Guinea Bans Single-Use Plastics, Exempts PET Water Packaging

On September 21, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, the interim president of the West African nation, signed a decree formalizing the ban. The regulation aims to alleviate pressure on the country’s overburdened waste management system. According to a World Bank-commissioned WACA report, around 83.5% of Guinea’s solid waste is mismanaged, with daily plastic waste generation reaching about 616,000 kilograms in 2019.

The ban targets single-use plastics in commercial and industrial sectors, including plastic bags and oxo-degradable plastics. However, a key exemption has been made for plastic packaging used for water and other liquids, which are mostly made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). This exemption acknowledges PET’s critical role in Guinea, particularly for packaging safe drinking water in a country where access to clean water is a significant concern. 

PET is lightweight, durable, and most importantly, recyclable. Its recyclability contributes to lowering environmental impact, as PET can be converted into recycled PET (rPET) and reused in new products, aligning with global sustainability goals. PET’s robust recycling potential makes it a more environmentally sustainable option compared to other plastic materials, allowing it to support a circular economy in regions like Guinea, where alternative packaging materials may be scarce.

In addition to water packaging, the decree also exempts single-use plastics used for essential services, such as in the medical, agricultural, military, and waste collection sectors.

The decree provides a six-month transition period for companies to sell off their existing stock of banned plastics. Meanwhile, plastic manufacturers have up to two years to fully comply with the new regulations. According to recent data, Guinea does not produce plastics domestically. The country’s plastics conversion industry processed 15,000 tonnes of resin in 2018 (including 1,000 tonnes of PET) and 17,000 tonnes in 2019 (with PET accounting for 1,000 tonnes). Guinea is heavily reliant on imported plastics, with 51.9 million kilograms of plastics imported in 2019, the majority being polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), which together made up 90.2% of the imports.

Colonel Doumbouya stated in a televised address that companies or individuals failing to comply with the ban would face administrative fines, though specific penalty amounts were not disclosed.

This move comes after Guinea’s suspension from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), following the military coup in September 2021 that overthrew former president Alpha Condé. The suspension has isolated Guinea from regional trade, making its regulatory changes even more significant as the country strives to address internal challenges independently.