Plastic pollution in Tanzania's marine environment has emerged as one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. The accumulation of plastic waste across the environment, including in estuaries, oceans, rivers, and coastal areas, has reached alarming levels. This pollution poses a significant threat to marine biodiversity, disrupts vital ecosystems, and jeopardizes human health, particularly through the infiltration of microplastics into the food chain. Recent assessments confirm that plastic is the most dominant type of marine litter, accounting for over 65% of all waste in the region. The bulk of this plastic waste is generated by urban centers, particularly Dar es Salaam, and is primarily composed of items such as plastic bags, bottles, caps, and packaging materials. A large proportion of this waste ends up in the ocean, primarily due to inadequate waste management systems, insufficient infrastructure, and limited recycling efforts.

In response to this growing crisis, this assignment seeks to conduct comprehensive research on plastic waste management as part of the Pamoja Tuhifadhi Bahari Yetu Project. The research will focus on mapping the scale of plastic waste, identifying key leakage hotspots, assessing both environmental and socioeconomic impacts, and identifying opportunities for scalable interventions and circular economy potentials, particularly in Kinondoni, Ilala, Temeke, and Mafia.

The main objectives of the assignment are i) To quantify the magnitude of plastic waste and map plastic waste generation and leakage hotspot areas in Ilala, Temeke, Kinondoni and Mafia districts. ii) To assess the impact of plastic waste pollution in Ilala, Temeke, Kinondoni and Mafia districts. Iii) Identify locally relevant circular economy opportunities for plastic waste management and job creation, livelihoods, and income-generating opportunities.