Greening through taxation: assessing the potential opportunities and challenges of plastic products in Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential opportunities and challenges of plastic products in Ethiopia. The study is qualitative in nature and a descriptive research design with the in-depth interview was used. The study employed both primary and secondary sources of data to investigate the study on hand. More specifically purposive sampling techniques were used to select the respondents for the interview. Discourse analysis was used in the study to recognize discursive interaction as a valuable tool for determining opinions, ideas, and facts about plastic products in Ethiopia. The study developed two different storylines regarding the opportunities and challenges of plastic products. As a result, the first storyline (S1) used taxing plastic products as an alternative strategy. The second storyline (S2) used banning plastic products as opoosing strategy. The study finding implies that having a tax on plastic products could provide more opportunities for the country than banning them. More specifically, taxing plastic products will be more appropriate for the generation of revenue, employment, industrial process, construction process, and recycling in Ethiopia. On the other hand, a lack of proper collection systems, separation of the source of disposal, a properly designed operating system, clear authorities and sanitation rules, organizational capacity, and unreliable collection services were found to existing challenges of plastic products. Governments and policymakers shall play a critical role in developing the necessary legislative framework to encourage mitigation actions that contribute to the reduction of plastic waste at the source, as well as encouraging the cleanup of plastic pollution on coastlines. Public discussion on alternative packaging than the one-time use of plastic products is also needed. Public awareness is required to change customer attitudes, and separation of organic and non-organic waste across the cities.