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Today, as the world marks World Environment Day under the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”, the Africa Coalition of for Climate Resilient Communities (ACCRCC) calls attention not only to the physical toll of plastic pollution on the environment but also to its invisible weight on our mental well-being.
“Our key message, as the World marks this important day, draws meaning from our assertion that tackling plastic pollution, is not just cleaning up our physical environment but creating a world that supports healthier, calmer minds and communities,” said Dr Rosalid Nkirote, the Executive Director, the ACCRCC.
She noted that plastic pollution has become a silent invader in our lives—from littered streets and rivers to overflowing dumpsites near homes, schools, and markets. “For millions of people in Africa, this constant exposure erodes their sense of peace, beauty, and dignity in the very spaces they call home. The burden is not just environmental—it is emotional and psychological,” she said.
Research increasingly links environmental degradation to heightened stress, anxiety, and feelings of helplessness. For communities surrounded by plastic waste as those in informal settlements in our major towns that the ACCRCC often work with, “reduced quality of life, shame over their living conditions, and mental fatigue from the daily struggle to navigate polluted landscapes is reality they live with”. This is worse during rainy seasons as the ‘flood’ prone areas are faced with blockage of drainage by plastics.
Dr Nkirote added that for children growing up amid waste, and for women who bear the brunt of household waste management, the mental strain compounds already existing socio-economic pressures.
Henry Neondo, the ACCRCC Advocacy and Campaigns lead noted that environmental justice is also mental justice. Beating plastic pollution must therefore go hand-in-hand with restoring the dignity and mental wellness of communities most affected. As a result, the ACCRCC call for community-centered waste solutions that restore pride in public spaces and promote collective healing, increased mental health awareness in areas impacted by chronic pollution and stronger policies to hold polluters accountable and prevent the dumping of toxic waste in vulnerable regions.
In addition, the ACCRCC also called on governments to enhance support for circular economy, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action, that reduce plastic use while creating green jobs and hope for the future.
The ACCRCC clarion call to ‘Beat Plastic Pollution – Heal the Planet, Ease the Mind’ is premised on the knowledge that “every plastic bottle avoided, every bag reused, every community cleaned is a step toward a greener earth—and a more peaceful you. Let’s choose mindful action for a thriving planet and balanced mind”.
“This World Environment Day, let us remember: healing the planet also means healing ourselves. By beating plastic pollution, we clear not only our rivers and roads, but also the mental clutter and chronic stress that pollution brings to everyday life,” said Neondo.