Greenpeace MENA Launches New Regional Report Highlighting Community-Led Solutions to Plastic Pollution Crisis

BEIRUT, LEBANON, January 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa (MENA) released a new report showcasing how communities across the region are offering effective, scalable responses to worsening plastic pollution. The report, Global Problem, Local Solutions: MENA Communities Driving Change Against Plastic Pollution, draws on case studies from Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia to show how local initiatives are addressing a crisis that continues to threaten coastlines, rivers, ecosystems, and livelihoods.

While national strategies across the region increasingly acknowledge the urgency of shifting toward circular economy principles, which aims to keep materials in use longer thus minimizing waste and resource extraction, the formal systems are unable to keep up with the plastic problem. The new report shines a light on community-led movements and traditional practices that are shifting mindsets, raising awareness and directly addressing pollution at different stages of the plastic lifecycle.

Commenting on the new report, Farah Al Hattab, Lead Plastics Campaigner at Greenpeace MENA said:
“Across the MENA region, community-led solutions show that meaningful change is possible and underway. From innovative cleanups to youth-led coastal stewardship, citizen science, all the way to educational curricula and civil movement building, these initiatives are striving to solve problems that formal systems are still not able to address, raise public awareness through lived experience, and expand collective knowledge, trust, and legitimacy within different communities.”

The study evaluates each initiative within national policies, socio-economic conditions, and environmental priorities in their respective countries. The findings underscore a key takeaway: community-led action not only complements national efforts but often fills critical gaps, thus informing national decision-making and setting examples that can be replicated and scaled up in different contexts across the MENA region.

Discussing the impact the new report aims to achieve, Al Hattab said: “In a world where less than 10% of plastic is recycled, these solutions offer hope, leadership, and a practical path forward. This report provides insights and models for practitioners, researchers, NGOs, youth and community leaders, and we hope it inspires further action and replication throughout the region.”

The report comes at the heels of the organization releasing its powerful new regional documentary, “A Sea of Plastic: The Invisible Pollution Invading Our Lives”, taking viewers on a journey through Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Tunisia to expose the often overlooked toll that plastic pollution is taking on communities, coastlines, and human health across the region.

Greenpeace MENA underscores that effective action on plastic pollution relies on both community-led solutions and on authorities that shape the policies needed to support these efforts and address gaps that communities alone cannot fill. As negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty are underway, the region’s environmental, public health, and socio-economic realities must be fully reflected in international policymaking.

Hiam Mardini
Greenpeace MENA
+961 71 553 232
hmardini@greenpeace.org
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