Cameroon is facing an unprecedented and an unrivalled generation of waste despite having little or no resources to cater for these waste. In 2021, cameroon produced 578698 tons of Municipal Plastic waste and the number continue to increase.
Plastic waste is the most littered waste in Njombe-Penja Municipality and Cameroon(Motapene, 2023).
Plastic waste entering water is a major global problem. Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste end up in our oceans, rivers, and lakes in Limbe, Kribi etc. This pollution has a devastating impact on marine life and ecosystems.

A) How do plastic enter our oceans
    Plastic waste enter our water, oceans  in a number of ways. It is littered on the ground and then washed into waterways by rain or stormwater runoff. It is also lost or deposited from ships and boats or from aquaculture facilities like swimming pools, swimming beaches, floats, docks.   

     Once plastic waste enters water, it stays there for hundreds or even thousands of years, as it does not decompose easily. Plastic take 20 to 500 years to decompose depending on the material's structure and environmental factors such as sunlight exposure.

  B) Effects of these plastics in the water
 
Plastic waste in water have a number of negative impacts on marine life such as;

1)Water animals especially fishes become entangled in plastic debris, which lead to injury and death.

 2) Moreover, water animals also mistake plastic for food and eat it, this block their digestive systems and starve them to death.

3) Plastic waste also pollute the water itself. As plastic breaks down over time, it releases harmful chemicals into the water. These chemicals are toxic to marine life as they accumulate in the tissues of fish and other seafood, making them unsafe for human consumption.

  C) Solutions 

There are a number of things that can be done to reduce plastic waste entering water. 
  1) One important step is to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, straws, and water bottles. 

  2) We should also recycle plastic whenever possible and dispose of all plastic waste properly.

3)In addition, the Government of Cameroon and businesses especially those dealing with plastics like Supermont, Tangui, Brasseries, Kadji should take steps to reduce plastic waste pollution. For example, the Government should  ban single-use plastics and require businesses to use recycled content in their products.
 
4) In addition, businesses in Cameroon also invest in technologies to reduce plastic waste from their operations.

In conclusion, these steps can help to reduce plastic waste from entering our water if they are properly and efficiently implemented.