Reverse Logistics Barriers: A Case of Plastic Manufacturing Industries in Zambia

To alleviate the depletion of resources, application of reverse logistics (RL) systems in the plastic manufacturing industries is necessary. Numerous challenges exist in the plastic industry that prevent sustainable RL of Plastic Solid Wastes (PSWs). These challenges include; logistics costs, production costs, raw material availability etc. The study assesses RL barriers facing the Zambian plastic manufacturing and/or recycling industries. It identifies sustainable strategies from success stories in developed economies. The barriers preventing sustainable implementation of RL in the Zambian context include; 'lack of household participation in PSWs recycling schemes,' 'lack of recycling technology and infrastructure,' 'ineffective enforcement of extended producer responsibility (EPR),' 'none-existence of legislations and regulations for effective enforcement of PSWs recycling and recovery,' and 'combination of different plastic materials that complicate recycling.' The study recommends the following strategies for implementation; 'having a household PSWs segregation system' and 'establishment of recycling ssystems for industries in the plastics industry.' The strategies provided in this paper are applicable to industries that manufacture and /or recycle other products. To policy makers and the government, the paper provides a foundation for developing policies.