers to tidy up the entire length.
After taking photos of the birds, they [the teachers]Teixeira stated that they were interested in being part the solution.
But it is becoming clearer that solutions will need to come from more people than just the residents of the islands, as Cape Verde is responsible for dealing with all the trash in the world. Teixeria stated that the beach clean-ups are the only mitigation work. We were just trying keep the beach and the coast ecosystems safe.
Global collaboration: Hope for the future
There is hope that global cooperation will soon become a reality. The United Nations Environment Assembly launched a 175-country treaty in March to curb plastic pollution. It was called an epidemic by Espen Barth Eide, President of the Assembly and Norwegian Climate and Environment Minister.
2024 is the expected date for the draft of the legally binding agreement to address the 300 tonnes of plastic pollution each year, 11 million tonnes of which flow into the oceans.
These are the big brands we have [producing single-use plastic products]They are scattered and can be found in different geographical boundaries, Erastus Ooko (Greenpeace Africa’s plastics engagement lead), stated in a recent Twitter Space organized around the UN treaty. It is not enough to ban them in one nation, as they can be produced in another country.
In recent yearsInternational action regarding plastics has not been cooperative. Many countries that are rich have sent plastic scrap for processing and recycling in poorer countries. However, it is known that most of the plastic ended up in landfills, or worse, burned.
Sometimes, the waste was illegally shipped overseas to be dumped there with lower environmental standards.
As they try to improve their recycling capacity to meet growing domestic demand, receiving countries, from China to Senegal have been increasing their resistance to plastic waste import bans. Shipping companies internationallyThey have been increasingly strict about banning plastic waste from being transported aboard their vessels.
The great thing about the [UN]Treaty is that nobody expected us to reach this stage so fast, said Niven, the South Africa-based regional Coordinator for Break Free From Plastics. This global campaign aims to curb plastic pollution. The mandate is to look around [plastic wastes]Its entire lifecycle is important because it was once around marine litter. Now this opens up opportunities for capping [plastic]Production is very important.
To the future
Moscoso is worried about Mindelo, a major tourist hub and shipping hub, which lies across a bright blue bay from Santo Anto. Moscoso was there to help Teixeira with her workshop. Moscoso is worried about the construction of a new cruise port and the potential trash that tourists and ships may bring.
Tourism is on the rise[and]We don’t have the ability [recycling]She said.
We must return to the past and not have so many big supermarkets. [where]It is easy to find items, and everything in plastic, plastic everywhere, stated Debora Robora, co-founder of SIMILI. We must go back to the days when we bought only what we needed.
However, for now, companies and nonprofits in Cape Verde that are dedicated to ending plastic pollution will be focusing on what they can do, finding hope in even the most difficult situations.
SIMILIs beach cleanups are filled with too many fishing nets. Sometimes, however, you might find a tiny bit of yellow, red, or violet among the tangled nets. This rare, bright-coloured net is the perfect way to spice up your SIMILIs bag.
Moscoso joked that it is difficult to find all of these, and he was laughing at the absurdity in finding joy in yet another rubbishnet.
Roberto is inspired by Teixeira’s vision of a future without plastics. She often tells people to think like her grandparents because it is possible for us to live with less waste than we currently do.
She stated that it can’t be just in Cape Verde. It must be global.
